Word on the street is that come June 20, the much-awaited iPhone 5S will be up for pre-order and will hit the shelves in July. Moreover, the iconic Apple smartphone will come with a fingerprint reader, a 13-megapixel primary snapper and iOS 7.
According to a leaked document, which is apparently only meant for employees of the Japan-based telecom KDDI's "AU" wireless service, the carrier will begin taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5S June 20.
French website Nowhereelse.Fr managed to lay its hands on the leaked document, which was allegedly meant for floor staff.
"A document purporting to circulate within the premises of the Japanese telecom operator KDDI and specifically those of its mobile branch AU suggests that the release of the iPhone 5S is scheduled for the month of July next," notes Nowherelese.Fr (translated). "This document (the cons) whose authenticity has yet to confirm precise effect that the replacement of the current iPhone 5 will be delivered to various retailers on 20 June (pre-orders) for a market that should start in the month of July."
Whether the leaked document is authentic or fake is anybody's guess. But as AppleInsider notes, even though "the laminated paper is very similar to the current product and pricing 'cheat sheets' referred to by many cell phone dealers and official carrier stores in Japan," these cards are easily reproducible. Moreover, some of them are printed directly at point of sale from a PDF file and the company's logo is the only feature that sets it apart.
The information regarding the iPhone 5S "new product" appears to be written and starred in red per the leaked document. It also points to a pre-sale announcement for the smartphone on June 20, with sales beginning in July. Below the release dates, the document lists the changes the iPhone 5S will bring, which include a fingerprint reader, a 13-megapixel primary camera and iOS 7.
The areas highlighted in green on the document reveal information on the carrier's current monthly plans for the iPhone 5S. These plans include LTE flat-rate plans, family calling subscription offerings and a cash-back bundle offer for the telecom's "hikari" Internet service users.
The leaked information should be taken with a pinch of salt at this juncture, even though it rings in with Apple's timeline for its WWDC (from June 10 to 14). If Apple takes the wraps off the iPhone 5S at the WWDC, then it would have a week until the alleged June 20 pre-order date listed in the KDDi document.
