Apple could purposely try to steal OnePlus' thunder this month
It was reported yesterday that Apple had finally decided on an iPhone 9 announcement date – April 15 – after several weeks of deliberation. But as it turns out, the company is also considering a slightly earlier introduction.
Why? OnePlus.
YouTuber Jon Prosser already has a pretty extensive track record when it comes to Apple leaks. The latest information he has received suggests Apple executives are still toying with the idea of introducing the iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus on April 14, one day earlier than currently planned.
This move has nothing to do with internal sales projections or production plans and instead has everything to do with competition.
Apple pretends it doesn’t care about rival brands and the image it likes to project is of a company that doesn’t even acknowledge competition – the recent Dark Sky acquisition is an example of this. But in actuality, Apple cares, and it cares a lot.
The reason executives are thinking about an earlier announcement is reportedly the upcoming OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro launch. Apparently, Apple is being petty at the moment and wants to purposely steal OnePlus’ thunder.
Choosing to move the event to a later or earlier date, on the other hand, would guarantee all of the press attention on the big day but potentially look bad because Apple is forcing the move.
What Apple ultimately chooses to do will remain to be seen, but this certainly wouldn’t be the first time it has done something like this. In fact, it did the exact same thing to OnePlus a couple of years ago.
OnePlus scheduled a big unveiling for the OnePlus 6T on October 30, 2018. It was an especially important launch for the company because it was debuting a new deal with T-Mobile, its first carrier partnership in the United States.
Apple had other plans, though, and soon after announced its own plans to hold a press event on October 30 where it eventually announced the 2018 iPad Pro refresh and several other products such as an all-new MacBook Air.
Arguably, OnePlus is now a much more well-known brand across the globe and in the United States, but whether it can directly compete for press attention with Apple is questionable.
Why? OnePlus.
Apple is trying to ruin the OnePlus 8 announcement
YouTuber Jon Prosser already has a pretty extensive track record when it comes to Apple leaks. The latest information he has received suggests Apple executives are still toying with the idea of introducing the iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus on April 14, one day earlier than currently planned.
Apple pretends it doesn’t care about rival brands and the image it likes to project is of a company that doesn’t even acknowledge competition – the recent Dark Sky acquisition is an example of this. But in actuality, Apple cares, and it cares a lot.
The reason executives are thinking about an earlier announcement is reportedly the upcoming OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro launch. Apparently, Apple is being petty at the moment and wants to purposely steal OnePlus’ thunder.
Jon Prosser has let OnePlus know about Apple’s potential plans and the company will presumably do with that information what it sees fit. But if Apple does choose to go ahead with an April 14 launch instead, OnePlus will be in a pretty awkward position.
If it continues with the OnePlus 8 series unveiling as planned, it risks losing a huge amount of press attention because many will be prioritising the iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus announcement.
Choosing to move the event to a later or earlier date, on the other hand, would guarantee all of the press attention on the big day but potentially look bad because Apple is forcing the move.
This isn't the first time Apple has done this to OnePlus
What Apple ultimately chooses to do will remain to be seen, but this certainly wouldn’t be the first time it has done something like this. In fact, it did the exact same thing to OnePlus a couple of years ago.
OnePlus scheduled a big unveiling for the OnePlus 6T on October 30, 2018. It was an especially important launch for the company because it was debuting a new deal with T-Mobile, its first carrier partnership in the United States.
OnePlus subsequently bowed down to Apple and moved its highly anticipated event to October 31 in an attempt to guarantee as much press coverage as possible.
The iPhone 9 and OnePlus 8 won't be competing directly
Whereas the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are being developed as rivals to the Galaxy S20, Huawei P40, and other premium flagship lineups, Apple has created the iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus with a completely different audience in mind.
Reports suggest Apple is hoping to entice owners of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, or iPhone 7 that haven't yet upgraded to newer devices. This should then keep them in the ecosystem for at least another four years or so and give the company more time to sell its growing number of services to them.
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