Apple may indeed delay the next iphone 5 until later in 2011 or beyond, according to a new report. That would mean a radical adjustment from the company’s usual habit of releasing the latest version of its smartphone every summer.

MacRumors posted May 4 about an unnamed reader who “received word from an AT&T customer care representative” that the next iPhone 5 won’t be released in the next few months.

“Company has informed us that they do not plan to release the iphone 5 in the June to July ” the blog quotes the AT&T agent as telling its source, “there will be a newer version of iPhone, but so far there have not been given any future release dates.”

The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple suggested in March that Apple would delay the device until late in 2011. “Apple’s apparent focus on software in its WDC announcement backs up what my own sources are saying about the actual conference,” he wrote in a March 28 posting. “This is, expect a software show in 2011, not a hardware event.”

Some other sources have suggested to the blog TechCrunch that the actual release of iOS 5, the next type of Apple’s mobile software, could also be delayed until fall. Combined with an iPhone 5 launch in that period, it would represent a significant departure from the company’s previous release date.

Current rumors suggest the new iPhone 5 will feature higher-resolution cameras, Apple’s A5 proprietary processor, hardware upgraded to enable 3G FaceTime video conferencing, and NFC (near-field communication) technology that would enable the smartphone to act as an electronic wallet. In combination, those features could allow Apple to combat the growing (and increasingly sophisticated) family of Google Android devices.