Apple is planning to hold a media event on October 4 to announce the upcoming iPhone 5, according to a source speaking to the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital. The device will then be available in stores just a few weeks later. The announcement is contingent on there being no last-minute delays, as Apple remains flexible with the date of the announcement, says the source.
For much of 2011, the release of the iPhone 5 was rumored to come sometime in the fall of this year, then new rumors narrowed the date down to September. Only last month did the general consensus begin to specify October as the release date for the device.
Much of the delay for this year’s iPhone is believed to be due to Apple’s iCloud feature, an ambitious new service from Apple that will allow iPhone owners, among other things, to wirelessly update and backup their iPhone without using a computer. iCloud was announced along with iOS 5 at Apple’s WWDC event in June. That event also marked the last public appearance of Steve Jobs before his stepping down as Apple’s CEO in August. New CEO Tim Cook is expected to take over Jobs’ role as lead pitchman for the upcoming iPhone 5 event.
