Apple Received Approval Just Last Week to Host First-Ever Event at Steve Jobs Theater - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Received Approval Just Last Week to Host First-Ever Event at Steve Jobs Theater

Following several months of construction, Apple tomorrow will host its first-ever event at Steve Jobs Theater at its new Apple Park headquarters. Apple invited members of the press to the event on August 31.

steve jobs theater
Records uncovered by VentureBeat, however, show Apple didn't receive approval to host the event until the next day.

Cupertino, California city officials granted Apple a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy for Steve Jobs Theater on September 1, indicating that the theater has passed various fire and safety checks. The final signature was September 4.

temporary certificate steve jobs theater
Despite needing additional work of some kind, per the records, Steve Jobs Theater is now deemed to be a safe venue for the hundreds of journalists and other invitees that will sit down for tomorrow's iPhone X reveal.

Apple filed for the certificate on August 8, so it's likely that Tim Cook or another senior executive told Cupertino to hold off on signing the paperwork, which would have hinted at the location of Apple's September event.

Apple is among few companies that would go to such lengths to obscure or delay such information, but unfortunately for it, a leak of the iOS 11 golden master version has revealed many details expected to be announced tomorrow.

In addition to the iPhone X, Apple is widely rumored to unveil the less expensive iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, a new Apple TV with 4K video playback, and Apple Watch Series 3 models, including some with LTE connectivity.

MacRumors.com will provide full coverage of the keynote, which begins tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple's Next Era Begins September 1

Thursday May 7, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company. Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Instagram Feature 2

PSA: Instagram Encrypted Messaging Ends on Friday, May 8

Tuesday May 5, 2026 8:24 am PDT by
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform. Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...

Top Rated Comments

113 months ago
Crikey, they sent out invites prior to having approval for using the theatre?
Ha, you really think the city of Cupertino is going to deny any permits to Apple? As the article says, it’s likely that Apple “asked” them to hold off on signing and/or putting the documents in the public domain in order for their business interests/secrets to be protected, which is more important than following civic procedures.

Apple runs that town.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kungxpao Avatar
113 months ago
Sheesh the comments on this forum has really gone to **** lately. Why are people so negative about everything?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tliede20 Avatar
113 months ago
@itsthenewdc TOTALLY agree with you! I'm hoping when a majority of development moves into the new campus that we see secrecy come back ten-fold. As much as I enjoy reading MacRumors and other competitive journalistic sites... I'm also a bit disappointed in the fact that there will be little to no exciting news for me tomorrow other than the pre-order date / availability. Kind of a bummer really. Here's to knowing NOTHING about iPhone 9. >.<
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
113 months ago
Crikey, they sent out invites prior to having approval for using the theatre?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
113 months ago
And now the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy form leaks
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
113 months ago
Why do they bother going the extra lengths for obscurity when with every announcement more and more leaks occur? Hell, for being the inaugural event at a theatre called the Steve Jobs Theater, Steve Jobs would be severely pissed about the sheer amount of leaks.
I don't think Apple can control the employee that went rogue for whatever reason he wanted to leak iOS 11 GM.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)