Hunting around for an iPhone 5 release date? A bunch of dates from Telus have leaked, revealing that Canada is getting the iPhone 5 on October 1. At best, we have an idea of what it might look like, but any other info on the device itself is still the subject of speculation. That same roadmap also shows release dates for just about every new BlackBerry RIM has planned. The Torch 9810 and Bold 9900 are due August 15. That’s less than two weeks away, meaning suspicions of an announcement this week are well-deserved. By comparison, both Bell and T-Mobile aren’t expected to be getting the Bold 9900 until closer to the end of the month. The Torch 9860 and Curve 9360 are also headed to Telus, landing on August 22 and 29 respectively, while the Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Orlando have misfortune of sharing the iPhone 5’s October 1 launch date. Sony Ericsson’s Urushi will be landing on the same day as well. Lastly, the Samsung Galaxy Ace will land October 15.
While we might not know much about the iPhone 5, all of RIM’s upcoming handsets will be packing sharper screens, faster processors, near-field communications, magnetic compasses for augmented reality, and most of them should finally have Wi-Fi hotspot functions.
While a Telus launch date isn’t particularly helpful for U.S. smartphone shoppers, it does give a ballpark expectation for announcements, and if anything, the U.S. market will get the iPhone 5 before October 1. There’s always the possibility of delays when it comes to pre-launch targets, but Apple’s not the type to miss a deadline. As for the downpour of OS 7 BlackBerry devices, it seems like they’re all launching in a nice clump, and by the time the holidays roll around, there will be a full spread to chose from. Of course, I wouldn’t be placing bets on folks picking any one of them over the iPhone 5, but I guess that all depends on just how much of an upgrade Apple’s next smartphone is. Are any of you Canadians already sold on picking up the iPhone 5, or are you still going to cling to the home-grown BlackBerry?
[via BGR]