Want two words to describe the past week? Holding pattern. Despite some interesting iPhone 5 (and iPhone 4s) rumors, we've still heard nothing officially from Apple regarding its new handset. But, we did here some big news from Google and Microsoft. Here's a look at some of the news from the past week.

AT&T is planning on selling a white iPhone 4S, according to a new listing in its inventory system. Of this is correct, it means Apple will soon release an updated version of its iPhone 4 along with the iPhone 5, according to news first published by Engadget.

Hours after Case-Mate posted images apparently showing the company’s line of iPhone 5 cases (and then pulled them), The New York Times are calling the photos “potentially authentic.”

Without confirming it will soon be selling the iPhone for the first time, Sprint-Nextel is telling the public its network will be ready to support the iDevice, according to news first published by Fierce Wireless.

It’s no great surprise that Apple is focusing a lot of their attention lately on China, what with its vast population. Now we know a little bit more about what the Cupertino, California-based company plans in the country going forward, courtesy All Things Digital.

The iPhone 5’s arrival date is still unknown, however, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to figure out when the handset could be released. According to BGR, a trusted source has confirmed that Apple is expected to release one more iOS 5 beta followed by the Gold Master release. From this, we can pinpoint the approximate date the iPhone 5 should arrive.

According to Orange CEO Stephane Richard, the iPhone 5 will be available in France on October 15. This news, which was picked up first by Mac4Ever would suggest Apple’s new handset will be available worldwide on that date.

Apple has posted an announcement on their News and Announcements for Apple Developers RSS feed asking iOS developers to get apps ready for iCloud backup and restore. The announcement, which was posted on Friday, indicates that the long-awaited debut of iOS 5 and iCloud is imminent.

The last week saw more iPhone 5 rumors. However, the biggest technology news came from Google and Adobe, both which announced new iOS products.

Apple has released its eighth iTunes 10.5 beta for developers and also iWork for iOS beta 3. Both updates, which are available now, offer additional bug fixes and performance updates.

Over the weekend, we reported that Best Buy was planning on something big happening with Apple products on October 21. Naturally, our site and others picked up on this and concluded that this event probably had something to do with the iPhone 5 launch. However, it now looks like this isn’t the case, according to MacRumors.

The number of locations offering the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad is about to grow considerably. Texas-based GameStop will begin selling iDevices soon at each of its locations, according to 9 To 5 Mac.

Four years ago today, Steve Jobs announced the first generation iPod touch at its “The Beat Goes On” event. At the time, the iDevice was revolutionary, being the first Apple iOS device that didn’t require a contract. It also came with Wi-Fi, which at the time was a very big deal.

Deutsche Telekom AG is now taking reservations for the iPhone 5 through its T-Mobile subsidiary in Germany. This news comes from Bloomberg.

Remember the big AT&T/T-Mobile merger? Well, it looks like it might not happen. And neither are $180 iPads (at least now). These and other topics made news in the week that was.

In recent months, we’ve heard a lot about iOS 5 and its new features. One of those is a Siri-based Assistant feature for voice-navigation. Now, 9 To 5 Mac is claiming the new feature will look a lot like Google’s own iPhone Voice Search application. Meanwhile, we now have proof that a Nuance speech-to-text feature is also coming to Apple's next iOS.

The story about the missing iPhone 5 keeps getting stranger. Just hours after SFWeekly claimed CNET’s original story was false or at least suspect, a follow-up report has been filed that changes the story (again) completely.

The U.S. government has assigned an FCC ID to the rumored iPhone 4S. Seems like we're getting closer to an announcement.

We know you are probably tired of all of these iPhone 5 rumors. Still, they keep coming and it’s our job to tell you about them until the day Apple actually announces its new handset. Today's rumor comes from a screenshot uncovered in Photo Stream.

Apple today released the seventh beta iteration of iOS 5 to registered developers of the iOS program. As usual, this new version is available to all developers running the iOS 5 beta 5 or 6 over-the-air as a delta update, and you should be prompted automatically to install it any time now. Otherwise, make sure to plug your iDevice to a power source and connect to Wi-Fi before prompting a manual update in the settings app.

An Apple employee in San Francisco has apparently lost an iPhone 5 prototype at a Mission district bar. The incident, which happened in July, was revealed earlier today exclusively by CNet.

A new software update will soon be released for Snow Leopard users that will provide iCloud service support. Version 10.6.9 is expected to become available very soon, according to news first reported by MacRumors.

Samsung is rumored to be interested in purchasing webOS from HP, according to news first reported by Apple Insider. The move, if correct, could worsen the already strained relationship between Apple and the South Korean tech giant.