Apple breaks with decades of tradition. For the first time in a long while, the Cupertino company will not present its complete iPhone line in September, but will instead split the launch between two different moments of the year. The standard iPhone 18 and its variants will not arrive until spring 2028, according to xataka.com. It is a strategic shift that reveals much more than a commercial decision: it shows how even tech giants face real limits in their supply chains.

A new iPhone in September, but incomplete

At the September 2027 presentation —which will coincide with the arrival of John Ternus as Apple's new CEO, replacing Tim Cook— users will see only part of the expected catalogue. Apple will show the iPhone 18 Pro and the long-awaited foldable iPhone (which some rumors call the iPhone Ultra), but there will be no conventional iPhone 18 accompanying its premium sibling.

The reason behind this fractured timeline is not a marketing whim, although marketing does play its part. According to sources from component suppliers cited by xataka.com, supply chain fragility is the real challenge of this generation. Launching six different models simultaneously —counting the iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Air 2, iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and the foldable model— represents a logistical challenge that Apple simply cannot solve at once.

The memory chip crisis

Behind this strategy lies a problem we have been seeing in the sector for months: shortage of RAM and storage due to artificial intelligence demand. Data centres are hoarding memory chips from the three main global manufacturers —Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron— leaving scraps for consumer technology.

Apple, despite its unparalleled purchasing power, is not immune. Tim Cook recently acknowledged on an investor call the problems stemming from rising memory prices, though he did not publicly mention this split launch strategy. The result is that component prices have risen significantly for Apple just as for its competitors. Months ago it seemed the company was escaping the increases hitting the sector, but it was an illusion: it simply had more accumulated stock than other manufacturers. Once that buffer ran out, its costs rose to the same level as everyone else.

Buying components for six different devices, each with expectations of millions of units in sales, is unsustainable when supply is limited. Apple is forced to choose: launch with delays or fracture the calendar. It has opted for the latter.

The end of Apple as a priority customer

The most significant aspect of this news is what it suggests about the new order in the tech industry. For years, Apple was the pampered customer: its orders came first, its specifications were adapted, its September presence was law. Now, Apple no longer picks up the crumbs: it picks up the leftovers after AI data centres and other giants take what they need.

This shift in fortunes does not affect only Apple. It reflects a broader reality: consumer technology has ceased to be the semiconductor industry's top priority. Artificial intelligence has taken that place, and manufacturers like Samsung and Micron must make difficult decisions about where to direct their production capacity.

What does it mean for buyers?

For Spanish users expecting to upgrade their iPhone during Black Friday sales or with Christmas budgets, this means longer waits. Those who want the standard model will have to wait until the trees begin to bloom. It will likely also mean higher prices, as component costs will continue to pressure margins.

What Apple decided years ago —controlling its destiny through its own ecosystem— proves insufficient when scarcity is systemic. Even its legendary purchasing power cannot solve a problem that is, at its core, one of pure physics: there simply are not enough chips. And as long as AI remains the sector's battlefield, mobile users will keep waiting.