Something is stirring at Apple this may – retail employees have apparently been told that they may NOT request any vacation days in late May, which could indicate that Apple is planning something for their 10th retail anniversary.
According to AppleInsider, the information came to employees via an email – no days off between May 20 and 22. Store managers are said to be very excited regarding those dates, but details are extremely sparse.
Gary Allen of ifoAppleStore.com said the most likely use for those days is a 10th anniversary event commemorating a decade of Apple’s brick-and-mortar retail stores. He said it’s likely that the company may do something anniversary-related to “attract a crowd” for a few days, but he hasn’t heard any specifics.
There are a number of possible new product launches expected in the coming weeks and months – possible MobileMe and iWork refreshes, new iMacs with Thunderbolt I/O support and Sandy Bridge processors, a possible new Apple TV, and so forth.
It’s possible that Apple may culminate several of these refreshed/releases around that anniversary dates, and there is some chance that that date could bring additional news regarding OS X Lion or iOS 5.
From AppleInsider
Apple had employee blackout dates earlier this year as it prepared for two major product launches at the start of 2011: the Verizon iPhone 4 and the iPad 2.
The first two Apple stores opened May 19, 2001 in McLean, Virginia, at the Tyson’s Corner Mall, and at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif. The retail side of Apple’s business has become an important part of the growth of the Mac, as the company reports every quarter that about half of all Macs sold in retail stores are to customers who never owned a Mac before.
Whatever is happening, it certainly seems as if its expected to be a big freaking deal – so be prepared for a doozy! As always, we’ll keep a watchful eye.
