iPhone 5S Release: What to Expect This Fall

Apple made one of its biggest announcements of the year earlier this week in the form of its new iOS 7 operating system that will be touching down this fall. Of course, iOS 7 won’t be the only big announcement that the company makes in 2013 as it likely has new hardware on the way including a new iPad, new iPad mini 2, and of course, a new iPhone thought to be called the iPhone 5S.

Earlier this week, at WWDC 2013, Apple unveiled its brand new mobile operating system in iOS 7, it software that will be heading to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners later this year. The software represents a significant departure from the previous releases of iOS which featured similar designs while incorporating new features.

OS 7 sports a new flatter design to go along with the new features including AirDrop and changes to all of Apple’s core applications including the camera app and Safari.

Initially, it was thought that Apple would be pairing an iPhone launch with iOS 7 at WWDC. However, as we now know, WWDC 2013 came and went without a new iPhone model. That doesn’t mean that Apple doesn’t have a new piece of hardware on tap for 2013 though. In fact, rumors are swirling about a new iPhone, the iPhone 5S, touching down later on this year to supplant the iPhone 5.

The device is thought to be another incremental Phone ‘S’ release which in the past, has meant that Apple keeps the previous year’s design while attaching on a host of improvements. This year’s iPhone 5S is thought to have an upgraded processor, a new camera and a fingerprint scanner for extra security.

While those are important to consumers, so is the iPhone 5S release date and here, we take an in-depth look at what to expect from the unannounced iPhone 5S release date.

iPhone 5S Release in the Fall

Every year, Apple releases a new version of iOS. And every year, to accompany that new version of software, Apple releases a piece of hardware called the iPhone. Last year, it was iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 and the year before that it was iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S. This year, it will be iOS 7 and an unannounced but heavily rumored device thought to be the iPhone 5S.


While rumors suggest that Apple may be looking at releasing more than one iPhone this year, it’s probable that even if there are two iPhones, that Apple will keep the design of the iPhone 5 for at least one of the devices and name it the iPhone 5S.

So if iOS 7 is coming out in the fall, then the new iPhone is coming out in the fall and that means the iPhone 5S release date will more than likely land in fall.

Different Date Than iOS 7 Release

While both the iPhone 5S and iOS 7 will likely make their arrivals sometime in the fall, consumers should expect their release dates to fall on different dates. Typically, Apple will issue release dates at the iPhone launch event and offer up an iOS release date that takes place several days before the arrival of the new iPhone.

This means that owners of its older devices get first dibs on the new software. This should be expected with iOS 7 and the iPhone 5S. Apple will likely offer an iOS 7 release date that falls a few days ahead of the iPhone 5S release and owners of the iPhone 4 and above, iPad 2 and above and iPod touch fifth-generation will be able to download and install the new update, which, we might add, will likely be vastly different than the beta that is out right now.

Pre-Order Ahead of Release Date

Like all iPhones, buyers should expect an iPhone 5S pre-order to arrive at all of its launch carriers. Generally, the pre-order is about a week out from the release date and we expect the same from this iPhone.

What this means is that a new iPhone could land anywhere between September and November though right now, rumors insist on September as a likely release date for the iPhone 5S, a date that would follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 5 release back in 2012.
What we also expect is that the iPhone 5S will be available for pre-order at a few more places than just Apple, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. With T-Mobile now carrying the iPhone 5 and U.S. Cellular announcing its intention to carry the iPhone later this year, we could potentially see five major carriers offering pre-orders ahead of time.

This is by no means confirmed but it appears likely. Consumers should also expect the websites of carriers and Apple’s own website to be extremely difficult to access at the start of pre-orders.