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Questionable rumor of iPhone 6 launch on October 14th, iWatch announced the same month?

iPhone 5 Launch

Apple retail employees are a great resource for advice on picking your Macs and iOS devices, but info on Apple’s secret launch plans for its biggest product launches of the year, not so much. The information was supposedly relayed during what Apple calls an “all hands meeting” at one of Apple’s stores. MacRumors cites an Apple retail employee for what would seem like a highly unlikely story of the iPhone 6 launching on October 14th.

Apple may be planning to launch the iPhone 6 on Tuesday, October 14 as the month itself will be an incredibly busy one for the company, according to a source that spoke to MacRumors citing an internal Apple Retail Store meeting.

The source notes that a senior Store Leader mentioned October 14th as being an “immense” day for Apple, adding that the whole month of October would be very busy for stores and the company itself. Apple is also said to planning a media event for Tuesday, September 16, coming a month ahead of the device’s launch.

The story seems exceedingly unlikely for two reasons (besides the questionable nature of the source having access to launch details). First, Apple traditionally launches new iPhones on a Friday, with first weekend sales an important early guide to the popularity of a new model. A Tuesday launch would not provide comparable data. Second, Apple usually announces new iPhones around ten days before they go on sale, yet the same source is claiming that Apple will announce the phone in mid-September, a full month before it goes on sale.

October has recently been the time period where Apple has launched its updated iPad lineup

The source also claims the iWatch will be announced the same month, alongside Yosemite, new iPads and new Macs.

Given the unlikely timings and the fact that the source is basing all this on claimed statements by a relatively junior employee we can’t put much stock in this. Our own sources have told us previously that Apple is tentatively planning to announce its new iPhone in mid-September.

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Comments

  1. o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

    If anything it’s probably the 5.5″ iPhone 6. Apparently Tim Cook just offered guidance which suggested some iPhone 6 sales at least, for the next quarter. I doubt this date will be anything but the iWatch keynote, iPads, or both.

  2. I think the 4.7″ iPhone 6 ships 19 September 2014 and the 5.5″ iPhone 6 “Air” (if the rumors are true) ships on 17 October 2014.

    • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

      Why would one be called the iPhone 6 and the other called iPhone Air? First of all, if anything the smaller would be called the Air, considering the fact that it is lighter. Secondly, they have identical designs. The only reason they changed the iPad to iPad Air is due to marketing the fact that it became substantially lighter, and physically smaller, thus it was a good way to tell customers it was different in that respect, from previous versions.

      • ttss6 - 10 years ago

        It makes pretty good sense. Apple calls the 4.7″ iPhone 6 with the A8, better camera, better battery etc and 3/4″ bigger screen- the biggest change in screen size for an iPhone. The 5.5 won’t likely be called the iPhone 6+ or 6HD so 6 Air or simply iPhone Air works

      • ttss6 - 10 years ago

        It makes sense from Apple’s standpoint. The 4.7″ would be the iPhone 6 with a 3/4″ larger screen (the largest display size increase in iPhone history), A8, better camera, etc. the 5.5″ wouldn’t be called the iPhone 6+ or 6HD so the super slim larger iPhone will be called the iPhone Air or possibly but unlikely iPhone Pro.

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        It makes no sense at all, sorry.

      • borntofeel - 10 years ago

        @ttss6
        It really doesn’t make any sense.
        They’ll be called iPhone 6 and people will just chose color and size, that’s all. Simple is better.

    • Jun Park (@JParkun) - 10 years ago

      I too am guessing for a Sept 19 ship date. Allowing for 1.5 weeks of iPhone 6 sales in Q4 and a probable keynote date of Sept 9. ;)

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      Makes no sense whatsoever, thanks.

  3. Taste_of_Apple - 10 years ago

    It does seem odd. Given that they haven’t launched a major new product since last year, I think September would be more likely. Going off tangent for a bit, their product rollout (since 2012) seems off still. I understand releasing stuff when it’s ready, but it seems like they introduce and release mostly everything in September to November and then have no major hardware announcements until the following year. That seemed to be acknowledged as somewhat of a poor choice (in terms of cramming everything into one part of the year) after the shortages of the new iMac models, but it seems like there is still a big gap of the year when nothing is being announced. This may be due to the fact that iPod no longer commands it’s own venue or keynote (or annual updates either) or perhaps just that they see the holiday season as the best time to launch everything. Incremental iPhone (5c) and MacBook upgrades aside, there hasn’t been much in the way of new releases. It seems like they used to release one product each quarter or close to it and now it’s a very long wait from one generation of products to another. My musings aside, I’m hoping for a September launch (which is still more likely given the amounts of leaks) for at least the 4.7″ iPhone.

    • ttss6 - 10 years ago

      Exactly what I think. It used to be fun having iPads released in March/April, iOS (iPhone OS at the time) previews in the spring, WWDC with some OSX and mac updates and a new iPhone (2G to 4) with iOS GM release, then September iPhones (4S in Oct, but 5 on) started to be released with October being the leftover month. It also doesn’t make sense how if Apple wants us to buy their stuff when all their new products are now released in a narrow 2 month range. I hope they go back to the old release pattern.

      • Taste_of_Apple - 10 years ago

        Yes. Exactly! I am curious as to what the thought process is for such a rollout. As a customer, it’s a lot better to have time to save up for the next product and enjoy the current iteration. From a business perspective, I can’t imagine how they wouldn’t prefer a release every quarter (if the products are ready) over a 3 month time frame in one quarter.

      • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

        Time to save up money for the next product? If you have enough money to purchase multiple products a year, then it’s quite obvious you could just be saving your money longer… If nothing is released in March, then obviously if you wanted more Apple products then you would simply save your money until the fall??? Unless you mean to say that you wouldn’t be able to resist blowing that money on something else, like mcdonalds throughout the year.

  4. Jun Park (@JParkun) - 10 years ago

    The 4.7″ iPhone, at least, or some new device will definitely be announced towards the end of this quarter. Apple’s Q4 guidance for revenue was higher than their revenue for the past quarter. The only logical way that can happen, in what is traditionally Apple’s slowest quarter, is through new product in the last week or two of the quarter Sept 14-28, which will account for anywhere between $5-10 billion in revenue. Basically, a new iPhone that sells ~10 million units in the first week. I believe similar guidance pattern was issued last year as well when the 5S, 5C were sold for the last week or so of the quarter resulted in higher Q4 revenue than Q3.

    An October date would probably be something to do with iPads. I still don’t like the idea of Apple releasing two iPhones on different dates. I hope that if they do that they at least announce both on the same date so people know.

  5. I don’t think this will be the case. More likely, I think this could mean there’s an Apple event on that date since they do them usually on Tuesdays. So this is probably the keynote date for the iWatch and Yosemite, and the iPads if they’re not updated with the iPhones in September.

  6. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    iPhone = September.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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