The Apple Store is down — we could see iPhone 5S and 5C ship today

The Apple Store is currently down and displaying multilingual “We’ll be back” messages. And no, Apple is not channeling Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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This is almost certainly indicative of only one thing: We’ll see shipping product today. Or, at minimum, orderable product.

We expect new iPhones, a new mobile operating system, and perhaps much more from Apple today, possibly including iTunes Radio news, updates about Apple’s desktop operating system, and its new Mac Pro. And possibly, though not likely, updates on new iPads.

Usually Apple announces product and then tells the world it will be available in a week, a month, or some other time frame. Immediate availability is something new … and a little bit exciting. And it makes sense — the level of leaks about Apple’s new products has been virtually unprecedented and would be much easier to explain if Apple has prebuilt a significant amount of inventory and shipped it to multiple locations around the world.

Which is the only meaning I can draw, by the way, from the multiple messages in multiple languages: immediate availability in many countries simultaneously — which is also almost unprecedented.

We’ll be in Cupertino live for the presentation, starting at 9AM this morning. Check back for our liveblog and constantly updated posts.