UK Apple Store Already Anticipating iPhone 15 Launch in 2023

While others may feel that it’s too early for any store to be planning for the launch of the iPhone 15, one Apple Store in the UK is already planning how it will handle high customer traffic when the new phone is launched in the fall of 2023.

Apple Milton, a store in the UK is expecting to fully operate during the fall and holiday season of next year with its employees expected to stay on during that whole period without leave. The employees were told that between 15 September and 7 October of 2023 and 2 December 2023 to the first days of January 2024 they will not be able to get any time off or leave and those store managers will not authorise any leave requests made during this period.

While store traffic is usually expected to be heavy in the fall around the same time as new Apple devices are launched particular the new iPhone series, and during the holiday season, the new instructions at Apple Milton emerge as a new alteration of protocol unseen in the area.

The tech giant generally prohibits any time off right before launching new devices and during the holiday season. Communication about this arrangement is usually made through an internal Apple app on short notice to employees while this latest instruction a year in advance has been made through a memo to just one local shop.

The new order that was presented to employees at the retail shop has been made to make sure that they “are better equipped for next year” during the time that has been described as “high-velocity moments.” While store managers have claimed that the new order has come from a level “above the store,” employees at the retail shop are unsure if indeed the instruction has come from high corporate levels of hierarchy at Apple.

It remains to be seen how widespread the new order will be but the memo indicates a discriminative selection of dates that will likely coincide with the launch of the iPhone 15 and other Apple devices. The dates which fall in the second half of next year at the same time as Apple’s fall launch and during the holiday season are a clear anticipation move by the store.

The exact launch dates for iPhone 15 have not been confirmed because of product validation tests that will have to be scheduled before mass production of the device but high expectations are set for the fall. However, this Apple store has already a year ahead blocked out dates that may likely coincide with the launch of new devices from Apple.

Speculations and rumours of which date Apple may launch their new devices are making rounds on social media with some suggesting that September 15 may be the day. The shared memo at the store indicates September 15 as the first day when any time off will not be approved.

The iPhone 15 may be Apple’s first line of smartphones to have the standardised version of a USB-C charging port that was recently voted into by the European Union. The standardisation law will require all smart devices with a charging base to have a standard port allowing users to have one cable for multiple devices. Currently, Apple uses a Lightning connector while many devices on the market use the standard Android charging system.

Apple has previously spoken against EU countries adopting a standard charger claiming that the move will stifle innovation and create e-waste that the countries will be unable to get rid of. The new law will require all devices to have a standard charging port by 2024, so Apple can introduce the new feature to the iPhone 15 or wait for other new devices that it may launch in 2024.

While the tech company has been against the move, the vote will require it to comply when making smart devices in the future and present some new models of the iPad and Macbook by Apple that has already been fitted with the standard USB-C charging port.

Some of the devices that Apple will likely be launching next year fall will be the iPhone 15 series (pro and pro-max), a Mac Pro, an iPad Pro and an iPad mini. Rumour has it that Apple may also be working on a gaming console that may debut in 2023 fall or spring.

The high expectation surrounding the month of September is the release date for iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 plus since the tech giant has previously announced new devices during September (remember when the iPhone 14 came out).

Apart from the rumoured USB-C charging port type, the iPhone 15 series will have wireless charging features. Other rumours and leaks surrounding the release of the iPhone 15 series show that the phones will come with 128 GB storage space and 8GB RAM for the regular model, an OLED screen and a 6.1-inch display screen for the 15 and 15 Pro with added inches for the iPhone 15 Max and Pro Max.

One of the biggest rumours that have surrounded the new range of iPhones includes the processing chip type that the company will use. With talk that the company is developing their own modem chips, the 2023 range would have had a debut of this new creation from Apple but it seems the phones will be equipped with a Qualcomm chip after all.

Analysts have suggested that the 5G modem chip dream Apple has stalled and remains to be seen when the plan will come to light. When the iPhone 14 series came out, iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max had a new feature called Dynamic Island which is a pill-like shape cut-out to show alerts, notifications, and activities that other iPhone models did not have. It was rumoured that the next models will have this highly interactive feature and it remains to be seen if this will apply to all models in the 2023 series.