2013 Release Date Rumours – iPhone 5S / 5C, Galaxy Note 3 and more

September 2013 is a much anticipated month for Apple fans everywhere as they eagerly await the launch of the new iPhone. Apple, however are not the only tech giants keeping fans on their toes and eagerly awaiting the launch of new devices. The last few months has seen the rumour mill run rife with news of new technological product launches. Samsung, Microsoft and Sony have also been busy developing new products due for release before the end of 2013. Below, we give the low down on the hot new product launches expected before the end of this year:

Galaxy Gear Smart Watch

Rumoured for release in just a couple of days time, the Galaxy Gear Smart watch is the latest addition to the wrist watch gadget family. Samsung tend to be a fan of the belief that bigger equals better and if the rumours are to be believed, then they have stuck to this motto when creating their Galaxy Gear Smart watch which should come in at around 3 inches diagonally. The gadget, which is believed to act as a companion device for other Galaxy tech like the S4, or Note series is rumoured to come with a 4-megapixal camera, WiFi radio and a microphone that can pick up voice commands. Complete with a number of thrown in apps designed to assist with health and fitness, here we have a gadget that should excite fitness fans and watch lovers alike. The only downside appears to be the battery life, as the device is rumoured to only last a total of 10 hours before requiring a recharge, for many of us that is hardly our entire working day.

iPhone 5S /5C

The name of the new iPhone isn’t yet confirmed and details haven’t officially been released yet, but the new iPhone is already one of the most heavily rumoured launches of 2013. Apple, in their traditional fashion have tried to keep the lid on their new offering, with even the name of the new device (iPhone 5S/ iPhone 6) and the number of new devices (will there be an iPhone 5C in addition?) not yet confirmed. It is pretty safe to assume that the next release will be the iPhone 5S (Although Apple could jump straight to the iPhone 6). The new iPhone will most likely run iOS7 and have a higher resolution display than the iPhone 5. The camera is also something that should be improved as demand has grown for a higher-resolution camera. Rumours surrounding the iPhone 5S suggest that there may be a finger print scanning capability and a 128MG model available, as well a gold model on the market, but all of this remains to be seen.

It also looks promising that a cheaper version of the iPhone, rumoured to be called the iPhone 5C, will be released. This is said to be a plastic covered version of the iPhone. The 5C could possibly come with a smaller 4 inch screen, which was another rumoured asset, although the smaller screen could actually be a feature of the iPhone 5S. Apple could well inject some colour into the 5C as well, as this iPhone may be made available in a range of colours. Details will be revealed at Apple’s much anticipated press release next week, so there isn’t long to wait to see if the rumours are true.

PlayStation 4

Although we have to wait until November for the new PlayStation console, tech bloggers have already started reporting on the features of the new console. PlayStation consoles are always a big hit with gaming fans and never seem to fail to gain pre-orders, perhaps due to the infrequency of the consoles releases and the fact that unlike Apple, Sony are happy to reveal details of their latest tech offering ahead of the launch. Sony has designed their latest console to be "frictionless and seamless" gaming experience. The console comes with a number of new features, such as the advanced multi gamer system which tracks the movement of the multi players and has the ability to swap the players section of screen from right or left if they move. The Camera has been focus of development as well, and according to Sony, the 1280 x 800 pixel cameras on the PlayStation 4 can differentiate between players in the background and foreground and facilitate 85-degree diagonal angle views. There has also been mention of the ability to log in using facial recognition and using voice as well as body movements for enhanced gaming, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Xbox One

Microsoft has been pretty quiet about the release date of the Xbox One, which seems to have frustrated tech fans. At the moment it looks set to be late November, and around the same time as the Playstation 4, which will be released in plenty of time for Christmas 2013. The price tag should be around the £429 mark and comes complete with a 8 core CPU unit and a D3D 11.1 graphics chip and 32MB of built in memory. For the first time, the Xbox One will come with a Blu-ray player, the same as the PS4. Microsoft has described the Xbox One as ‘the ultimate all in one entertainment system” and feel pretty confident it will excite fans. Like Sony, Microsoft are happy to release details and images of the new consoles ahead of its release date and the design this time is sleeker and simpler than the previous Xbox Console, looking a little like a big black Box. Now the Xbox One has Blu-ray it is open for a range of cross platform games, and could be set to take on the Playstation 4 and divide gaming fans this Christmas with both consoles set the launch the month before.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Less than one week after the launch of the new iPhone, Samsung are due to release their Samsung Galaxy Note 3 on 16^th September. The third edition to the Galaxy Note family and another device set to fall into the ‘Phablet’ category, this device will be another that is larger than a Smartphone yet smaller than a tablet.

The Galaxy Note 3 has been rumoured to have a massive 6.3 inch screen, but more recently a more modest 5.68-inch 1080p display, either way it is expected to be larger than the Note 2 with its 5.5 inch 720 p display. The Note 3 is also expected to have a 13-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and the same plastic finish as previous Samsung Smartphones, although some rumours have suggested it may be made of Aluminium.

Rumours suggest big things for the big phone, with some even suggesting that it may come complete with Android 5.0 Key lime pie, although we are slightly sceptical about this particular nougat. There could also be a 64GB model and the phone is suggested to come with 3GB of RAM and quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU. It remains to be seen how much of this is an accurate prediction, but one thing is for sure, Samsung are likely to pull out all the stops to rival the iPhone launch taking place in the very same month.