Mid-Sept. Launch of iPhone 5 Seems Likely, Report Says

Apple will launch the next-generation iPhone in mid-September, according to Boy Genius Report.

The blog says AT&T has prepared its employees for a heavy amount of foot traffic in mid-September. The source told BGR that workers have been asked to finish any training by then and be prepared for the launch of the next iPhone. BGR said the phone will be announced in late August and will go on sale in early-to-mid September.

According to several BGR sources, Apple has beefed up the hiring in its Apple Stores for new product launches during that same period of time. A similar report was filed by blog MacInsider.

Rumors surrounding the iPhone 5 have been rampant over the past few months. When Apple didn't launch the new phone at the Worldwide Developer's Conference (the last few iPhones were announced at this event), it just spawned new iPhone 5 rumors on a weekly basis.

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore said Apple will announce two new phones: a mid-market priced cheaper phone and the more lucratively priced iPhone 5. Other analysts said there may just be an iPhone 4S, which will have a few added features from the iPhone 4 but nothing crazy. Digitimes, an IT industry watcher, said initially 15 million iPhones were ready for a September release, but later revised the release date to October.

Regardless of when the iPhone 5 is launched and what it includes, a recent survey from PriceGrabber says the iPhone 5 will be a huge hit for Apple. The company conducted a survey from 2,852 U.S. respondents and 35 percent said they plan on buying the iPhone 5.

Follow Gabriel Perna on Twitter at @GabrielSPerna