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iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S dropping Sept 20th, network leak reveals
Carrier cancels holiday, sparks release-date chatter.
Speculation that the next-generation iPhone and its cheaper
stablemate will go on sale on September 20th got a good deal more
credible today, amid rumours that one of the largest US networks has
cancelled holiday for staff for the period. Talk of the handsets tipping up on the 20th has been abroad for months now. The date was initially mooted after some keen-minded deduction on the part of the editor of the International Business Times, who based his prediction on Apple’s previous form.
His claim got fresh legs over the weekend when mysterious sources told TmoNews that T-Mobile employees over The Pond have been barred from taking holiday between September 20th and 22nd. This is so that the carrier is able to cope with the huge swell in demand that marks the release of new Apple smartphones.
AT&T is also reported to have issued a blanket ban on holidays over that weekend. However, seemingly anticipating even greater demand than its rival, T-Mo’s competitor is forbidding staff from taking holidays for all remaining days in September too.
Demand for the low-cost iPhone 5C, which features a money-saving plastic shell, is expected to be buoyed by a price point of around £250. This will arguably make the iPhone a viable pay as you go handset for the first time ever.
The iPhone 5S, aka the next iteration of the iPhone proper, is expected to retain the look of the current-generation model. Improvements are instead set to be restricted to the phone’s internals (think: beefier A7 processor, longer-life battery and higher-res screen).
Persistent leaks suggest that both phones could, however, debut fingerprint scanning technology, as Apple bids to tackle surging smartphone thefts worldwide. The biometric tech is also intended to provide a further layer of security for NFC and credit card payments.
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