Job posting hints at mid-August iPhone 5 release
The burning question of when Apple will release a follow to the iPhone 4 may be answered with a U.K. job posting looking to staff up Apple's retail stores for "an exciting project" in mid-August.
Our CNET UK colleagues have a juicy find today. It centers around job postings for an influx of temporary workers to help sell Apple's iPhone, right around when the iPhone 5 is expected to hit.
The post--there are several in various regions around the U.K.--seeks an "Apple iPhone sales specialist" to work for two and a half months in Apple retail stores beginning in mid-August for what recruiter Gekko calls "an exciting project":
"Our client, Apple, one of the largest consumer electronic hardware and software companies in the world are seeking full-time iPhone Sales Staff for an exciting project to work 5 days a week (Tuesday-Saturday) for the period 16th August - 29th October within key retail stores," the posting reads.
Gekko notes that those who get the gig need to attend a four-day "training event" during the second week of August, presumably to be briefed on any new product information.
Apple has released a new iPhone every year since unleashing the original model on June 29, 2007. The latest, the iPhone 4, is now more than a year old, and multiple reports of Apple delivering a next-generation version of the handset have pointed to a release in the August/September time frame. It's worth noting that the iPhone 4 was released in the U.S. and the U.K. on the same day last year.
Alongside new hardware, another key release to expect in the fall is iOS 5, the next version of the system software that powers the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Apple this week delivered the third beta of that software to developers so they can ready their apps ahead of a public release.