Rumored Hugely Apple anticipated iPhone 5 pre-orders to begin September 12, international sales to begin early October

apparent iPhone 5 screen and design

According to a new report from Rene Ritchie of iMore, who has been correct in the past, Apple is set to begin pre-orders of the next-generation iPhone on Sept. 12, which is the same day the device is expected to be announced. The device is then expected to be released Sept. 21, as several publications reported (and subsequently confirmed each other) a few weeks ago. At the same event, Apple is expected to introduce its new 7.85-inch iPad Mini. It is believed to compete directly with Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire. iMore further added in its report this morning that the international launch of the next iPhone will take place in early October, with Oct. 5 being the most likely day. Apple has been known to delay the launch of its devices internationally to ramp up sales. For example, the launch of the iPhone 4S internationally was two weeks after the U.S. launch.

The sixth-generation iPhone is pegged to include a longer 4-inch design and rock a 640-by-1,136 resolution, redesigned nano-SIM card slot, LTE connectivity, larger battery, NFC, and 9-pin connector. Apple is believed to update its entire iOS device lineup this fall to support the smaller connector, as several publications noted. You can check out our diagram from last night that showed all of the leaked sixth-generation iPhone’s parts laid out, adding a bit of context to what is expected to come. Furthermore, last week we showed you apps running at the 640-by-1,136 resolution in both portrait and landscape mode.

We think it may be difficult for Apple to process the mass amount of pre-orders during the day, especially after a huge event with new products hitting the store. Pre-orders have historically begun in the middle of the night. Even at that, Apple has had trouble keeping its servers up-and-running. Mid-evening sounds likely, if iMore’s report stands true. If history repeats itself, we are only a few weeks away from Apple sending out invites to a press event. We will keep you updated.

Source: Imore

Non-functioning next-gen iPhone prototypes/fakes surface in Bangkok?

Today though, we have a hands on with what appears to be a prototype finalized design casing of the iPhone, in a mall, somewhere in Bangkok, Thailand.




The pictures seem to confirm what we saw in the video, and after reaching out to the source (who is an ex staff member from a long time ago) he confirmed that the iPhone is not a working device, but a "non functional replica prototype" and in his own words, "pretty accurate too."

So we can fall back on what we already know, which is that the unibody case appears to be redesigned to feature an aluminum shell. The glass backing that appeared in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S is notably absent; instead, the entire exterior is a single piece. The casing appears to feature the rumored elongated design of the new iPhone, which is said to be around 4 inches in height. Additionally, a new docking port appears to be in place, and the headphone jack has been moved to the bottom of the device similar to Apple's iPod line.

This certainly must be a first, the general public getting a look at what's to come. One has to wonder if this sort of thing would have happened if Steve Jobs were stilll head-honcho at Apple.



Source:neowin