Rumor: Apple already restricting retail employee time off in Sept., its usual iPhone launch window
With Apple having opted for a September launch of its latest iPhone models for the last few years, the company is expected to follow that same pattern this year, and is allegedly restricting retail employee time off for that month with four months to go.
Apple retail employees in Germany are said to have been restricted from taking vacation days in September, according to German-language Apple site iFun.de. Citing an anonymous source, the site said it has "little doubt" that the information is trustworthy, according to a machine translation.
If true, the information isn't surprising, if it is a little early. In years past, Apple has blocked its employee vacation dates only weeks before a new product is unveiled, while this move would in fact be months ahead of time.
Apple has chosen to unveil and launch its latest iPhone models in the fall since it debuted the iPhone 4S in October of 2011. Starting with the iPhone 5 in 2012, the announcement and launch were bumped up slightly to September, and Apple stuck to the same timeframe in 2013.
If Apple holds the same pattern this year, it would unveil "iOS 8" at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 2, announce and launch its next-generation "iPhone 6" in September, and new iPads would follow in October. This year's new iPhones are expected to come in two different, larger screen sizes of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches.
But Apple has plenty of other rumored products on tap this year, suggesting the company is setting itself up for a busy second half of calendar 2014. In particular, the company is expected to launch a newly redesigned 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina display, a revamped Apple TV set-top box, a new version of its OS X Mac operating system, and even a rumored wrist-worn "iWatch."
With so many major product launches expected, it's possible that Apple could be taking precautionary measures well in advance this year to ensure its stores are properly staffed for a busy late summer and early fall.
19 Comments
Rumour: Apple Retail to operate in the same fashion it has always done. "If true, the information isn't surprising..." :smokey:
But...but...but..........Beats!
The one I doubt the most ... iWatch.
I always thought it would be stupid to announce and release one size iPhone and then release the next size the very next month. What's one month? Release them at the same time.
Historically this is as good an indicator as any for an accurate launch time frame. Not that we needed much confirmation since Apple has established their 'perfect' launch plan over the last few years.
Honestly though, I held out a small amount of hope that the iPhone 6 would be released sooner. Would anyone here care if Apple released the iPhone 6 with say iOS 7.2, but released it in JUNE, rather than having to wait until Sept. so it can ship with iOS 8?
That's the primary reason for waiting. They utilize WWDC to unveil the OS, then test it all Summer, then combine it with a new iPhone for a 100% NEW release.
I just don't know if thats altogether necessary. Sure, it makes sense. But I don't know if they really NEED to do that.