Enough with the iPhone 5 rumors already?

For many months, rumors have swirled around the iPhone 5. It will be faster, cheaper, have an all-aluminum case, a bigger screen, come out this summer, and boast an "ultra-sexy" new shape... according to some unnamed (and perhaps unreliable) sources. It's time to "stop the iPhone 5 rumor mill insanity," says Sascha Segan at PC Mag. The dependence on anonymous sources and "the Internet's link culture has turned this into empty rumor-mongering," where speculation is too often confused with fact. Have iPhone 5 rumors really gone too far?

Yes. These rumors take the fun out of it: "There's a certain point when we all have to ask ourselves if the rumor-slinging and speculating is no longer fun, and simply an exercise in exhaustion," says Will Shanklin at GottaBeMobile. Sure, it can be diverting, but when we exhaustively consider every possibility, it's impossible to be surprised when Steve Jobs introduces the latest. Besides, the rumors come from such unreliable sources. "All it takes is one obscure Apple blog from the northeast side of Kyrgyzstan claiming to have a 'source' that says the next iPhone will have a built-in garbage disposal," and the mainstream tech press jumps on it.

"Raise your hand if you're sick of iPhone 5 rumors"

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But it's hard not to get pulled in: "I admit we are a slave for the Apple Rumor mill," says Luigi Lugmayr I4U News. Apple news is a surefire way to attract people to your website, and I'm a sucker for it myself. "It's difficult to just stand by the sidelines and watch the rumor mill turn," and it's not always easy to distinguish which rumors are obviously false while still making sure to keep readers informed. But we're trying.

"Apple Rumors contain low level of truth these days"

Well, rumors are bound to swirl when you make customers wait: We're sick of reporting on the rumor mill, but Apple devotees do love to follow the "latest Cupertino gossip," says Andrew Couts at Digital Trends. Besides, "it's really not surprising that the iPhone rumor mill is in full-gear." Apple typically announces their new phones in June. It's almost August, and we still don't know anything for certain about the next iPhone... though rumor has it that a late-August announcement is forthcoming.

"Rumor: Unlocked, low-cost iPhone, iPhone 5, due 'end of summer'"