Sept. 20 release date for iPhone 5C more solid after Case-Mate leak

Images of new iPhone 5C cases, as well as iPhone 5Cs that match images we’ve seen previously, have leaked out of accessories company Case-Mate. But it’s not necessarily the cases or the iPhone 5C imagery that are making headlines: it’s the estimated shipping date that @evleaks is reporting for those cases. That date? “EST. SHIP DATE 9/20/2013 8:00:00 AM.”

In light of what’s being reported about vacation blackouts at Apple, as well as AT&T and T-Mobile, the addition of a shipping date for Case-Mate’s products helps build a pretty convincing case for the iPhone 5C’s release date. And if the 5C comes out on that date, the odds are good that we’ll see the 5S make its debut on that date, as well.

Apple’s Sept. 10 event, where it is expected the company will announce the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, comes just before the one year anniversary of the iPhone 5 announcement. That device wound up being released on Sept. 21, 2012.

Apple seems to be sticking to the trend of announcing a phone early in the week and then releasing it the week after on a Friday. This lets the announcement sink in and allows media outlets some time — but not too much time — to dissect the news and hype up the device before it goes on sale to an eager public.

It’s pretty much the same iPhone launch recipe that Apple has been following for years.

While we seem to have a probable date for the release of the next-generation iPhones, a date for Apple’s next version of iOS is less clear. Last year, iOS 6 was released two days before the iPhone 5 went on sale — Sept. 19. If Apple stuck to that scheme, we’d see iOS 7 on Sept. 18. And while that could happen for the various models of the iPhone, reports have indicated that iOS for the iPad could be delayed. Whether that would slow down the whole iOS 7 launch or just updates for the iPad remains to be seen.

We’ll be here with any new updates to this story. In the meantime, let us know — do you plan on picking up an iPhone 5S or an iPhone 5C later this month? Leave us a comment below.