The iPhone 5 release rumor has reached the peak with the latest reports about the device being unveiled as early as Sept. 7, quashing earlier theories about an October launch.

The Beatweek Magazine has gone a step ahead to speculate that Apple could soon make some announcements regarding the iPhone 5 release date. It says Apple is "within minutes of announcing the release date for the iPhone 5 with iOS 5".

Earlier, a Japanese tech Web site, Kodawarisan, reported that Apple could unveil an iCloud iPhone on Sept. 7, and that, along with a new iPhone, it could also release a slate of new iPods.

Kodawarisan has a history of accurately predicting major Apple events in the past, and it says unlike last year, this year's Apple special event could be the stage for releasing iPhone 5.

Also, the leak of pictures purportedly of new iPhone 5 cases on the Internet accelerated release date rumors. There were reports in tech Web sites that the images came from a source which had leaked pictures of iPad 2 cases a fortnight before the tablet's release. If the images are genuine and if there really is a distinguishable pattern relating it to the leak of images of iPad 3 case, then iPhone 5 is perhaps round the corner.

Specifically, there were reports the case images came from Mettei Technology in China. Digital Trends had apparently received images from Mettei, but the Web site does not vouch for its authenticity. According to iPhone5.com, the Mettei advertisement says the silicon case for Apple iPhone 5 comes in 10 different colors and that they can ship them four days after receiving payment.

Meanwhile, Agence-France Presse reported that an advertisement placed online by French mobile network operator Orange has given away vital clues about the launch time of Apple iPhone 5. The advertisement said the carrier was looking for an engineer, a university graduate or with a business degree, who would be expected to work with the fifth-generation handset.

Significantly, the advertisement also calls the upcoming device “iPhone 5” though Apple has not officially said what the next generation iPhone would be called. The Orange advertisement said “one of the main issues is the definition, as precisely as possible, of what impact a handset like the iPhone 5 will have on clients’ Internet use."

Apple iPhone 5 release date rumors have been swirling for the past several months. While most of the rumors had contradicted each other, the latest to gain currency was the theory that iPhone 5 would be launched in October, not September.

This was based on the reasoning that Apple said its iOS 5, the latest version of its operating system, will be released in the fall. Fall officially begins in the last week of September -- and for the iPhone 5 to have the iOS 5 pre-installed in it, the launch should be naturally pushed back into October.

However, the report by Kodawarisan has upset the rumor mill again, and offered iPhone fans something to cheer, saying that iPhone 5 would be released on September 7. Macrumors said it confirmed with Kodawarisan that the date was not the product of guesswork, but came from a source in the know.

It says Kodawarisan had accurately predicted the launch date the launch of a new Mac mini in 2009.

So perhaps the time has come for parties, and camping?

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