By Marc Saltzman
While no one outside of Apple’s inner circles know what it will be called — iPhone 5, new iPhone or something else altogether — all signs point to a new device on the market by the third week of September.
Between leaked photos out of Asia, patent filings, Foxconn CEO comments (the Chinese manufacturer responsible for building Apple’s products), cellular carriers clearing stock of the iPhone 4S (and telling employees not to take a vacation between Sept. 21 through 30), it’s pretty certain the iPhone 5 — let’s just call it that for the time being — will be available in a month’s time.
The new phone is expected to be officially announced on September 12, when preorders would also start, and available about a week later.
And let’s face it: there’s a lot riding on this release for Apple — now the most valuable company in history at more than $619 billion — to keep its momentum going in the right direction. By some analysts’ predictions, Apple could be the world’s first “trillion-dollar baby” if the new iPhone, a possible iPad mini and an iTV product all succeed.
