Why Doesn't There Be An IPhone 9? It Turns Out That This Is The Reason From Apple

Why No IPhone 9 (doc. Apple)

YOGYAKARTA - Apple and Microsoft have been leaders in the tech industry for decades thanks to their products and innovations. Since 1985, Microsoft has routinely launched its main computer operating system known as "Windows" with names showing different versions.

On the other hand, since 2007, Apple has started to introduce its mobile phone product with the "iPhone" brand using numbers to tag every new version. But neither Apple nor Microsoft have ever used the name iPhone 9 nor Windows 9.

The two companies based in the United States immediately launched Windows 10 and iPhone X after the eighth version. Then, what is the reason these two tech giants missed the 9 mark?

Apple released the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016, followed by the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in September 2017. In November 2017, the company introduced the iPhone X, which used Roman numbers to represent the ten mark.

According to a report from the India Times, the reason Apple doesn't use the nine numbers is because they were celebrating their 10th iPhone anniversary that year. To avoid confusion, Apple decided to launch the "Xth" model that symbolizes a decade of iPhone existence.

The name iPhone X is also intended to highlight major updates and changes to the device compared to the previous model. This device comes with a full screen design without the "Home" button, as well as Face ID technology and various other new features.

Although technically the number X in the Roman means ten, many people call it an "iPhone X (ex)" rather than an "iPhone Ten." Even at the launch event, Apple designer Johny Ive called it an "iPhone Ten." However, in everyday practice, Apple seems to rarely use the term.

Meanwhile, in 2015, Microsoft launched Windows 10, which is a major change to the Windows operating system. Many were surprised that the company chose to skip Windows 9 and head straight to Windows 10.

Microsoft's closest explanation of this decision can be seen in the shirt worn by Joe Belfiore, Head of Windows in Microsoft, at the 2015 Microsoft Build developer conference. The case features a binary code that if translated into "Windows 10, because 7 8 9," hints at a play of words.

Number 8 reads as "eight," which sounds like "ate" in English, which means "memorizing," so the phrase can be interpreted as "Why Windows 10? Because Windows 7'memorizes' Windows 9."

In addition, another possible reason is related to marketing strategies. Microsoft seems to want to completely switch from Windows 8, which is less acceptable than the previous version. By naming their latest operating system Windows 10, Microsoft is trying to restart and create new identities for its products.

Quoted from the RBC Ukraine News Agency, another reason regarding the use of number 9 is compatibility issues. Microsoft previously released Windows 95 in 1995 and Windows 98 in 1998.

The use of the name Windows 9 may cause confusion and clashes in the software code. If Microsoft introduced Windows 9, the apps might misidentify it as Windows 95 or 98, which could cause compatibility problems.

In addition, several cultures in various countries consider the number 9 as an unlucky number, similar to the number 13 in Western culture. This figure is often associated with a negative meaning.

For example, in Mandarin, number 9 is defined as "cursed," while in Japanese it can mean "torture" or "suffering." Meanwhile, in Germany, the word for number nine is similar to "nein," which means "no."

This situation is considered unfavorable for marketing strategies. However, the assumption that the absence of Windows 9 and iPhone 9 is due to the belief in this unlucky number cannot be fully proven.

That's a review of why there is no iPhone 9 for Apple's mobile phone series. The reason for the absence of the iPhone series 9 is related to the momentum of the 10th product, so adjustments are made. In addition, the live launch of the X series after the iPhone 8 also marks changes and major updates that are presented. Also read the release iPhone 16, Apple officially stops producing the iPhone 13.

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