The rumors of confirmations of rumors continue to flood to back up the new assertion that Apple is planning the next iPhone for an October release instead of the earlier-rumored September date.
The newest “confirmation” comes from an unnamed high-level source at AT&T, according to a story from Boy Genius Report. Apparently, that exec warned employees that things would be very busy during the next 35 to 50 days and asked them to prepare for the onslaught, and specifically told several employees that the new device would be hitting in October.
This follows additional unnamed sources confirming the date through 9to5Mac, and before that, TiPB, saying that the next iPhone would launch on Oct. 7 with pre-orders beginning on Sept. 30. However, both reports fell short of confirming what the device might actually be. There is still debate between whether we’ll be getting an incremental update known colloquially as the iPhone 4S, or if this will be a bigger step forward, referred to as the iPhone 5. We also keep hearing that a cheaper, plastic-backed carrier-free iPhone may be available for prepaid customers.
Whatever Apple releases in the fall, it’ll be planning to sell a lot of them. Reports from component manufacturers in Asia have said that Apple has increased its call for iPhones to 26 million for the last half of 2011. So yes, it does sound like AT&T employees should expect to be busy.
AT&T confirms it’s ditching $10 for 1,000 texts plan
In other AT&T news, if you’re partial to having the carrier’s 1,000 texts for $10 per month plan, you better make sure your plan features are up-to-date. AT&T has confirmed that the $10 for 1,000 plan is being eliminated, leaving only the $20 per-month for unlimited option.
Customers who are currently on the $10 per month plan can keep it even if they change devices, according to Engadget, but like AT&T’s former unlimited data plan, once you switch, it’s gone forever. In the meantime, users who don’t want unlimited texts have only one other option, and that’s to pay for text messages piecemeal at a rate of $0.20 a pop (or $0.30 for picture and video messages). That means you’ll only get 100 messages before you hit the $20-per-month mark of regular texts, and you’ll get there even quicker if you send photos and videos.
Users who want to get grandfathered into the lower texting plan have until the end of the week before the change goes into effect, so switch your plan today. On the iPhone, you can do so with the myAT&T app pretty easily.
