New Apple iPhone release rumoured for 10 September

Next handset expected to be cheaper, plastic model with built-in fingerprint sensor

A man talks on a mobile phone as he walks past an iPhone advertising board in Beijing July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon )

For those awaiting the next iPhone release from Apple it seems that 10 September is going to be the date to look forward to.

Sources speaking to tech blog AllThingsD revealed the supposed release date for the much-rumoured new handset, known variously as the iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S or simply iPhone 6.

It’s widely expected that this new piece of hardware will help Apple tackle the mid-range of the smartphone market, which is currently crowded by a multitude of Android handsets.

Previously Apple has addressed this price point by selling old iPhone models, but with competitors such as Samsung and HTC producing ‘mini’ versions of their flagship smartphones (the S4 Mini and One Mini) it seems that the big-brother-little-brother model is proving increasingly popular.

A September 10 launch date would also fit with Apple’s previous launch schemes. Typically they announce a new software update (in this case iOS 7) and let developers get used to the system before following it up with the hardware

Although there have been no confirmed details of the next iPhone, it seems fairly likely that there will be a fingerprint sensor built into the home button.

This was first suggested when Apple bought AuthenTec last year (a company specialising in mobile security with many biometric patents) and has since been all but confirmed with the recent discovery of lines of code in the new iOS 7 that referred to a ‘BiometricKitUI’.

Other rumours seem to suggest a plastic casing available in a wide range of colours – something that Google will also be offering with their new Moto X.