The iPhone 5 and its release date are expected to be revealed at a special event in San Francisco on September 12, as a recent invitation hints. This week, Apple sent out a special invitation to media outlets, stating that there will be a special event held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Now reporters and technology fans are making travel plans to the California city to attend the event in which it is believed the new iPhone will be revealed. San Francisco hotels are already feeling the effects.
This week on the hotel search engine Trivago, San Francisco hotels are the most searched. According to their hotel price index report, San Francisco hotel prices are increasing as rooms are in demand for the Apple event.
"With 53% of rooms still available in San Francisco during the time of the Apple event, prices have already increased 10% compared to last month and 25% compared to this time last year. While last year the average price was $232, the current price for September 2012 is an average of $289" Trivago's report says.
Apple sent out an invitation that showed a graphic that includes a "5" in the shadow of the September 12 event date, making people believe that the iPhone 5 will finally be revealed during the event.
It is expected that Apple will also announce that the iPhone 5 release date will be September 21. Rumors have been circulating around the web that this will be the release date and there is some evidence to support it. AT&T and Verizon, which both carry the iPhone, have implemented a vacation blackout for employees starting September 21. This will prevent employees from going on vacation so that all staff will be available to handle the amount of customers that will line up around stores to get their hands on the long awaited iPhone 5.
It is also believed that Apple will unveil a new iPad mini at the September 12 event.
According to rumors, the iPhone 5 will have a two-tone design, a smaller 9-pin dock connector, 4G LTE, a slightly taller 4-inch display and a headphone jack on the bottom rather than on the top.
Last year, the iPhone 4S was announced on Oct. 4 and the device hit stores 10 days later on Oct. 14. According to the new iPhone 5 release date rumors, the phone would come out nine days after it is revealed.
Earlier this month, there were some rumors swirling around Twitter that the new iPhone could cost $800, but these rumors were not confirmed.
