A company's earnings release date significantly affects weekly or monthly option prices and implied volatility. For companies that typically release earnings on the cusp of monthly options expiration - either a few days before expiration or a few days after - it would appear the day that the earnings release date is announced may itself significantly affect monthly option prices. (AAPL is an example of such a company, sometimes releasing before monthly options expire, and sometimes releasing after monthly options expire.)
My questions are:
Am I correct in this assertion, that the day a "cusp company" announces its earnings release date can significantly affect option prices either that day or in the coming week or two, particularly if the "market" has guessed wrong about when the earnings release date will be?
What factors go into a company such as this (on the cusp) picking the day it will release earnings? Is it merely a function of work load, or are other factors involved? More specifically, how might one gauge whether a company such as this (e.g. AAPL) will release earnings before monthly expiration or after.