> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://birchtree.me/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Apple’s iPhone Event Invites: Hidden Clues or Just Like…Invites? - URL: https://birchtree.me/blog/apples-iphone-event-invites-hidden-clues-or-just-likeinvites/ - Published: 2019-09-07T13:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2019-09-07T13:00:00.000Z - Author: Matt Birchler - Tags: #Import 2023-06-01 22:41, #Import 2025-03-29 19:29 This keeps coming up on podcasts this year, so let’s look at the last 10 iPhone event invites and see what clues they held. # 2019 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Image-9-6-19-9-13-PM.png) #### Announced iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max Apple Watch Series 5 Apple Arcade (new info) Apple TV+ (new info) #### Connection I give this one a decent, if imprefect connection. The iPhone 11 does indeed come in a green, and yellow, and purple, and a red, but all of them are in notably different hues than are in the invite. Also, there is no blue iPhone, despite showing up here. But hey, this is a tease, not a product shot, so maybe that’s fine. #### Speculation at the time People speculated that these could be the new colors of the iPhone 11, or they could be a hint at the return of the 6 colors logo. Some may argue that the invitation also teases one of the wallpapers seen in promo shots of the iPhone 11, but I’d say that’s not what any of us are talking about when we talk about these invites being “teases.” # 2018 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/02BCE8BC-662F-47EC-9027-1209C427B9CA.jpeg) #### Announced iPhone XS iPhone XS Max iPhone XR Apple Watch Series 4 #### Connection Nothing, it was just their new campus. [Ish suggested](https://twitter.com/ishabazz/status/1170323398578192384?s=21&ref=birchtree.me) this could be to tease a gold phone, but there has been a gold iPhone every generation since the 5S, so I‘m skeptical. [Alex Walker suggests](https://twitter.com/awalker47/status/1170364629157056512?s=20&ref=birchtree.me) it is the ECG sensor on the Apple Watch. #### Speculation at the time [People were all over the map on this one](https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/apple-invitation-sets-the-tech-community-abuzz-with-annual-guessing-game/news-story/a9430d4668745ce2e37aed7eac5a27ac?ref=birchtree.me), but some people did suggest it meant gold…things (which again, I am not impressed with since all iPhone gens minus the X had a gold model since 2013). No one suggested anything to do with a health sensor on the Apple Watch as far as I can tell. # 2017 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/apple_sept_2017_event.jpg) #### Announced iPhone X iPhone 8 iPhone 8 Plus Apple Watch Series 3 Apple TV 4K #### Connection Ummmm, nothing I can see, but [Alex Walker suggests the colors line up with the iPhone X's default wallpaper.](https://twitter.com/awalker47/status/1170364629157056512?s=20&ref=birchtree.me) #### Speculation at the time As far as I can tell, no one had good ideas about this one and certainly no one was saying this was going to be the wallpaper on the new phone. # 2016 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/1A029179-6C8B-47AE-9F1F-49E25758F86D.jpeg) #### Announced iPhone 7 iPhone 7 Plus Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 AirPods #### Connection We finally have a connection! The iPhone 7 Plus got a second camera and they used it to debut Portrait Mode. #### Speculation at the time This one was pretty spot on, as [people were positing that the second lens on the iPhone 7 Plus would let you create fake bokeh](https://appleinsider.com/articles/16/08/29/apple-event-invite-inspires-wild-speculation-about-iphone-7-iris-scanning-bokeh-more?ref=birchtree.me), which indeed came to pass. # 2015 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Image-9-6-19-9-29-PM.jpeg) #### Announced iPhone 6s iPhone 6s Plus Apple TV iPad Pro Hermes Apple Watch Series 0 #### Connection The only stretch of a connection I can make is that the new Apple TV had Siri in the remote. It’s a stretch, but it’s something. #### Speculation at the time A few people did guess that [Siri was coming to the Apple TV.](https://www.cultofmac.com/386690/apples-september-9th-event-invite-asks-siri-for-a-hint/?ref=birchtree.me) # 2014 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/apple-invite.0.png) #### Announced iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus Apple Watch Apple Pay #### Connection Uhhhhhhhh… #### Speculation at the time The general consensus at the time seems to be have been that there was no clue, and I would agree. # 2013 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DraggedImage.jpeg) #### Announced iPhone 5S iPhone 5C #### Connection This one’s gotta be the iPhone 5C. #### Speculation at the time [People were onto the idea of a colorful iPhone line](http://osxdaily.com/2013/08/10/next-iphone-launch-date-september-10/?ref=birchtree.me). # 2012 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/wp-content2Fuploads2F20122F092Fiphone-5-event.jpg2Ffull-fit-in__1200x2000.jpg) #### Announced iPhone 5 #### Connection This one gets the award for most on the nose: that’s the iPhone 5, folks. #### Speculation at the time And everyone at the time knew it too. # 2011 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/appleinvite-4e81e5b-intro.png) #### Announced iPhone 4S #### Connection The event was on October 4, at 10AM, at the point on the map, and uh, they’ll notify us about a phone… #### Speculation at the time No speculation, this was also right on the nose about the event, but not the announcements. # 2010 ![](https://birchtree.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bbda0fe3a06983ae0772313089f17b98-1366-80.jpg) #### Announced iPhone 4 iOS 4 #### Connection It was WWDC, soooooo… #### Speculation at the time Sooooooo… --- Well, this brings us to the end of the road, as we are now to the point when iPhones were announced at WWDC. So with 8 total dedicated(ish) iPhone events we can look back on, this is what I’ve got: - **2011:** super on the nose, it was the date, time, and place, but not what this whole clue thing is about - **2012:** the 5 was for the name “iPhone 5” - **2013:** the first clue one, teasing colorful iPhones - **2014:** nothing - **2015:** Siri added to Apple TV - **2016:** definitely a clue for Portrait Mode - **2017:** nothing, but technically a wallpaper - **2018:** maybe gold, maybe ECG - **2019:** probably the iPhone 11 colors By my count, that’s 2 completely on the nose, 3 where people guessed what the clue was, 2 with tenuous clues no one guessed, and 2 with no real clues at all. Let me know what else you see!