It’s looking increasingly likely as the weeks go on that Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone will launch this September, and strengthening all that speculation is a new report that claims AT&T is now beginning to communicate launch plans to its staff.
According to a “very reliable source,” iPhone Italia has reported that one of Switzerland’s carriers, Swisscom, will start offering the rumored iPhone 5 on October 5. Also, the Italian site’s source is “100% sure” that the iPhone 5 will also be available in the US on September 5, as Apple would already have to be talking with carriers about distribution for a new device this Fall.
With AT&T in the process of gobbling up T-Mobile, and with rumors consistently suggesting that Apple will bring the iPhone 5 to T-Mobile, it’s hard not to think of this as significant: T-Mobile is now giving out iPhone 4 compatible Micro SIMs to their customers.
To underline how important China has become in Apple’s overall sales, the tech giant’s new iPhone 5 will be sold by that nation’s three top mobile carriers by year’s end, according to a Friday report.
Every time there’s an anticipated release — a movie, a book, a new gadget — there’s always someone clamoring to be first in line to get it. Some of these people are just honest fans literally counting down the seconds until release. Some are just addicted to seeing their names in the paper. And some are just there to cash in on the notoriety of being first.
That all being true, we’re not surprised that even though the iPhone 5 hasn’t even been announced yet, there’s already someone camped out in line for one. What is surprising is he’s so open about why he’s doing it: for the publicity.
While we’ve had no official confirmation that Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone will launch this year at all, the vast majority of recent speculation seems to agree that the device will be available this September. Strengthening those claims is a new Apple job listing posted in the U.K. for temporary “iPhone Sales Specialists” to work between August and October.
A rather sketchily sourced report says that the iPhone 5 is now in the hands of AT&T’s Mobility division, which is responsible for third-party testing of smartphones before they officially debut. We’re pretty skeptical, but if it’s true, it could mean that the next iPhone could be announced by the end of the month.
These photographs, purportedly depicting Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5, clearly reveal the fifth-generation device will boast a dual LED camera flash, two cameras for taking 3D photos, and a new edge-to-edge display.
At least they would if they were genuine. Which we’re almost certain they’re not.
A very questionably sourced report claims that the next iPod Touch will join the iPad and iPhone and gain 3G data connectivity. That’s certainly always been the dream, and it would be enough for many iPhone users to ditch their cell phone contracts and go totally VoIP on a cheaper iPod Touch. But is it really plausible?
As an alternative to the iPhone 5 mock-up we posted last week, Mac Magazine put together this great concept of what the iPhone 5 could look like.