Well, two big iPhone 5 rumors in one day. What’s the special occasion?

The Wall Street Journal is reporting, citing “people familiar with the matter,” that Sprint Nextel will start selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October.

The release date rumors have fluctuated between late September and mid-October. At least one source calmed October 7, specifically, and now this.

Well, regardless of the date, the real news here is that Sprint is getting the iPhone (supposedly). That should be huge for Apple as that would mean the 3 main carriers in the U.S. (don’t forget AT&T’s T-Mobile acquisition) would offer the iPhone, surely increasing its market share significantly in the smartphone market, with which it is competing fiercely with Android (and now Windows Phone). Oh yeah, and RIM.

The other rumor about the iPhone 5 today is that it will be a dual mode device. More on that here.

Yesterday, some photos of alleged parts for the device were leaked.

In other iPhone rumor news, there is also word that Apple will release a cheaper version of the iPhone 4 alongside the iPhone 5.