iPhone 6 Release Set for September as Apple Store Bans Holidays

Apple is set to release the iPhone 6 in September this year after it was reported that Apple Store staff in Germany have been banned from taking holidays during this period.

The report comes from German website iFun which cites unnamed sources who claim Apple will not allow their employees to take time off during September this year - a ploy the company has used previously to ensure it has enough staff available to handle the expect influx of customers looking to buy the new smartphone.

In both 2013 and 2012 Apple unveiled its latest iPhone on 12 September (iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 respectively) with the phones also going on sale before the end of the month, meaning the report from Germany ties in neatly with a possible unveiling of the iPhone 6 in early September or late August before going on sale a couple of weeks later.

The claims also coincide with the reliable predictions of Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the iPhone 6 would debut late in the third quarter of the year. Kuo also believes that Apple will launch two new iPhones, one with a 4.7in screen and another with a 5.5in screen.

Kuo has also said that with the launch of the new iPhones, Apple will discontinue the older iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s. Their pricing slots, once vacated, will be occupied by the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s.

To add more weight to this launch date, another report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News earlier this month suggested something similar. It says that the iPhone 6 will arrive early this year during the month of August.

It went on to detail that while the smaller 4.7in iPhone 6 would launch in August, the larger 5.5in smartphone would be launched in September.

The report also added that Apple would produce 80 million iPhone 6 units this year, with its suppliers Foxconn and Largan Precision handling assembly and camera module production, respectively.