Apple's anticipated iPhone 6 may have a set on-sale date, and could be made of an exclusive new material that is stronger than titanium and harder than stainless steel.
The rumor mills are in high gear, grinding out the grist as Apple heads into its annual Worldwide Developers Conference this summer, and the iPhone 6 can't come soon enough for many fans.
The Atlantic Wire reported Wednesday that German phone company Deutsche Telekom told customers that they can expect the new phone Sept. 19 in an effort to keep them from swapping service providers.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
Previously, reports said
battery production issues were dogging the iPhone 6 release timeline. If the Sept. 19 release date is true, however, either the battery production rumor was entirely false, was true but has subsequently been resolved, or was partially true but applies to only one model of the forthcoming iPhone line.
Some have speculated that Apple "could pull a fast one" and release the line at the conference, but that would be highly unlikely based on knowledge of standard manufacturing logistics as well as the current crop of rumors.
Apple is known to launch iPhones on Fridays, and Sept. 19 falls on a Friday. The past three generations of iPhone were launched in either September or October.
The new phone, which
Forbes reminded readers could be called the "iPhone 6" or "iPhone Air," will likely be driven by U.S. Patent No. 8,738,104, which was granted to Apple on Tuesday for "Methods and systems for integrally trapping a glass insert in a metal bezel."
It is well known that Apple is ramping up production of sapphire for potential use in its touchscreens with partner GT Advanced Technologies, and, along with the patent, Apple recently renewed its agreement with Liquidmetal to offer the only consumer products made with the unique alloy through 2015.
In short, reports appear to indicate the new iPhone 6 will be launched Sept. 19 with a sapphire display and Liquidmetal chassis.
Urgent: Assess Your Heart Attack Risk in Minutes. Click Here.