iPhone 5 Release Date Nears: New Leaked Info Indicates Specs, Pricing, 2 Phones

With two more days to go before Apple Inc.'s highly anticipated Let's Talk iPhone event, newly leaked information has indicated a two-phone launch is likely and suggested both pricing and specifications for the iPhone5.

The iPhone rumor mill began buzzing over the weekend when The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), released screenshots of the iPhone from the Cincinnati Bell Web site.

One of the screenshots indicates the iPhone5 will include an 8-megapixel camera, a 4-inch screen, and 4G data connectivity. Moreover, the placeholder for the 32GB model suggests it would be priced at $639.99.

Rumor also has it that the iPhone5 will come with a new processor.

Meanwhile, TUAW threw another rumor out there that the Cincinnati Bell site was also carrying the iPhone4S, which has been believed to be a budget-friendly smartphone. It turns out this belief may have some validity as the same site appears to have a 16GB version priced at $99.99. This model seems to have a 5-megapixel camera, 3.5-inch screen, and A5 processor.

Early last month, it was reported that iPhone5 production sprang into overdrive, with contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group supposedly producing 150,000 units per day.

Taiwan's DigiTimes also reported that lens maker Largan Precision Co. Ltd., touch-panel maker TPK Holding Co. Ltd., reinforced glass supplier G-Tech Optoelectronics Corp., and battery vendors Simplo Technology Co. Ltd. and DynaPack Corp. were all operating in full swing to get the iPhone ready for a launch this month.

Shipments of the iPhone5 from the supply chain are expected to hit five million to six million this month and top more than 22 million units in the fourth quarter because suppliers will ship less iPhone 4 and CDMA-version iPhones during the final quarter of the year, sources told DigiTimes.

The Taiwanese news source also reported the Pegatron Corp. received 15 percent of the iPhone5 orders from Apple, but that the company may not begin shipping until 2012.

German carrier Deutsche Telekom is already accepting reservations for the iPhone5, as Bloomberg reported last month. Customers who make reservations will get coupons.

If Apple is indeed going to release two iPhones, it would mean that the entry-level iPhone4S will keep the iPhone maker in the market to compete with cheap Android smartphones from its rival Samsung and other manufacturers, such as HTC.

RadioShack is rumored to have the 16GB and 32GB iPhone5 in its inventory list for AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. There was an alleged iPhone4S leak inside the latest iTunes beta. Apple Insider reported that references to the iPhone4S name was found in the Info.plist file of the MobileDevices bundle included with the ninth beta of iTune 10.5 released Friday.

Apple quickly pulled the software from its developer site shortly after it became aware of the error.

Must Read - Apple's iPhone 5 Announcement, Features we Expect in the New Toy