AllThingsD reports that Apple's iPhone media event apparently scheduled for October 4th will be held at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California rather than the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco as has been typical for their iPad and iPod events.
Sources close to the company say the demonstration — currently scheduled for Tuesday October 4, a date first reported by AllThingsD — will be held at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, California.
The report notes that it is unknown why Apple has chosen its own Town Hall Auditorium for the event, but offers a couple of theories including the possibility of uncertainty in locking down a date preventing Apple from booking an outside venue or a desire to give new CEO Tim Cook a more intimate venue for the first major product introduction under his official watch.
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Apple's Town Hall auditorium (Source: CNET)
Apple has certainly used its on-campus facilities for media events in the past, most recently last October's "Back to the Mac" event. The site has also been used for the company's iOS media and developer preview events typically held each spring ahead of new hardware releases, as well as last July's press conference to address concerns over antenna performance on the iPhone 4.
Apple's iPhone introductions have until this year taken place at San Francisco's Moscone Center as part of larger events, with the original iPhone first being shown at Macworld Expo and later introductions coming at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts has been Apple's major off-campus site for those media events not associated with conferences such as Macworld and WWDC. It has typically hosted Apple's fall media events that have focused on iPod and iTunes, and has also been the site of Apple's two iPad introductions.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Nailed on IMHO, all fits
If the keynote was taking place in downtown San Francisco or whatever then Steve has to drive or be driven down there, likely in heavy traffic, tiring for a man who is not very well
He would already be on campus doing his chairman's job and holding meetings etc so it easy for him just to pop into the auditorium, less tiring, less effort for him, smaller stage
I am 99.99% certain we will see Steve playing an active role in the launch
I love these theories. Where do people get this stuff?
So Jobs is too weak to sit in a limo and be driven to the Moscone Center but he's on campus holding meetings.
You will not see Jobs at the announcement as his presence would only serve to overshadow Cook and the new product(s).
Maybe because they really are just introducing an iPhone 4S with minor upgrades and perhaps don't want to draw TOO much attention to that fact. :)
This is Apple, it will get huge attention regardless of where they present it or how many people are in the audience.
I don't see the location of the keynote reflecting the exact (5 vs 4S) product being launched.
What I do see, is a very dynamic, shifting date for launch, which led to an inability to secure the typical Yerba Buena location. Not knowing the exact launch date makes it a little tough to secure a venue. Whereas if the event is held in Cupertino, Apple can make the announcement when they're damn good and ready.
Something is definitely up over Apple. Something is causing a delay. Bad screens on the (rumored) bigger iPhone 5 screen? iOS 5? who knows... Let the theories and speculation begin!