September 18, 2026 was going to be different from other recent iPhone Pro launch days.
2026 would be the first year that Apple bifurcated the iPhone lineup, with expensive iPhones being released in the fall and the rest of iPhones to be released – if the rumors are true – in Spring 2027. A new book-style folding iPhone, called the iPhone Duo, will be released next month. And, for the first time in over a decade, my Dad and I became digital nomads, unable to wear our Apple t-shirts at the Trumbull store.
The first question that needed to be answered was which store? I have visited and purchased items from all of the current and former (Trumbull, Stamford) Apple Stores. Trumbull was the most convenient. I’ve made many purchases at New Haven. I have fond memories of going to Westfarms with my kids to buy Mac OS X upgrades and then take the kids over to the Rainforest Cafe. At Danbury, with the launch of iPhone 6, my Dad and I unintentionally started years of launch day shenanigans.
What if it rains? Greenwich and New Haven would be out. The mall locations would be better, right? Where could we go and see old friends again? Going to the 5th Ave store in Manhattan would be an insane experience if Apple execs were there! What would the logistics of trying to get an 8:00am pickup window in New York be like? What about parking? And most importantly, what shirts would we wear?!
The Surprise and Shine 2026 iPhone event shed some light on things. (Yes, that was a joke. It’s ok to laugh. Or, roll your eyes.) Knowing that iPhone 18 Pro models would be launching on September 18 gave us a chance to look at the long range weather forecast and see that rain wasn’t expected that morning. We also knew that many of our Trumbull friends would be in New Haven. Parking in New Haven is always and ‘adventure’, but not a serious problem. Finding just the right shirts would be.
eBay is loaded with Apple retail employee every day shirts. In my opinion, those are off limits for customers like me. It would be too warm for WWDC 2018 jackets. And, it would seem disingenuous, in my opinion, to buy and wear Apple New Haven t-shirts, even if you could find them in our size, since Dad and I weren’t at that store’s grand opening. (We were there that weekend, however.) The 2007 employee “Say hello to iPhone” t-shirt seemed like the best option. Employees wouldn’t be wearing them because it is a 19 year old design, and would still be similar to our Trumbull shirts. But I could only find one in our size. So I bought it and gave it to Dad. I ended up buying a black t-shirt on Etsy emblazened with the six color rainbow logo followed by the word ‘apple’ set in a font that looks like Othmar Motter’s Motter Tektura font used by Apple in the late 1970s.
Last week’s iPhone 18 Pro pre-order went smoothly enough. The introductory video was released on Wednesday, September 9, to avoid the long Labor Day weekend. Preorders were pushed back to Saturday, to avoid the 9/11 memorial. Even getting a parking spot directly across from the New Haven Apple Store was easy. We were off to a good start.
Not knowing what to expect, Dad and I arrived at New Haven at 6:19am. While the sun is still waking up, you get to know the people standing in line with you. Some of fans, some just need a new iPhone, but we all share an excitement around getting a new iPhone. At that time, everyone was just in one long line. Shortly after 7:00am, we were all separated into the standard walk-in and pre-order lines. My Dad and I were the only people with pre-orders at the time and were put at the head of the line. The queue team was just doing their job. But that meant a lot to my Dad and I. Our annual tradition of getting iPhones together and being the first customers into the store would continue. No one needs a new iPhone every year, almost no one does, but for us, it is something we do together.
The Team Leads on shift that morning, came over to talk to us. A 1970s rainbow Apple logo gets you that kind of attention, espeically when you are holding an OG Apple Newton MessasgePad from 1993 and a 2007 iPhone, both in working condition.
Back inside, the team had their pre-launch meeting. In a return to old traditions of sorts, the New Haven team came running out of the store clapping and hollering to talk to all of us and thank us for being there. They filed back inside, took their places, and the first wave of customers were let into the store to clapping and cheering!
On the one hand, this is completely ridiciouls. It’s capitalism at it’s highest. I’m racing into a store to buy a $1,000+ cell phone that I don’t need from a company that already has all the money and as much influence on the global stage as a small country.
But, on the other, this time together with my Dad makes it all worth it. I’m a computer nerd. He’s a car guy. But this event is something special we share together. We spend lots of time together during the year, but this something bananas that we do together. As a fan of Apple since the spring of 1984, with 2026 being the year that Apple gets back to clapping in customers, it added something extra to the experience for me. We may not have New Haven t-shirts from the store’s grand openning on September 25, 2011, but I can say that we are no longer digital nomads. With the launch of iPhone 18 Pro, my Dad and I were welcomed into our new Home Store.
Congratulations to everyone who got their iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max yesterday. I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do mine.
See you in October.