Until Apple’s marquee event in the fall, the name of the upcoming iPhone family is anyone’s guess. Many are wondering: Will the company stick to a sequential naming scheme this year? Here at CNET, we’ve been referring to the next flagship as the iPhone 13 for the sake of continuity, but a wave of reports suggest that it may not be Apple’s moniker of choice.
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Read more: Apple’s iPhone 12 led to largest revenue and profit in its company history
The name iPhone 13 can be bad for optics
But if other reports are accurate, there won’t be an iPhone 13 hitting shelves next year either: Apple is expected to leapfrog to an iPhone 14 in 2022, excluding “iPhone 13” from its nomenclature altogether. Here’s why.
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iPhone 12S paves the way for a big upgrade
The iPhone X (center), launched in 2017 alongside the iPhone 8 (left) and iPhone 8 Plus (right).
Until Apple’s fall event, there are no guarantees about what name will get slapped onto this year’s iPhone. But if you’re interested in learning more about what we’re expecting from the Phone 13, or ahem, iPhone 12S family, read our roundup of some of the juiciest iPhone rumors.
It’s no secret that the number 13’s association with bad luck has real-world responses. Just ask the property developers who omit the 13th floor from their high-rises, the droves of couples who steer clear of marrying on the 13th or the psychologists who treat patients for triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13.
