Mid-August iPhone 5? Don't Bet On It - TIME

Sometimes with Apple rumors, a little common sense goes a long way.

The latest scuttlebutt says that Apple will release the iPhone 5 in mid-August, based on several U.K. job postings for iPhone sales specialists. According to CNet UK, the posting by recruitment firm Reed seeks "full-time iPhone Sales Staff for an exciting project" from August 16 to October 29, following a four-day training period in London.

(MORE: 15 Million 'iPhone 5' Order Signals Major Push in September?)

The assumption is that Apple is stocking up on employees--not necessarily at Apple Stores, but at other retailers that sell Apple products--before launching its next iPhone. While that may be true, I wouldn't take this rumor as a sure indication that the iPhone 5 is launching next month.

If you've ever witnessed an iPhone launch, you know it can be pandemonium. People line up outside Apple Stores and Best Buys at the crack of dawn to ensure that they'll be the first with the latest model. Last year, supply shortages ensured weeks of iPhone 4 hysteria.

Now if you're Apple, and you pride yourself on customer service, would you want new employees working the iPhone 5 launch with no experience on the job? I think you'd at least want staffers to spend a week or two working under normal conditions, ringing up purchases and dealing with customer service issues without the pressure of unfamiliar hardware and an angry horde banging down the doors.

In fairness, one rumor has pegged the iPhone 5 for an August launch, but the prevailing belief is that the next iPhone will be released in September. If I had to pick between Bloomberg's anonymous sources and speculation based on job postings in the United Kingdom, I'd go with the former. But either way, I'm ready for this round of Apple Rumor Ping Pong to be over already.

MORE: Apple Debuts 'iTunes in the Cloud,' but No New iPhone

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