We heard that Apple had plans to begin selling the next-generation iPhone on Friday, October  7th; the date which was first reported by TiPB. According to our sources, Apple has deciding whether to launch the new iPhone on October 7th or October 14th but with the product’s latest stages of pre-mass-production moving along nicely, Apple is trying to shoot towards a launch on the 7th. On top of all that, Apple plans to offer pre-orders for the new iPhone. Apple is currently planning to begin pre-orders for their next-generation smartphone in the final days of September. The company has still not finalized the pre-order start date, but is debating between Thursday, September 29th and Friday, September 30th. According to sources that people have been mentioning, the 30th seems more likely. Pre-orders for the new iPhone starting in late September will also mean that Apple’s fall event will take place in September, which would seem to counter NewsCorp’s Kara Swisher’s combative insistence of an October iPhone 5 event. Apple is currently rumored to be producing two new iPhones for a fall debut; one of which would be an upgrade to the iPhone 4 and one as a cheaper (possibly pre-paid) addition to the Apple smartphone lineup. The “iPhone 5,” at least, will likely feature Apple’s dual-core A5 processor, an eight megapixel camera, and iOS 5. In addition, the new flagship phone is expected to feature new software such as a powerful voice-based navigation system and other goodies like panorama photography capabilities. As far as aesthetics go, there has been mixed information regarding the device’s exterior design, some sites are saying its a thinner form factors, others are saying its curved, and most are saying its larger (from one end to the other end). As with any launch date report, we have to note that Apple is constantly shifting their launch plans. As noted earlier, the launch date was already moved up a week in the company’s recent launch planning. We are reasonably confident though as of today, Apple is planning to unleash their next iPhone on October 7th and offer pre-orders starting on September 29th or 30th. The date could and would likely change again but we’ll report with the latest news as it comes in. As usual, stay tuned for more info on the topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or subscribing to our RSS feed. Authors: