Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

Sooner: Sources tell DigiTimes that Apple (AAPL) is planning to move up the launch of its next germination iPhone. The company will launch an iPhone with a 5-inch screen in May of next year. The new iPhone would be powered by a 20nm processor produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM). Apple has traditionally debuted new iPhones in August and September. If the company does launch the new iPhone in May it will come just over eight months after the iPhone 5s reached consumers. Apple has resisted launching bigger-screen iPhones, with CEO Tim Cook suggesting that so-called phablets come with too many compromises. However, with sales of large-screen smartphones made by rivals like Samsung apparently booming, Apple may feel that it needs to boost screen sizes in order to retain market share. DigiTimes also notes that Apple is planning to release a 12.9-inch iPad made by Quanta Computer in October 2014. Samsung is reportedly also preparing a larger tablet for launch next year. DigiTimes has a mixed record when it comes to reports about Apple’s upcoming products.

Finally: Apple announced on Sunday that China Mobile (CHL) will begin selling the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on Jan. 17, USA TODAY notes. Pricing for the iPhones on China Mobile was not disclosed. The deal between Apple and the world’s largest wireless carrier comes after years of negotiation. Analysts say it could boost Chinese iPhone sales by at least 12 million units a year. During the last 12 months, Apple sold about 23 million iPhones in China. In a statement, CEO Tim Cook said that “China is an extremely important market for Apple and our partnership with China Mobile presents us the opportunity to bring iPhone to the customers of the world’s largest network.” China Mobile subscribers can pre-register to buy the iPhone on Dec. 25.

Details: At its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, Apple maintains a special room entirely devoted to developing the packaging for its products, the Guardian notes. Inside the secret chamber, the company’s designers evaluate product packaging, seeking to determine which packaging formats will produce the desired emotional reaction from consumers when they are first opened. Designers show obsessive concern for packaging details, including the coloring and placement of sticks on iPod boxes. Apple is know for paying excruciating attention to all elements of the consumer experience with its products, so a concentration on packaging — which is the first view a buyer gets of his or her new Apple device — is probably not so surprising.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.