world of technology is that an October release for Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone handset is now almost certain, after continued silence from the company about when the handset will appear.
A screenshot submitted to American technology blog This Is My Next seems to confirm the day might well be October 21.
The screenshot, sent to American blogger Chris Ziegler by an anonymous employee of the Best Buy electronics chain, which recently launched stores in the UK, shows an email sent to American Best Buy employees regarding an upcoming Apple launch.
It requests that a manager be present at 6am on October 21 to install a 'large Apple fixture' on the big screens in the American electronics store.
The tantalising aspect to this detail is that 6am is the time at which Apple requested managers attend for the launch of iPhone 4 last year - also to install screens.
The Best Buy employee also revealed that an event was scheduled for October 10 for managers to discuss upcoming 'big releases' - which would fit with an iPhone 5 launch a fortnight later.
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| Last year's iPhone 4 launch saw the device released in the UK and the US simultaneously, with other countries following rapidly afterwards.
An Apple spokesperson said, 'We are not commenting on rumours or speculation.' While the company is typically tight-lipped about the launch dates of its iconic smartphones, evidence has been mounting that a late October release seems likely.
Apple's marketing machine is extremely well-oiled, particularly when it comes to their hero product, the 100-million-selling iPhone - and preview events are usually orchestrated weeks in advance. With no official word from within the company in early September, a late October release looks increasingly likely.
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New CEO: Tim Cook joined Apple in 1998.
Android rivals such as Samsung's Galaxy S II are now also considerably faster than the current iPhone 4: the company may not be able to afford to wait much longer than late October to release their upgraded handset.
An Apple engineer losing a prototype in a bar a few weeks before release has also become a regular ritual. This year, a prototype iPhone 5 was reportedly lost in Cava 22, a San Francisco bar, and sold via the internet - although details of the incident are disputed, and no clear details of the device itself have emerge.
The late October release date would appear to be supported by images that appeared on the internet recently said to show production parts for a new model that have arrived at Chinese resellers in preparation for the global launch of the high-powered phone.
The images of parts labeled N94, have been reproduced by industry websites such as Apple Leaks, MacPost and Apple Insider.It's perhaps wise not to place too much faith in Chinese components or one grainy email screenshot, however. The enthusiasm of the Apple faithful is such that by this stage in the genesis of ANY Apple device, the rumour mill is in such overdrive that 'evidence' such as sketches, grainy pictures, and even orders placed with Taiwanese chip foundries have all been hailed as definitive 'proof' of a release date, or form factor, for iPhone 5.
As ever, the one thing is certain is that Apple will continue to 'not comment on rumours or speculation' until the company are ready to tell us, where and when we can buy iPhone 5 - and what exactly the much-hyped phone will do that makes it worth all this attention.
