A time frame that is expected to include the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup is what one Apple store in the UK is anticipating.
There will be no leave between September 15, 2023 and October 7, 2023, and December 2, 2023 and the start of January 2024. Store managers will not authorize requests for time off. Increased footfall in retail stores is expected in the fall around the launch of new Apple devices, especially new iPhone models, and during the holiday period, but the latest instruction seems to be an unprecedented change of protocol in the region.
Apple usually forbids time off immediately before the launch of new devices, and this is often communicated to employees via an internal Apple communications app. Time off around a year in advance has been communicated more covertly via a memo issued on a local basis.
Store managers claim that the instructions come from above the store. To make sure we are better equipped for next year, the change has been presented to employees.
It is not clear how widespread the instruction is, but the dates have clearly been selected discriminately, likely in anticipation of new Apple devices launching in the second half of next year and heightened footfall.
There are no firm dates for the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup yet, with the devices themselves likely needing to undergo production validation tests before a mass production timetable can be confirmed. Apple retail is blocking out dates that are related to the launch of new devices late next year.
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