iPhone 5 arriving in September, say supply chain sources

The iPhone 5 will be five alive in September, according to new reports.

"Pish and tosh," we hear you cry. "We've heard such predictions before -- away with you and your scurrilous scuttlebutt, lest our hopes be dashed by another piece of ill-informed gossipmongering!"

But wait! This particular piece of hearsay is fairly credible, given the fact it comes from news agency Reuters, quoting "three people with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain". One of the deep throats said, helpfully, that the iPhone 5 will "look largely similar to the iPhone 4". Thanks for that, chief.

Actually, the mysterious stater of the obvious may have a point -- the second- and third-generation iPhones looked largely identical, so the iPhone 5 may also be indistinguishable from the current model. We predict the only way you'll be able to tell if it's a new phone is the logo on the back, and the insufferable air of smugness surrounding the owner.

The next-generation iPhone will probably debut new iOS software. It's likely to pack an 8-megapixel camera and may, or may not, feature a 3D display and NFC capability.

Reuters says the iPhone 5 factories will fire up in July or August, presumably carving the phone from unicorn horn and smelting the processor from molten mermaid tears. Previous estimates stated production wouldn't start until September, but that was suggested by an analyst and their job is basically to sit around making stuff up.

A September launch would give Apple plenty of time to buy up loads of touchscreens, as well as finally get around to releasing the white iPhone 4.

We'll continue to bring you all the latest iPhone 5 rumours, weighing them up to see if they're the real deal or mere baseless flimflammery.