Late September looking ever likelier for next-gen iPhone launch

Buzz about the next-generation iPhone's release date has begun to concentrate on late September thanks to leaks coming from multiple sources. It's looking more and more likely that the big unveil will happen on September 12, as previously rumored, and the device may hit the US streets on September 21, with a larger wave of international rollouts taking place in early October.

Apple's typically music-focused media event often takes place in the first couple weeks of September, though Apple took the opportunity to hold an event in October last year to introduce the iPhone 4S. That hasn't stopped the rumor mill from buzzing in July about the possibility that an event might take place on September 12, with a focus on the iPhone and possibly the long-rumored "iPad mini." Since then, several retailers have begun discounting their existing stock of the iPhone 4 and 4S, likely in an attempt to keep the units moving until a new model is available.

iMore now claims that Apple will begin taking preorders for the next-gen iPhone (commonly referred to as the "iPhone 5") on that same day, September 12, with a public launch nine days later. "We've also learned that the second wave of iPhone launches, the ones in international markets, will begin in the first week of October, likely October 5," writes the site.