Apple Orders 15 Million iPhone 5 Handsets For September Shipment

We’re now well overdue for a new iPhone announcement, which means we’re well into rumor territory, and the latest comes courtesy of long time rumor mongers and general guess-work merchants, DigiTimes.

The latest ‘news’ to come out of the site claims that Apple has placed an order for a massive 15 million iPhone 5 units from manufacturer, Pegatron.

Not only has Apple ordered the handsets, according to DigiTimes, but the site also claims they will be begin shipping the hardware this coming September… 

“Taiwan-based notebook maker Pegatron Technology is estimated to have landed orders for 15 million iPhone 5s (iPhone 4S) from Apple and is set to start shipping in September of 2011, according to sources from upstream component makers. In response, Pegatron declined to comment about its cooperation with clients.”

According to upstream suppliers, who sell components to Pegatron, the next iPhone doesn’t differ too greatly from the current iPhone 4, lending credence to rumors of an iPhone 4S being on the horizon. The same suppliers also confirm the September timescale.

“The sources pointed out that as the iPhone 5, which does not seem to have any major update from iPhone 4, is already set for shipment in September, they are already started supplying components to Pegatron with Pegatron’s plants in Shanghai, China also recently started hiring for manpower.”

How much faith you put into rumors coming out of DigiTimes is very much up to yourself. But given the site’s track record, we’re not sure where we stand on this particular rumor.

While the information does corroborate what we’ve already been learning from other sources, it’s not unheard of for DigiTimes to pluck information from thin air.

You’ve been warned!

[Image courtesy of Michal Bonikowski]