Apple Staff ‘Black Out’ Memo Hints iPhone 8 Launch Date

A memo that was sent out this week to AppleCare employees suggests that the iPhone 8 — along with its 7s and 7s Plus counterparts — could be unveiled at a special media event sometime around the 17th of September. The memo, a copy of which was leaked to Twitter, cites the dates between September 17 and November 4, 2017, which are officially imposed as “black out” dates for Apple employees, which are days that employees will not be able to take off for any reason.

“As you know, there are new product announcements and launches in September,” the memo reads, in part, while adding that in order to accommodate an “expected jump in call volume,” Apple is imposing a “black out” on time off for certain AppleCare staff between Sept. 17 and Nov. 4. The note goes on to caution that “these dates are subject to change as our support volume expectations fluctuate.”

Apple Staff Black Out Memo

It’s not uncommon for Apple to impose so-called black out dates on its employees during and around the time that new products are expected to be released. While early September has, in recent years, been the timeframe during which Apple has released new iPhones, this year is expected to be a bit different, according to multiple reports. Of course, while Apple will still be unveiling the iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and its top-tier iPhone 8 — which could also be called the iPhone Edition — at a media event sometime this September, the lattermost of those handsets is not expected to begin shipping to customers until October or November, at the earliest.

Pre-orders for the highly-anticipated iPhone 8 won’t open up until a later time, although it’s probable that time will fall somewhere between September 17 and November 4.

Worth noting is that September 17 actually falls on a Sunday this year. So while the iPhone trio won’t be unveiled on Sunday, September 17, it’s likely that Apple’s fall event will follow shortly thereafter — perhaps even during the week of September 18.

It’s unfortunate that expectant customers will have to wait an additional month or two to get their hands on Apple’s most premium smartphone of 2017, but the device will certainly be worth waiting for given its laundry list of exciting new features, including wireless charging, a massive, nearly edge-to-edge 5.8-inch OLED display, advanced 3D facial recognition, and a powerful new A11 processor running the device.

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