Apple Rumor: iPhone 5 Release Coming Early September, With iOS 5

It's a little over two more months of agonizing wait for iPhone fans. The latest buzz in the market is that Apple will release the much-awaited iPhone 5 in the first week of September, and some tech Web sites have gone ahead to make the prediction that the device will arrive on Sept. 7.

The iPhone 5 is rumored to come pre-loaded with iOS 5, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. Apple fans were dejected that the tech giant broke with tradition this year and refrained from saying anything about the next generation iPhone in its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Critics mused over Apple losing ground to a plethora of Android OS-based devices that are slated for arrival in the coming weeks.

Now, tech circles muse that the Cupertino-based giant will put off the launch of the refreshed iPod in September to allow for the iPhone 5's launch. It is believed that the next-generation iPhones will come pre-loaded with the latest operating system, which has been enriched with at least 200 new features.

It was suspected that Apple was not going to launch the iPhone 5 at the WWDC this year, since it had released the white iPhone 4 only in April. For a time, speculation hinged on theories of iPhone 5 launch being pushed further back into 2012.

Meanwhile, the competition had gotten a lot tougher for Apple. For example, the arrival of Google’s Nexus 4G would all but annihilate Apple if it still decided to go ahead with iPhone 4. Hence most observers have completely ruled out the idea of iPhone 5 launch being pushed back into the next year.

There has been intense buzz over the iPhone 5's features and look, as well as about the ability of iOS 5 to trump Android. Android smartphones and tablets are going to flood the U.S. market soon. There is a new launch, leak or rumor every day.

iPhone adherents will no doubt seethe with anger if their phone doesn’t tally up to the competition's range of Android OS-based phones as early as possible. Apple must have found it difficult to contend with the allegation that most of the rumored iPhone 5 features are already on Android OS-based devices. So why not at least give a chance to iPhone enthusiasts to get on an even keel with the Android phones by moving to the upgraded iPhone 5?

Apart from tech observers, savvy betters too have sensed that something big is round the corner. It has been reported that betting trends focusing on the iPhone 5 launch have increased recently. Tech Web site gadgetsandgizoms mused that the iPhone 5 could probably be already built and that it is undergoing rigorous final tests by Apple engineers and other experts.

This also conforms to earlier predictions that Apple will start full-scale commercial production in July/August.

Besides the technical grounds for Apple to release the iPhone 5 in September, there are apparently other angles -- most importantly, sales and marketing -- that lend credence to the theory that the device will see the light of day in September.

The next generation Apple iPhone will come out in September of this year, and that the recent launch of the White iPhone 4 lends credence to this point, says Brian White, an analyst for Ticonderoga Securities.

According to him the release decision regarding iPhone 5 has become more of a function of marketing and sales than technical.

White contends that the launch of White iPhone 4 helped Apple make large amounts during a potential dry period between two major launches. Apple was wise to launch the White iPhone 4 recently after a series of delays as it helped mitigate customer fatigue over waiting for the new iPhone 5.