iPhone 5 Release Date: All Release Rumors in Five Easy Steps

When will it arrive: Rumor has it that an Apple fixture at Best Buy is set for Oct. 21. On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Deutsche Telekom, a German Telco company, has started selling it by taking reservations from its subscribers. Despite technically being non-existent, reports have indicated that the iPhone 5 is going into production overseas this week. If true, that would align with a Best Buy early October release. So you can look forward (eventually) to a September reveal.

Where you get your hands on it: It seems quite obvious that At&T and Verizon Wireless will be selling it, as they already sell the product anyway. Controversial reports say that Sprint will carry the phone for the first time. The deal would be a big coup for Sprint, which has suffered without being able to sell the trendy device, The Wall Street Journal reported. 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.

How many will be available: DigiTimes reported that Apple will launch five to six million iPhone 5 units, whenever it is supposed to be released (October?), and roughly more than 20 million worldwide in the fourth quarter. The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Apple planned on shipping 25 million iPhone 5 unites this year.

What it will look like: It is more or less expected that the iPhone 5 will look like the current model, but with a new, thinner bezel, which will make the phone seem larger, also allowing for a slightly larger display and home button. It is also rumored that the iPhone 5 will return to a metal backing, instead of the traditional rear-glass design. A faster processor, possibly Apple's next-generation A5, and an 8-megapixel camera are also expected.

Superfluous: The unveiling of the iPhone 5 will be the first significant Apple product presented in the new, post-Steve Jobs era. Jobs stepped down from his long-held role as CEO, saying he could no longer fulfill his duties as chief of the company. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook now takes over at the helm, and Jobs will remain as Chairman of the Board.