Sprint iPhone 5 Release Date

Reports have now surfaced that Sprint will be a part of the iPhone 5 release date.  Yes, it does appear that Sprint will be launching the new iPhone 5:

"Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, closing a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier’s lineup and giving Apple Inc. another channel for selling its popular phone. The timing, however, indicates Apple’s new iPhone will hit the market later than expected and too late to contribute to sales in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends in September. Most observers had expected the device to arrive next month. Top U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless and No. 2 AT&T Inc. will begin selling the phone in mid-October as well, two of the people said. Sprint had more than 52 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter, compared with 106 million for Verizon and nearly 99 million for AT&T." - Source: Wall Street Journal

For some time now, rumors have been circulating that Apple would be releasing new iPhones across all major carriers.  It only makes sense that Apple would choose this path in consideration of the inroads Google has made with their Android operating system on the smartphone market share.

Competition is the name of the game and you can bet Apple will do whatever they can to remain competitve.  In the past, they've been able to remain competitive since the iPhone was a far superior device.  Now, there are many top Android smartphones, across all of the major carriers, that are offering similar smartphone experiences.

No doubt, Sprint customers will be happy with this announcement as were many Verizon customers who anxiously awaited the new iPhone arrival on their network!

More iPhone 5 Rumors Point Towards a Delayed Launch Date

Yes, more iPhone 5 rumors are hitting the blogosphere and there's no doubt many more iPhone rumors will be on the way in consideration of the growing speculation that the iPhone 5 release date will be delayed well past what's become Apple's typical June / July iPhone release date.

The latest iPhone 5 rumor, courtesy of MacRumors, only adds fuel to the speculation that the iPhone 5 release date will be delayed until later this year.

"One MacRumors reader has, however, received word from an AT&T customer care representative that Apple has officially informed the carrier that there will be no new iPhone released in the usual June-July timeframe.

The disclosure came after the reader noticed that his eligibility date for a subsidized upgrade had been pushed back by over five months and contacted AT&T to inquire about the reason for the change. As part of a response outlining AT&T's criteria for determining upgrade eligibility dates, the agent reportedly offered the following statement as fact:

'Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe, though there will be a newer version in the future. Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for the new phone. We will release this information on our website when it is available to us.'"

Even though most of the credible iPhone 5 rumors being leaked point towards a Fall iPhone release date, it's very possible that the new iPhone 5 release date could be delayed into the 2011 Holiday Season.  Either way, it's becoming increasingly doubtful that a new iPhone 5 launch date will take place in the early summer.  If you're on AT&T and are patiently waiting for the new iPhone 5, it looks like you will have to wait some more.  And, adding to the rumor mill, if the new iPhone 5 rumors are correct, and it doesn't launch until later this year, you may be better off waiting a few months longer for the rumored iPhone 6 release date and the new redesign that's supposed to come with it!

Yes, our hands are going to be full dealing with the new iPhone 5 or 6 rumors.  To get caught up to speed on some of the most recent iPhone 5 / 6 speculation, check out our iPhone posts (links included immediately below) and our thoughts on why Apple, outside of potential IOS 5 software or hardware supply delays, might be purposely looking towards pushing out the new iPhone 5 launch date.

• iPhone 5 Release Date
• iPhone 5 Release Date Update
• iPhone 6 Release Date Rumors

iPhone 5 Release Date Update

The iPhone 5 release date rumors have been all over the place with reports coming from nearly every corner of the blogosphere in regards to when the new iPhone 5 will be released.

Reuters is now chiming in with a report that the iPhone 5 release date will be sometime this summer.

"Apple's next-generation iPhone will have a faster processor and will begin shipping in September, three people with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain said."

Their report is also suggesting that the new iPhone 5 will go into production in July or August and it will, by and large, look similar to the form factor of an iPhone 4.

As we've come to expect from recent Apple iPhone launches, the iPhone 5 rumor mill is in overdrive and should continue to be as Spring fades into Summer!

As the iPhone 5 rumors currently sit, it looks like the standard June / July iPhone launch will be delayed (which would correspond to earlier claims from the Loop that the new iPhone 5 release date would be delayed) and the iPhone 5 will simply be a refresh of the iPhone 4.