iPhone 5 to support LTE

Korean mobile carriers confirm rumors about the new Apple device, to be released in September

 

iPhone 5. Just the thought sends techies, smartphone addicts and Apple aficionados into a collective tizzy. With the mid- to late-September release approaching, everything from leaked photos to sales projections are churning through the Apple rumor mill at the speed of 4G LTE.

Which, of course, the iPhone 5 is rumored to support, according to SlashGear. Korean mobile carriers SK Telecom and KT have confirmed that they will offer the iPhone 5 on their LTE networks. This data speed will probably be offered in the United States, as well.

Other rumored iPhone 5 features include a 4-inch screen, longer than the iPhone 4S, offset by a thinner body, SlashGear reported. 

Examiner.com notes that the prevalence of iPhone 5 rumors might mean that Apple is losing its grip on the shroud of secrecy that normally surrounds its product launches. “Our weekly iPhone sales continue to be impacted by rumors,” said Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer, according to the site.

But if the iPhone 5 lives up to analysts’ projections, the potential lag in iPhone 4 and 4S sales might not seem like such a big deal. FBR Capital analyst Craig Berger claimed the iPhone 5 could be “one of the largest single product opportunities in Apple’s history,” according to Forbes.com. “The iPhone 5 over its life cycle could sell as many as 250 million units and generate profits of more than $50 a share,” the site reported.

Up to 10 million of those units could be sold in September alone, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster projected, according to the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch. iPhone Informer reported that these sales could make Apple the first trillion-dollar corporation.

Apple is expected to make an announcement about the iPhone 5 on Sept. 12, making the device available by later in the month.