September 10 has been announced as the date Apple launches its much anticipated new iPhone 5S.

iPhone 5S will take place at 10 AM Pacific time at the Apple Campus in Cupertino and according to rumors will see the unveiling not only of new and improved smartphone but also for the low-cost iPhone, dubbed the 5C.

The 5S will reportedly come with a new and improved camera and in different colored options, while the iPhone 5C will feature a plastic backing but remain essentially the same technology-wise as the iPhone 5.

Apple sent out invites to the press featuring the phrase: “This should brighten everyone’s day” along with a graphic depiction of multi-colored dots, which has led some to suggest indicates the new iPhone 5 will come in a variety of colors.

Indeed, the September 10 is due to be a bumper day for the Cupertino firm, with the announcement of iOS7, the first major overhaul of its mobile OS.

And the other highlights of the show will most likely include more details about iTunes Radio, which should launch for U.S. users on September 20th, along with iOS7.

As next week’s Apple iPhone event draws nearer, new images of what is rumored to be the iPhone 5C – boxed up and ready to be shipped – have been leaked online.

Apple is rumored to be releasing the iPhone 5C as a cheaper alternative to its upcoming iPhone 5S model at an event on September 10

The photos, released by Chinese site iapps.im, show rows of the phones, with what is thought to be plastic casing, in pastel blue, pale yellow and powder pink.

Apple is rumored to be releasing the iPhone 5C as a cheaper alternative to its upcoming iPhone 5S model at an event on September 10.

The photos have since been removed by the Chinese site on the request of a “relevant party”, according to reports from Engadget.

In the images, each of the phones are also shown with a wallpaper in a corresponding color.

Rumors around Apple potentially launching two new handsets at an Autumn event surfaced in June.

They claimed that the California-based company wanted to launch a low-cost version of its iPhone 5 handset to compete with rivals Samsung.

It will be the first time in Apple’s iPhone history that the company has unveiled two handsets in the same month.

It was originally dubbed iPhone Mini, then iPhone Lite, and then leaked pictures from WeiPhone showing plastic cases suggest it could be called the iPhone 5C – with the C standing for colour.

The cheaper handset is expected to be made of plastic to keep costs down and may be sold in a range of colors including white, black, pink and blue.

According to analyst Brian White from Topeka Capital Markets, the iPhone Mini could be made of plastic and could cost as little as $99.

Other prices put it much higher at $400 and it is likely to be closer in price to Apple’s iPhone 4.

Apple does not comment on future products before its launch events.

Mark Gurman, a journalist for Apple fan site 9to5Mac wrote: “Because of the uncertain track record of the source of the image and the image’s overall low quality, it is difficult to judge if the images are legitimate.”

He continues that they do, however, mirror the technique of matching a wallpaper to the outer casing as seen in 2012 during Apple’s release of the iPod nano.

Other leaked images of the phone have shown the case in dark red, blue and green.

If the iPhone 5C follows suit with the iPod nano design, it may be released in red, pink, yellow, blue, green, black and grey as well as white.

The cheaper iPhone will be an entry-level device to go with the high-end iPhone 5S, which is expected to come in gold, black and white, have a fingerprint scanner, dual-flash camera to improve the quality of photos, and a faster processor.

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