iPhone 5

The same day Bloomberg announced that Sprint would be offering free unlimited data plans with the iPhone 5 in mid-October, SprintFeed published a screenshot of the carrier's internal systems which revealed they're preparing for a "major phone launch" in October. Sprint's biggest known upcoming release is the Galaxy S ll which is due out next week. The memo states that a blackout is the begin on September 30 through October 15, so we know Sprint isn't canceling vacations for their Galaxy series. The note says "possible" major phone launch, meaning if it's for the iPhone 5, no one is quite sure of an actual release date. So don't believe all those bold predictions from the "unnamed sources" we keep hearing from.

It's safe to assume things are going to get a bit competitive between U.S. wireless carriers if Sprint and T-Mobile are really going to be carrying the iPhone 5 next month. According to Bloomberg, Sprint Nextel Corp. will try to separate itself from the competition by offering unlimited data service plans with the iPhone 5.

An anonymous source said Sprint will begin selling the next generation device in mid-October, and plans to steal customers away from AT&T and Verizon by being the only carrier to offer unlimited data. Both AT&T and Verizon charge for their data services.

What iPhone 5 release date? Even though there's still no official confirmation from Apple that the iPhone 5 even exists, reports are now surfacing that Foxconn is ramping up production of the mystery handsets to the tune of 150,000 per day. This puts Apple on track for over five million units per month ahead of a single announcement by the company revealing the new device.

Above is a rendering concept produced by Macrumors based on leaked iPhone 5 case schematics from manufacturers in China. Despite Apple's apparent success at hiding the next iPhone from prying eyes, reports from the supply chain continually leak out indicating possible specifications and the status of iPhone 5 manufacturing.

A mysterious photograph has surfaced with evidence embedded in the file that indicates the image was probably taken by an iPhone 5. Further analysis of the reflection in the photograph shows someone holding the device that captured the image. To begin, let's just say that the folks over at pocketnow who revealed the image have a lot of time on their hands.

The image itself could be a plate of sushi from anywhere, but according to the embedded geolocation data within the original photograph, it was taken on the Apple campus in Cupertino, California. The photo was cropped to 2235 x 2291 pixels, while Exchangeable image file format (Exif) data in the file points to an original resolution of 3264 x 2448. This happens to be the magic number of eight megapixels at the iPhone-friendly 4:3 ratio.

Deutsche Telekom has begun accepting pre-orders for a device they don't even know exists yet. Without any knowledge of a release date, name, or hardware specifications the German carrier started handing out golden tickets for the next generation Apple handset.

A spokesman for the carrier told Bloomberg that customers can visit Deutsche Telekom stores to receive their ticket. The strict first-come, first-served system allows one pass per customer and is not being advertised. This is the first time that Deutsche Telekom will not be the exclusive carrier during a new iPhone launch in Germany. Other German carriers began offering the iPhone last October.