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August 29, 2013

T-Mobile Employee Blackout Dates in September May Suggest Something More

Yesterday I wrote an article concerning what color you would choose for the new iPhone 5S or 5C. That is because with the new plastic version iPhone 5C, Apple is going with colors. Apple also has a new gold or champagne color, as it has been referred to. The expected colorful release date is Friday, Sept. 20, 2013.

That is just a few shorts weeks away. Could this have anything to do with the fact that T-Mobile may be scheduling employee blackout dates for Sept. 20-22? There is a rumor going around reported by TmoNews that T-Mobile employees will not be allowed to take any vacation time between these September dates.

There is a roughly 98 percent chance that this is due to the anticipated iPhone launch date. The remaining 2 percent is attributed to the fact that Samsung may be releasing the Note III somewhere around the same time period.

This could be significant for T-Mobile. In March of this year, T-Mobile announced two things of importance. First was its new “Un-Carrier” plan; second but possibly having more of an impact was that it would finally sell the iPhone.

This spurred subscriber growth in the second quarter for T-Mobile. If Apple debuts its two new phones during the Sept. 10 event, then it is very likely that the rumors of having these devices available for sale on Sept. 20 can be believed.

As we have seen in the past with AT&T and Verizon, employee blackout dates is usually a very good indicator that a new product is being released. The stores expect a lot of customer activity and therefore need everyone on deck.

There was a report earlier this week from Nikkei in Japan that the iPhone 5S and 5C would go on sale in that country on Sept. 20. There was also a passing reference made that it could also be the date for a U.S. release.

As I already mentioned, it is usually safe to say that these types of blackout dates relate to new product on the shelf. So if you are looking for the latest iPhone, you may want to make sure that your comfy shoes are ready.




Edited by Alisen Downey


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