Evidence that Apple won’t release its next-generation iPhone until a later-than-normal date got another boost today with an unnamed AT&T customer service representative telling MacRumors that Apple will not release the iPhone 5 in either June or July.
“Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July time frame, though there will be a newer version in the future,” said the agent. “Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for the new phone. We will release this information on our website when it is available to us.”
As MacRumor‘s Eric Slivka wisely points out, it’s never a good idea to put much weight on new product information that comes from people in customer service departments — they just aren’t high enough on the corporate ladder to know the real-deal on upcoming releases and the like, especially releases from tight-lipped Apple.
That said, there’s good reason to believe the essential facts of this report, i.e. that Apple won’t debut the new iPhone during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which has become the standard launch event for Apple’s latest iPhone. Instead, the most sober predictions point to a release sometime around September, which is when Apple typically launches a refresh of its iPod line.
The iPhone 5 is expected to sport an upgraded 8-megapixel camera, have a dual-mode chip that allows for CDMA and GSM connectability, and run off of the speed-injected A5 processor, which powers the iPad 2. Many reports have indicated that the next-gen Apple smartphone will look basically similar to the iPhone 4‘s design — though a recent rumor indicates that the device could get a significant redesign that slims down the phone’s profile and offers a wall-to-wall screen.
So if you’re anxiously saving your dollars and cents for the new device, fret not: You should have a couple more months this year to fill up your piggy bank.
