While the rumour mill has been doing its rounds as to exactly when the iPhone 5 will be released, a high profile speaker at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit in Sandton, namely Al Gore, let loose that there would be a launch of new iPhones next month (October).

Gore interjected in his speech a brief line that no doubt caused much excitement amongst those anticipating the iPhone 5 when he said “Not to mention the new iPhones coming out next month. That was a plug.” Gore has a fair amount of credibility in this regard, as he’s been an Apple board member for the past eight years.

According to the International Business Times, the comments could refer to Apple releasing not one but two iPhone models next month. “One would be a completely redesigned iPhone 5, while the other would be a budget iPhone 4S that looks like the current iPhone 4,” it added.

Additionally, AllThingsD reports that the iPhone 5 will likely be the star of an anticipated media event on October 4, crediting “sources close to the situation.” The site continued that according to the same sources, the new smartphone would be “available for purchase within a few weeks after the announcement”, meaning that the iPhone 5 would become available towards the end of October or beginning of November.

Minor upgrade?

While no official announcement has been made by Apple as yet, anticipation for the launch of the upgrade has steadily been reaching fever pitch over the past several months, as have speculations about the nature of the next iPhone and when, or if, Apple will launch its iPhone 5. Speculation on Wall Street has included that Apple would not launch an iPhone 5 this year, but would  instead launch a minor upgrade to the iPhone 4 this October, and wait until next year to launch the iPhone 5 and a ‘baby’ iPhone that was smaller and cheaper than the iPhone 4, aimed at emerging markets.

Beyond the speculation of when it may be launched, there have been an equal number of rumours about what features the iPhone 5 might have. According to PCMag, the most credible ones in this regard are that the next version of the iPhone will include an edge to edge screen, boast an eight megapixel camera and accommodate a mini micro SIM card.

To add to the swirl of predictions around the next iPhone, here is ours: the iPhone 5 will be launched at some point, huge quantities of people will rush out –or stand in multiple hour lines - to buy one, and the media will go crazy.