The history of Apple's iPhone and the events surrounding the launch of the iPhone X in 2017 help to explain why an iPhone 9 was never made.
After the iPhone 8 and 8-Plus, Apple skipped the number nine and went right to ten. Also, a Roman numeral was used when naming the iPhone X, which Apple pronounces as ten. This begs the question of whether an iPhone 9 ever existed and, if so, what became of it. A deep dive into Apple iPhone history and naming helps to explain this mystery.
Apple has been making the iPhone since 2007. It used 2G, which was the wireless network standard at that time. The second model moved to the faster 3G data in 2008 and appended that to the name. Next came the iPhone 3GS, starting what would become a pattern of small updates adding an ‘S’ to the name. The iPhone 4, 5, and 6 all had ‘S’ versions. The iPhone 6 and 6S were offered in a standard and larger Plus model. The iPhone 7 continued with the Plus convention but, instead of an iPhone 7S, Apple moved right to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.
The iPhone 9 doesn’t exist and the reason was never explained by Apple, but looking at the iPhone’s history and what was happening in the smartphone industry in 2017 can help explain the decision. There have been a total of twenty-four models over the course of 13 years, giving ample opportunity for that number to appear. It would, of course, have been expected after the iPhone 8, but when the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus were announced in 2017, the iPhone X launched alongside them. The following year saw the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max, an entirely new naming convention. By 2019, the iPhone 11, Pro and Pro Max were announced, dashing the chances of ever seeing an iPhone 9.
Why Apple Skipped The IPhone 9
In 2017 slimmer bezels were beginning to grow in popularity and Apple needed to offer a solution or be seen as lagging behind. However, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus only offered a bump in specifications, nothing terribly exciting. The home button was still present, requiring the bottom bezel to be quite large. In 2017, it had been ten years since the first iPhone was announced and Apple would have wanted to do something special for the tenth anniversary. The combination of slimmer bezels and the special occasion made it the right time for the iPhone X, the first ‘all-screen’ model from Apple. Having advanced to ten or ‘X’ for dramatic effect, it made no sense to back up the naming count for an iPhone 9.
It’s worth noting that this practice of breaking the numerical naming system and reinventing product names, is not unique to Apple. Microsoft advanced from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 in 2015, skipping nine, just as Apple did a couple of years later, to signify a bigger change than a single generation. Samsung skipped nine in a different way, and this isn’t in reference to the recalled Galaxy Note 9. Rather, the Galaxy S11 was followed by the Galaxy S20. While we may never hear an official reason for skipping the iPhone 9, it isn’t a big surprise given the need for a big change both in design and to signify the tenth anniversary.
Why was there no iPhone 9? Plus, what happened to the iPhone 10
Apple just announced its iPhone X. It’s the new flagship iPhone that will be released in November, weeks after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus go on sale on September 23rd. Apple says you’re supposed to pronounce the iPhone X as “iPhone ten,” and it’s designed to mark 10 years of the iPhone. While the iPhone 8 is an iPhone 7S in all but name, the number jump across all the new iPhone models means we’re now officially missing an iPhone 9.
Apple’s typical S naming is gone for this year at least, which isn’t entirely surprising. Samsung launched its Galaxy S8 earlier this year, and the company’s Note 8 will be available on September 15th (the same day iPhone 8 preorders begin). Going up against the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 with an iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus doesn’t really make as much sense this time around. Instead, Apple appears to be using a great marketing trick for this year’s iPhones.
APPLE’S CLEVER AND SUBTLE MARKETING TRICK
The iPhone X naming helps position the device above the regular iPhone 8 without explicitly labeling it “iPhone 10,” because most people are simply going to call it the iPhone X and not pronounce it as iPhone ten. Apple knows this, and the company only uses the X logo in its promotional materials. Jony Ive says “iPhone ten” in the company’s keynote video, but I’d be surprised if we hear Apple explicitly call it the iPhone ten on a regular basis.
This subtle difference makes it clear it’s a special edition iPhone, and not an iPhone 10 that’s going to make people think they’re not getting the latest iPhone if they go for the iPhone 8. Let’s face it, the iPhone X is the device people will want, but most will go for the iPhone 8 simply because the X is priced so high.
Microsoft did a similar trick for its Windows 10 naming. The software giant skipped Windows 9 and went straight to Windows 10, but Microsoft did this primarily to encourage Windows 7 users to upgrade. Looking at your PC and seeing Windows 7 when there’s a Windows 10 version out makes it seem all that much older, and it’s a marketing trick that helped promote free upgrades. Apple’s subtle trick does mean that next year’s iPhone names are going to get really interesting. Will we see the iPhone 8S, an iPhone 9, or an iPhone XS? Let the guessing games begin.
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