As Apple’s September 10th iPhone event and anticipated mid to late September iPhone launch draw closer, a new report from T-Mobile insider site TMONews seems to provide even greater credibility to claims that Apple is planning to launch new iPhone hardware on September 20th. According to sources speaking to TMONews, the carrier has blacked out all vacation days between September 20th and September 22nd, likely in order to ensure enough staff is on hand for the launch.
[…] I’m hearing whispers T-Mobile is planning blackout dates between September 20th and 22nd. Like all good rumors, we should take this with the standard “subject to change” warning but my sources suggest this could be iPhone related. Their confidence is supported by the rumor mill already highlighting September 20th as a potential launch day for the next-generation iPhone 5S/5C.
It could, with emphasis on could be related to a Note III launch widely expected to be announcedon September 4th. However, I really don’t see T-Mobile beefing up their schedule for a Note III launch, but an iPhone launch makes sense. The writing is on the wall if this rumor pans out, T-Mobile is beginning its preparation for the next iPhone iteration.
Vacation blocks at carriers are often a strong indication towards a certain launch date for new iPhone hardware. even so, We’ll be withholding our judgement on this until we begin to see similar clarification from other carriers, such as AT&T and Verizon, or from journalists close to Apple’s retail team. Until then, it remains nothing more than a whisper, albeit a very interesting one.
Apple’s iPhone 5S is expected to be unveiled on September 10th, likely alongside a less expensive ‘iPhone 5C’. The device has been all-but confirmed (by well-sourced analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, iMore editor in chief Rene Ritchie, 9to5Mac reporter Mark Gurman, and MG Seigler of TechCrunch, and more) to include a champagne or gold color option, up to 128GB of storage, significant under-the-hood upgrades (including a new custom Apple A7 chip with 64-bit processing), dual-LED Flash, a larger battery, a vastly improved camera, and more.
