iPhone 5 release Sept. 21: Is this why Verizon has a vacation ban?

The iPhone 5 is likely to debut Sept. 12, and arrive in stores by late September, reports TechCrunch. Why else would Verizon ban all vacations from Sept. 21-30?

The iPhone 5 will reportedly launch on Sept. 21. Here, an iPhone 4S.

Reuters

August 23, 2012

The iPhone 5 will almost definitely hit shelves on Sept. 21. 

That's the word today from TechCrunch, which reports that Verizon has scheduled a vacation blackout from Sept. 21 to Sept. 30. "Big deal," you might be saying. "What does a vacation ban have to do with a new iPhone?" Simple: If the last couple years are any indication, the iPhone 5 launch will be a big, glitzy, buzz-saturated event. It will be an all-hands-on-deck situation for Verizon employees. 

The standard caveats apply: Apple hasn't confirmed the existence of a new iPhone, let alone when it might launch. In fact, we don't even know if this thing will be called the iPhone 5 – it might be called the iPhone XRPQ, for all we know. Still, Apple releases a new iPhone every year, and since the last iPhone launched in October of 2011, it makes sense that the next iteration would be shipping this fall. 

In Kentucky, the oldest Black independent library is still making history

RECOMMENDED: Top 20 tips and tricks for iPhone users

Apple is widely expected to actually take the wraps off the iPhone 5 at an event on Sept. 12. Pre-orders would open shortly after that, with brick-and-mortar stores actually putting the phone on sale on the 21st of September. 

"If we travel back a bit and examine the historical timeline from Apple’s announcement, to pre-order, to launch, the dates all seem to match up," writes Jordan Crook of TechCrunch. "Last year Apple announced the iPhone 4S on a Tuesday, October 4th. The phone went up for pre-order on that Friday, October 7, and was available in stores on Friday, October 14, a week later." 

So what will the new iPhone look like? Well, it will likely have a larger screen than previous models, and a slimmer chassis. Expect also a new headphone jack and dock connecter, possibly with 19 pins instead of 30. 

Thinking about picking up an iPhone 5? Drop us a line in the comments section. 

A majority of Americans no longer trust the Supreme Court. Can it rebuild?

RECOMMENDED: Top 20 tips and tricks for iPhone users