iPhone 5S Release Date: All Signs Pointing to Summer

While Apple has yet to confirm an iPhone 5S launch date, let alone a release date, rumors keep on insisting that the company will announce the new iPhone sometime this summer with the latest, a claim from an analyst that suggests that at least one carrier will be sporting the next-generation iPhone at some point in July.

Read: iPhone 5S Summer Release in the Works, Says WSJ.

Earlier today, a rumor from The Wall Street Journal indicated that Apple is indeed planning to launch the iPhone 5S sometime this summer with a release coming in the summer as well. This falls in line with everything that we’ve heard so far about the launch of the iPhone 5S, a device that is rumored to be replacing the iPhone 5 with only minor updates.

On the heels of that rumor comes another sign that Apple may be gearing up to launch the new iPhone 5S sometime this summer as opposed to the fall which is when Apple both launched and released the previous two iPhone models.

According to Brian Blair from analysis firm Wedge Partners, by way of Barron’s, Apple is gearing up to release the iPhone 5S on China Mobile in July, timing that will coincide with a global launch of the new iPhone.

Blair believes that production will begin next month, falling in line with the WSJ’s report that suggested that the iPhone 5S production would start at some point during the quarter ahead of its release this summer.

Interestingly, Blair believes that rumors of a cheaper iPhone are wrong and that Apple will instead look to a previous model as its cheaper device aimed at emerging markets.

Read: iPhone 6 & iPhone 5S Designs Reportedly Jobs Influenced.

Blair’s statements fall in line with just about every rumor that has emerged in regards to the iPhone 5S release date. So far, while we’ve heard some chatter about later in the year, all signs are pointing to an iPhone 5S release date and thus, a launch date, at some point this summer.

Rumors have suggested that Apple may be targeting June 20th as a launch date for the iPhone 5S but so far, that date has not been confirmed. Apple has yet to announce dates for its annual WWDC conference either, a likely launching pad for any iPhone that may be launching this summer.

The iPhone 5S is rumored to be a device that Steve Jobs had a hand in, but it’s not thought to be a major step up from the iPhone 5S. Instead, the device is rumored to have some minor changes including an improved camera, iOS 7, a faster processor, similar design to the iPhone 5 and perhaps a fingerprint reader for enhanced security.