Apple Event September 2026

[TheForce]

I'm looking forward to read about your experiences with your new iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Most important to me is storage, BT range and speed, followed by battery life and brighter screen in bright sunlight that my 15PM suffers from now.

The traditional iris addition is less important as I don't use the iphone for my production video much at all. If I can capture a good image stabilized 3D spatial video clip to insert in my 8K60 VR1803D, I'll be happy with it. Soon, needing to shoot in 3D spatial won't be necessary as there is a new software using AI to convert 2D flat screen to 3D Spatial that is as perfect as any iphone will shoot. Owl3D 2D to 3D converter

 

[TheForce]

Well, UPS says my 18PM is out for delivery. I thought I selected to pick up at the store (due to the history of porch pirates here). But the Apple Store app shows it being shipped directly to my address. I think they changed it. I'm seeing expected delivery by 7:45PM.

 

[navychop]

Porch.

Rocker.

Beer.

Shotgun……

 

[comfortably_numb]

Porch.

Rocker.

Beer.

Shotgun……

 

[klang]

Phone and watch delivered a few minutes ago. Starting setup.

 

[Foxbat]

I thought I selected to pick up at the store…

When you select "Pick up at Apple Store" you need to pick the Apple Store you want, and also the 30 minute appointment window when you will pick it up. If you did all that and Apple switched it to Signed Delivery, that would be something to bring up when you are asked for Feedback.

 

[klang]

At first my number wouldn't port to the new phone but I forgot my account is locked down in the AT&T app. Once I turned that off the transfer was almost immediate.

 

[TheForce]

When you select "Pick up at Apple Store" you need to pick the Apple Store you want, and also the 30 minute appointment window when you will pick it up. If you did all that and Apple switched it to Signed Delivery, that would be something to bring up when you are asked for Feedback.

Thanks for that detail. I did select the store here for delivery, but I didn't get an option to select a time. I got a response that I would receive an email with the time. When I went to complete the order, it first failed and said to try again. I think I tried 3 or 4 times before the order went through.

Anyway, UPS just delivered it. Now the adventure begins.

 

[navychop]

Does the UPS guy believe in open carry?

 

[TheForce]

So far it's transferring. Typical, it failed 6 times. I had to reboot both phones to start over. First failure was needing software update on the new iphone. Then it kept failing on the image in the circle. My old iphone just went dark. Finally it proceeded. My iPhone 15PM is nearly maxed out on storage with videos so it says the data transfer is going to take 2 hours. I have both phones plugged in and charging. I wonder how it handles inbound emails and messages during the data transfer.

 

[navychop]

Be nice to know.

 

[cp2k]

Can't you plug in a USB-C cable between the two phones to speed up the data transfer, or did they eliminate that capability?

 

[klang]

I always do a restore from iCloud. I think it took about 20 minutes. That of course assumes you back up the phone to iCloud.

 

[TheForce]

The data transfer took a little over 2 hours phone to phone wireless. Instructions do not state USBC connection as it advises to connect each phone to a charger.
The last step aside from some of the apps that need to be reauthorized, like the Tesla app, was to transfer my phone number. That took almost an hour.
First It kept failing with a message that the phone number is locked. I had to figure out how to unlock the eSIM in the 15PM. That required a tech support. Once he authorized the transfer, there are a security process with multiple identity checks I had to log into my account on a computer. Once the number was unlocked after a 15 minute wait, then the support agent did whatever he did to make the transfer. Had to give him the imei numbers verbally.
He said it is a lot easier had I purchased from Verizon. But when it finally transferred I could continue with the final steps to activate on the 18PM. I'm sure there will be more apps like the Tesla that need to be individually authorized.

 

[TheForce]

At first my number wouldn't port to the new phone but I forgot my account is locked down in the AT&T app. Once I turned that off the transfer was almost immediate.

You didn't have to go through all sorts of security verification to get the lock down removed? Verizon makes that process time consuming.

 

[klang]

You didn't have to go through all sorts of security verification to get the lock down removed? Verizon makes that process time consuming.

Just flipping a switch in the AT&T app. The issue was me remembering I had turned it on.

 

[rvvaquero]

You didn't have to go through all sorts of security verification to get the lock down removed? Verizon makes that process time consuming.

You must be on a business account. They make you jump through hoops. Non-business, you should be able to just transfer the esim from one iphone to another through the transfer process with no input from Verizon. You can also do it through the My Verizon app for non commercial accounts.

It's not like your phone was locked to Verizon, which is a different process.

 

[TheForce]

You must be on a business account. They make you jump through hoops. Non-business, you should be able to just transfer the esim from one iphone to another through the transfer process with no input from Verizon. You can also do it through the My Verizon app for non commercial accounts.

It's not like your phone was locked to Verizon, which is a different process.

Not so, according to Verizon. He did say that the process would be much easier if I had purchased the iphone 18PM through Verizon but since I purchased from Apple and have an account with several devices, the security checks are more involved. I never had my phones on their business account. It's on a family plan. Also, I never purchased phones of any type from Verizon, Best Buy or any other retailer.
My wife said she knew my new phone arrived because she got a call on her phone asking her to approve the unlocking of the eSim on my 15PM. She wasn't even home when that came through.

 

[TheForce]

Initial observations:
Speed is significantly faster on the 18PM vs the 15PM. Every app opens the moment I touch the icon while the 15PM takes a couple seconds. Finding an air tag is very fast too. We share tracking with my daughter's iphone and even that has no waiting time past a second. She has a 17P.

Tesla connection has greater distance to unlock the cars, but also stays unlocked until I get about twice as far away as my 15PM. Sometimes my 15PM would not have the Tesla Model S present the door handles and I would frequently need to touch the handle for connection to activate. The 18PM activated every time from about 20 feet away with my 18PM in a belt holster.

The Apple Wallet needs to be re-established with my bank so that was not automatically transferred. Only the Apple card was transferred automatically.

It seems that any app that uses BT or dedicated wifi will need to be paired again so that will take additional time to go through each device and activate them again.

 

[harshness]

It seems that any app that uses BT or dedicated wifi will need to be paired again so that will take additional time to go through each device and activate them again.

This is expected as both Bluetooth (Bluetooth Device Address) and Wi-Fi (MAC address) feature codes that are unique to your phone.