iPhone 6 release date rumours hint at 19 September launch

Deutsche Telekom call centre representatives have been telling customers the iPhone 6's release date is 19 September in the hope they'll stay on with the carrier.

The release date rumours began when a user on German forum apfelpage.de phoned up to cancel their contract and was told to stay because the next-generation iPhone will be arriving on that date.

Athough Apple does sometimes tell its partners when the next iPhone is set to be released so they can make sure they have the necessary promotions in place, it is unlikely networks would tell their call centre staff because the information would be under a strict embargo.

However, the release date could have been an educated guess because Apple does tend to follow a pattern with its iPhone release dates.

The operating system is usually announced at WWDC in June (this takes place on Monday 2 June in 2014), with a dedicated iPhone launch event in September. The first markets to receive new iPhones are the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany Japan, Singapore and the UK.

Some rumours however, have suggested the iPhone 6 will land in August, with a larger phablet released in September.

The iPhone 6's specs are just as much under scrutiny as the release date. It's thought the next-gen iPhone will feature either a 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch screen with a higher resolution Retina display than previous iPhones.

There could, of course, be two new iPhones - one along the iPhone 5C budget lines and another in the same series as the iPhone 5S.

As happens every year, Apple fans are anticipating a brand new design to the device, with a thinner chassis and relocated lock/wake button on the side of the device rather than the top.