iPhone 15: How a note to Apple Store employees may have leaked its launch date

Apple is reportedly telling its employees working at Apple Milton Keynes store in England that they should not take leaves during fall and holiday season next year. This is usually when Apple launches the new iPhones and commences their sale. A report by MacRumours says that the employees have been told that their leave requests between September 15, 2023 and October 7, 2023, and December 2, 2023 along with the start of January 2024 will not be authorized by store managers. The store anticipates ‘increased footfall’ during this period.

Store managers claim that the instruction comes from “above the store” level, but the retail employees are not sure of exactly where the order originates from in Apple’s corporate hierarchy. The instructions comes before hand “to make sure we are better equipped for next year” during “high velocity moments”, the memo says.

Meanwhile, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that Apple would increase the gap further between the Pro and non-Pro iPhone models. The technology giant might start offering exclusive features in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Kuo believes that the company is likely to do so via a precise product segmentation strategy to generate more sales and profits. Apple also wants to increase the shipment allocation of the Pro models, thus further increasing the average selling price of its premium smartphones. Apple is also expected to rename its top of the line iPhone 15, which is presumed to carry iPhone 15 Pro Max moniker, as iPhone 15 Ultra. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that renaming the device would be a lot simpler and would better match Apple’s newest naming strategy as reported in the Cupertino-based company’s M1 Pro, M1 Mx and M1 Ultra Mac chips.