When Will The iPhone 5 Actually Launch?

iPhone 5 have been circulating the net ever since Apple announced the next iteration of its mobile operating system, iOS 5, last June at the WWDC. Up to now, conflicting reports have said Apple might be planning either a September or an October release for the much-loved iDevice.

You may remember that although there were several major announcements made during the WWDC, particularly the iOS 5 and iCloud, there was nary a trace of news for the iPhone.  This makes the event a peculiar one since for three previous years/events, there has always been something up Mr. Job’s sleeve especially when his iPhone baby is concerned.

This void – this lack of official announcement – from Apple creates a furor of rumors fueled by the frenzy of the media to get the “freshest” bit of news and to get one up against competitors which may hint on the true release date of the iPhone 5.
The latest of the rumors, as reported in The Guardian, involved some “highly secured” boxes allegedly containing iPhone 5 prototypes shipped to carriers for network compatibility testing. Logically, with this report we would assume that the iPhone may be released in September because when these network compatibility tests are finished and positive results are achieved, the iPhone 5 goes into mass production by Apple’s partners, Foxconn and Pegatron. So why delay the inevitable release when Apple could cash in on the frenzy and capitalize on the public’s clamor for next “IT” phone, right?

Another theory supporting the September release is the report about an alleged email from an AT&T employee claiming that the carrier is denying vacation request from employees during the last two weeks of September – because of an event blackout. This is similar, the employee said, to vacation requests being denied during the same period in prior years when a new iPhone was released.

On the other hand, some quarters, like an article from AllThingsD, claiming insider’s knowledge of Apple’s plans, say that the iPhone 5 will be released in October and that AT&T’s event blackout has nothing to do with the launching on the iPhone 5.
Anyway, one thing is certain: whether the iPhone 5 will be released in September or in October, I know that all of us will be camping out and lining up in front of the Apple Store to get our hands on Apple’s sexy, new iDevice. Why? Because I, for one, cannot resist being an early adopter and I just love the iPhone and to NOT get one upon its release would be a sin.