Mark Your Calendars: iPhone 6 to launch in mid-September with iOS 8

Apple has reportedly set a tentative date for the iPhone 6 launch in mid-September. Unnamed sources who were briefed on the event plans told 9to5Mac that Apple has penciled the launch of its next iPhone in for the second or third week of September. Final details about iOS 8 will also be announced during the keynote.

However, due to manufacturing difficulties, Apple has yet to set a firm date for the iPhone 6 launch. The sources also added that although the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is all but guaranteed to launch at the event, the 5.5-inch version may not be included in the keynote.

As previously reported by numerous news outlets, rumors hint that the larger iPhone 6 model is facing manufacturing delays due to problems with the battery and other components. The sources did not confirm these rumors, but said that the smaller, 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is further along in internal tests and overall production.

As is Apple’s custom, the iPhone 6 will debut alongside the finished build for iOS 8. If things go according to plan, BGR’s sources claim that iOS 8 Beta 5 will seed to developers on August 4, while the iOS 8 Beta 6 will arrive later on August 15. After the final beta version is released, Apple will finalize the build and release the Gold Master version a few weeks later. By then, September will have started and the iPhone 6 launch will be just a few weeks away, assuming all goes according to plan.

Apple’s iOS 8 is expected to include many big updates to the HealthKit preview we saw at WWDC 2014, a better messaging app, and much more upon its initial release. Sources told 9to5Mac that other big updates to apple’s mobile OS like Maps and split-screen multitasking for iPad will arrive in iOS 8.1 or iOS 9 due to internal arguments and a lack of resources.

Apple is also expected to hold a second launch event in October, where it may reveal the long-awaited iWatch or some other wearable. Of course, if the larger iPhone 6 is delayed, it could appear at the event, too. Other reports state that improvements to OS X Yosemite and a 12-inch retina MacBook may debut before the year’s end, as well.

In the meantime, check out our iPhone 6 rumor round up and our iWatch post here.