German staffers were reportedly informed that they can’t take September off

May 15, 2014 09:52 GMT  ·  By

September is usually the time of the year when Apple unveils and/or physically launches new iPhone models, and it seems 2014 isn’t any different, if this German report is to be believed. According to iFun.de, store staffers in the country have been banned from scheduling any vacations in the month of September.

As always, Google Translate is our friend (barely struggling to make an accurate interpretation of the text in English):

“Employees in the German Apple Stores may appear to take any leave in September. If this information is true (and we have little reason to doubt the reliability of the source), this indicates a launch popular new Apple products this month. Specifically, it would be the iPhone 6, September was already in the last two years, Apple's ‘iPhone-month,’ while new iPads usually followed later in the year.”

Considering that blocking employee vacations is an annual practice at Apple that usually signals the physical launch of its most profitable businesses, it shouldn’t be too hard to predict which of the company’s upcoming products is launching right about then.

If KGI Securities’ Ming Chi Kuo is correct in his predictions with Apple’s 2014 roadmap, there’s also a possibility that the company will release other products as well around the September quarter. These include the much-debated iWatch, a refreshed Apple TV, an all-new MacBook Air with a 12-inch Retina display, and new iPad tablets.

The Cupertino giant may continue to rely mostly on iPhone sales, as some analysts predict a bit of reluctance from end users when the iWatch hits the streets. The prediction could very well turn out correct, as the same thing happened when Steve Jobs introduced the iPad in 2010. Basically, what everyone was asking was “what’s it for?”

And the iWatch and Apple TV refresh aren’t even a certainty for 2014. These products could end up being pushed to 2015, though such a move would severely hurt Apple’s stock valuation.

Recently, it was reported that the company would not use the Worldwide Developers Conference in June to unveil the iPhone 6. Instead, sources with knowledge of the plans reported that the phone would debut at an event in August, a very atypical time for Apple events.

According to several leaks, the iPhone 6 will sport a considerably larger display, a redesigned body, and an overall thinner form factor. Rumor has it that Apple is speaking to wireless carriers for a potential price increase by as much as $100 / €100 this year.