Apple and Microsoft recently launched several new products. But why did you skip the iPhone 9 and Windows 9, what is the reason behind this?
Everyone may wonder why we don’t have iPhone 9 or Windows 9? Well, there is a specific reason and in this article we are going to mention that reason to reveal what you may not know about why both companies skip the number 9.
Why was the iPhone 9 not made?
Let’s talk about Apple first. The company decided to launch the iPhone X on the tenth anniversary of the iPhone in 2017.
This was the year that Apple celebrated its 10th anniversary with the launch of its “X” model. Perhaps confusingly, the iPhone 9 will be launched on the company’s 10th anniversary.
All that said, Apple could have easily come back next year and released the iPhone 9 as a successor to the iPhone 8. But the company didn’t. Instead, Apple released the iPhone XR as a low-cost flagship model (after the iPhone 8) and the iPhone XS as the high-end flagship phone.
In this sense, the second generation of the iPhone SE (launched in April 2020) which came right after Apple canceled the iPhone 8, can be considered “iPhone 9” in spirit. Apple kept the iPhone 8’s form factor, including the old home button with a fingerprint.
The company also wanted to signal a fresh start in the design of its upcoming products.
Not only that, but the number 9 is considered unlucky in many cultures, just like the number 13. The number has negative meanings in Asian languages, and a bad number may be a curse in Chinese and Japanese cultures.
Why didn’t Microsoft produce Windows 9?
When Windows 10 was first launched, multiple theories emerged aimed at explaining the rationale behind Microsoft’s decision to skip the number 9.
When it comes to Microsoft, the company skipped straight from version 8.1 to 10. Microsoft’s Windows 8 version was heavily criticized, and the company wanted its new operating system to symbolize change.
The company wanted to point out that the upcoming Windows version will be a qualitative leap in Windows systems in terms of avoiding errors and adding features.
In the past, there were also Windows 95 and 98. Similar Windows 9 could cause confusion and interference in the code.
Now you know why the two largest companies in the world crossed the number 9!