Set Start date for inventory to be available for sale?

We have inventory items In a scenario where we’re changing from version 1 of something to version 2 of that thing,  the old item is being superseded with the new version, but only when stock of item one is demished.

Is making the new version ‘inactive’ the only way to prevent accidental sales of that item until stock is demished of the old version?

or/and Is there a way to automate the change over of that process, so that when stock of items 1 is deminshed that item 2 becomes available and becomes active?