Apple has made a major change to its iPhone release cycle for the first time in seven years by not releasing the standard iPhone 18 at its new-product event this fall.

CNBC reported on Sept. 10 that Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, at its first product launch event since John Ternus (존 터너스) became chief executive. The standard iPhone 18 was not included.

Market attention has focused less on the products themselves than on the change in the rollout. In recent months, the industry has speculated that Apple was considering shifting the standard iPhone to a spring event and introducing premium models first in the fall. Apple has previously announced relatively cheaper models such as the iPhone SE and iPhone 16e in the spring.

The cheapest new iPhone at the event was the iPhone 18 Pro. Its starting price in the United States is $1,199, up $100 from the prior generation. The iPhone 17, which was $799 before the event, was adjusted to $899 after the event. Apple also raised prices for Macs and iPads in June to respond to a global shortage of memory and other components. Former CEO Tim Cook (팀 쿡) said at the time that such supply constraints were "not sustainable."

The split in release timing is being interpreted as a move to ease earnings seasonality. Apple has typically posted its strongest revenue in its fiscal first quarter, when iPhone sales are fully reflected and year-end shopping demand overlaps. The following two quarters have been relatively weak. IDC Vice President Francisco Jeronimo (프란시스코 제로니모) said iPhone sales concentrated at year-end fall sharply by the second quarter and that the shift would "provide some stability" in terms of balancing annual revenue.

Apple has unveiled its standard and Pro lineups together at the same fall event for more than the past 10 years. Since the iPhone 11 era, it has distinguished between a standard model and higher-end Pro models, but the announcement timing and release dates were the same. The separation strategy also aligns with a recent rise in the share of Pro model sales. IDC estimates the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max accounted for 54 percent of total iPhone sales in the first half of 2026. The standard iPhone 17 accounted for 26 percent.

One variable is whether price-sensitive buyers may delay upgrades. Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan (왐시 모한) said the split release could lift the product mix and average selling prices, but there is a risk consumers could postpone replacements until lower-priced models are released.

It also reflects calculations to reduce supply chain burdens. Counterpoint Research Vice President Neil Shah (닐 샤) said releasing only two models first, instead of launching four new models at once, would significantly ease the burden of securing components. He said high memory prices were not helping Apple with simultaneous iPhone launches.

Apple also unveiled its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, near the end of the event. Its starting price is $1,999. Apple overhauled its iPhone operating system to match the device. Craig Federighi (크레이그 페더리기), senior vice president of software engineering, introduced a redesign of buttons and controls for the two screens, along with multitasking to use two apps at the same time and support for the Pencil.

CEO Ternus said, "A bigger screen can open up new possibilities for the user experience," and "I think the best way to deliver that is a foldable design." The iPhone Duo includes Apple's in-house second-generation C2 modem. Hardware chief Johny Srouji (조니 스루지) said the C2 is 50 percent faster than the previous generation and uses 15 percent less power.

The event was seen as a bigger signal of a shift in Apple's sales strategy than of the new products themselves. If a fall launch centered on high-priced Pro models and a separate spring launch for the standard model takes hold, Apple is increasingly likely to see changes in its annual revenue flow and supply chain operations as well.