Verizon CFO is “disappointed” that iPhone 5 is not available yet

With so many iPhone 5 rumors floating around, it's refreshing to hear one from an honest-to-goodness Apple partner speaking on the record. So mark it down in your rumor book that Verizon thought the next-generation Apple smartphone would be released in June but is now expecting it to arrive this fall.

"Obviously we're disappointed that the iPhone 5 didn't come out in June … we continue to prepare for it and when that comes we'll be ready," Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said this week on a webcast spotted by Channel Partners Online Thursday.

Speaking at the Oppenheimer Technology & Communications Conference, Shammo said it's likely that the much-anticipated iPhone will finally make its debut in the fall, which is in line with persistent rumors of a September or October release date—though; the Verizon exec "isn't ready to stake his life on it," according ot Channel Partners Online.

Predicting a fall release date seems a pretty safe bet for Shammo. While some tipsters cited by Apple rumor mongers have pegged a debut for the iPhone 5 of as early as Sept. 5, others swear that the smartphone won't hit Apple Store shelves until late October.

One fellow who is likely hoping the iPhone 5 doesn't arrive too late in the year: Rob Shoesmith. The U.K. man says he plans to camp out for up to a month at London's Covent Garden Apple Store to be the first to get his hands on the new smartphone.

If Apple keeps the iPhone 5 under wraps too far towards the wrong side of summer, that little publicity stunt could start getting pretty chilly.

This article, written by Damon Poeter, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.