[cardfan]

Considering Apple is launching ipod touch, ipad mini and ipad in the fall as well. My original concern was that it's too much at once.

The price beating the stock is taking seems to bear that out. Marketing wise, the ipad 4 barely was a blip on the screen overshadowed by the ipad mini.

You get the sense that reviewers (and consumers) were still exhausted from the iphone 5 coverage and they're like "here we go again." And common sense says consumers only have so much to spend at once after getting that iphone 5. From a marketing perspective, it's almost impossible to have focus.

The one item on the list I don't consider for the holidays is the iphone. Those purchases are personal, involve contracts, etc. Besides, it's a need, not a gift. IMO, it doesn't belong in the holiday launch. As Apple's most important product, it deserves it's own event and distance from other launches. It probably should continue to coincide with new iOS versions. Move the iphone launch back to late spring. Get the iOS beta going in early Spring.

This allows time for ipad fever to build up for Oct and for people's holiday budgets to not be affected by the initial demand of a new iphone. It spreads out the launches to keep the hype going. It also allows time for margins to be more consistent if not all the iOS products are launched in the same quarter.

[SeanHRCC]

I certainly think it has a lot to do with the holidays, even considering what you mentioned before...but aside from that, budgeting reasons, fall tends to be a reset for many people, especially those that deal with the government because of fiscal years, and i would imagine a lot of people flow with that kind of schedule where budgeting really takes a reset or turn in the fall. Combine that with the "needs" that arise with upcoming holidays, the fact that statistics show more birthdays fall within the fall months (with people humping like rabbits in the winter months where they're stuck inside with nothing to do)...fall seems like a pretty swell target.

I know my father owns his own movie collectables business, and fall seems to be his bread and butter time...he says he thinks it has to do with people buying more when they are at home more (summer tends to push people to vacations, and most people don't make big purchases around vacations).

Honestly though, it could all be horse sh*t and there really is no rhyme or reason, lol!

[cardfan]

The paper then claims the iPhone 5S could enter volume production in the 1st quarter of 2013. If that were truly the case, the iPhone 5S could be be set to launch earlier than most have expected.

It would make some sense based on this thread but iOS 7 also factors. Can't release one without the other. Maybe an announcement and beta in Spring.