Sprint

The iPhone 4S is not the "highly-anticipated" iPhone Apple fans were waiting for. It's safe to assume many fanboys were disappointed by Tim Cook's announcement, but Apple is sticking to its claim that this is the "most amazing iPhone yet." It didn't deliver a new "teardrop" design, or many of the other features we were promised, but it does have the rumored 8 megapixel camera and A5 chip. Hate it, love it or just don't care, here's a list of all the specifications and features for the new iPhone 4S.

Tim Cook is ready to host Apple's big iPhone event tomorrow at 10am PT, 1pm ET, but will the redesigned iPhone 5 and Steve Jobs be making an appearance? Word is Jobs is too sick to attend, and recent evidence points to the iPhone 4S being Apple's next device, not the rumored iPhone 5 with "teardrop" design.

Both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 have been popping up in random carrier and store inventories. A 16GB Sprint Apple iPhone showed up in a questionable Radio Shack leak, and the German carrier Vodafone added an 8GB iPhone 4 and three iPhone 4S models (16GB / 32GB / 64GB) to their website.

Apple has blacked out employee vacations from October 9th through 12th and October 14th through 15th. A tipster told Apple Insider the first blackouts will coincide with the release of iOS 5, and the second block of dates are for the launch of Apple's fifth-generation iPhone.

"The first block of dates -- the 9th through the 12 -- could pertain to the release of iOS 5 for existing iOS device owners on Monday the 10th. As AppleInsider reported last week, certain segments of the company's AppleCare divisions have been told to prepare for an influx of iOS-related inquiries on that same day."

Up until now the iPhone 5 rumors have been pleasant and hopeful, but as we draw closer to the rumored Apple announcement in October, various sources are reporting things may not be as cheery as they seem.

John Paczkowski's announcement about an Apple media event on October 4th, made fans hopeful that the wait for the iPhone 5 would finally be over. However, 9to5Mac reported earlier the iPhone 5 could suffer shortages in 2011 due to a manufacturing problem. More bad news came from DigiTimes who reinforced 9to5's claim, adding that a bubble defect in the touch panels could be the cause for the delay.

T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman confirmed that they would not be getting the iPhone 5 "this year." However, his statement could mean a lot of things.

According to one sales associate, Sprint will be offering the iPhone 4 to their subscribers in 2011, not the iPhone 5. This could be a mistake on the employee's part, or maybe both Sprint and T-Mobile customers will have to wait longer for the next generation device.

J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz thinks Apple is going to have a great year by offering the "iPhone 4-plus", a low-end replacement for the iPhone 3GS, on more carriers. Apple doesn't seem to be in a hurry to launch the iPhone 5, and could have decided to expand its customer base by only offering the revamped iPhone 4 to T-Mobile and Sprint. This could also be due to the iPhone 5 production delays mentioned by 9to5Mac a few days ago. If Apple is expecting iPhone 5 shortages in 2011, they could be limiting the amount going to new carriers until production picks up in 2012. According to 9to5's report, the iPhone 4-plus is flying off the production line, and Apple should have plenty available for the upcoming holiday season, but the iPhone 5 might be limited in numbers.