Latest On iPhone 5: October 4 Launch, Multiple Models Coming

Apple has not even announced its upcoming iPhone – the iPhone 5 or the 4S or both (more on this later) – but judging from the press mileage the issue has been getting, people are really interested in the next-generation smartphone from Cupertino.  So far, Apple has remained quiet about its next iPhone, much less its launch date.

So here we have gathered the most interesting tidbits from around the web about the upcoming iPhone. First up, we have a definite date for when the iPhone 5 may be launched.

According to tech blog AllThingsD, the iPhone 5’s launch will be on October 4, according to “sources close to the matter.”

John Paczkowski writes for the Dow Jones-owned site: “Tuesday, October 4. That’s the day Apple is currently expected to hold its next big media event, according to sources close to the situation, where the tech giant will unveil the next iteration of its popular iPhone.”

Nonetheless, the report does warn that Apple may “change its plans anytime” basically meaning that this date for the iPhone 5 launch is not etched in stone. However, this is the best the tech press is offering as of the moment.

Furthermore, the report does seem to confirm a report from 9to5Mac back in July. Basing its report on an internal AT&T memo about insurance which got leaked, the site reported that the iPhone 5 debut will be on October 4. Coincidence? Possibly but it’s kind of odd for two reports from two separate sites published months apart and citing different sources to just be coincidence.

Anyway, AllThingsD writes that the October 4 event will also be Tim Cook’s debut as the successor of Steve Jobs. According to the site, Apple chose this event so that even if Tim Cook does not live up to expectations – after all, he’s the successor of an iConic CEO – people will be so enamored with the iPhone 5 that they will not see his mistakes.

But hold on, we’ve been talking about the iPhone 5 all along when comments coming from Al Gore point to not one but multiple models which will be launched by Apple next month.

So why is the former vice president involved in this? For those who do not know, Al Gore is a member of the Board of Directors of Apple so he has knowledge about the plans of the tech powerhouse.

The comments were made by Gore at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit  held in Johannesburg, South Africa, a report from The Next Web says.

Toby Shapshak, a magazine editor who attended the event, says that Gore said this while talking about technology’s exponential growth: “Not to mention the new iPhones coming out next month. That was a plug.”

Take note that he said new iPhones and not new iPhone without an “s” pointing to the possibility that Apple may indeed be planning two models of the iPhone as reported separately by Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal way back in February.

To refresh your memory, the publications said during the first quarter of the year that Apple is planning a low-end iPhone which was nicknamed the “iPhone 4S” by the media and a high-end iPhone presumably the iPhone 5 for its launch this year. The iPhone 4S (said to be priced at $200 without a contract when it launches) will reportedly compete with affordable Android smartphones while the iPhone 5 will be the flagship iPhone.

Nevertheless, it all comes down to how much you trust Gore. We have to stress, however, that the man does have a seat on Apple’s board.

Images: (1) Dave Arter (2) World Economic Forum / Flickr (CC)