Update: When it rains, as they say.
While not quite a downpour, sources speaking to BGR reported on Aug. 29 that AT&T has blacked out employee vacation days for the second half of September. The blackout is in preparation for launch of the iPhone 5S launch, the site reported.
U.S. carriers typically limit days off around the time of a new iPhone launch in anticipation of the customer rush. According to the site's sources, th e iPhone 5S is the only high-profile device AT&T is launching during the last half of September.
As reported below, T-Mobile is said to have issued an employee blackout Sept. 20 - Sept. 22, and the timing of AT&T's reported blackout would match this time period.
Original article...
The next-generation iPhone handset(s) may go on sale on Sept. 20, if reports suggesting T-Mobile employees in the U.S. have been denied time off during that weekend prove accurate.
The U.S.-based Tmo News website said the mobile network has blocked off Sept. 20-22 (a Friday, Saturday and Sunday) as vacation-free times for its in-store employees.
With the iPhone 5S and perhaps the iPhone 5C likely readying for a Sept.10 unveiling, that prospective release date 10 days later certainly plays into Apple's previous form.
The company always sees iPhones release on a Friday, for much the same reason Hollywood movies come out on the same day - to cash in on weekend sales and then boast about the figures come Monday.
Plastic fantastic
Meanwhile, speaking of the iPhone 5C, Apple is shopping around for a top class plastics guy, presumably to oversee its less-premium range of iOS devices.
According to the posting on the Apple jobs site, the company is looking to hire an "experienced plastic materials engineer" who can "lead the development of new plastic materials and processes."
The successful applicant will work on the iPhone/iPad materials team and have reponsibilities relating to the aesthetic and cosmetic qualities of the devices.
The company is widely expect to launch a more affordable, dare we say cheap, iPhone 5C with a plastic casing, as a means of tackling emerging markets.
Judging by this job posting, it appears the company's work in that area will be a growing concern as it seeks to perfect new materials for the more budget-focused devices.
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