IPHONE 5 & IPAD MINI EVENT TO BE HELD 9/1

IMore has learned that Apple will be showing off the new iPhone at a special event on Wednesday, September 12,2012. A release date for the eagerly anticipated phone of 9/21 only nine days later is expected. These details are being provided by reliable sources.

The iPad mini will also be announced at the same September 12 event (as it has been a popular rumor but never officially announced by Apple), and the new iPod nano as well. Some speculation suggests a 9/21 release for the iPad mini but can't be confirmed. There is some buzz that a new iPod touch will be unveiled on September 12 as well, though we haven't heard any specific information about that either.

Last year, the iPhone 4S was announced on Tuesday, October 4,2011, and released 10 days later on October 14. The event included minor updates to the iPod line, notably a white iPod touch 4. This year, the iPad 3 was announced on Wednesday, March 7,2012, and released 9 days later on March 16. The event included a 1080p Apple TV.

Back in March, the speculation was Apple would target an October release window for the iPhone 5, much like last year's iPhone 4,(iPhone 4S). Recent information and several reports have suggested Apple would be ready to go as early as September. Last week, App4Phone.fr, citing Chinese manufacturing sources, reported the September 21 release date.

The longer schedule last year gave Apple time to build suspense and put the iPhone into a "must have" for the fall. The October release last year was needed to allow time for Apple to work on iOS 5 and leave a cushion for the Verizon iPhone 4 release window. It took the spotlight from the iPod family that previously ruled the holiday quarter, but has waned in recent years.

¡OS 6, which was shown off at Apple's WWDC 2012 keynote on June 11 and includes a new, Google-free Maps app, and Passbook, is predicted to have a final presentation during the September 12 event as well, and if Apple keeps with past time frames, a release sometime around Wednesday, September 19.

Apple has typically saved some extra, hardware-specific iOS features for their new iPhone events. For the last few years, Apple SVP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, has demonstrated advanced camera and video recording, and Apple SVP of ¡OS, Scott Forstall, has demonstrated Voice Control, FaceTime, and Siri. For now, we have only educated guesses as to what might be in store for the iPhone 5.

If these dates and speculation all turn out to be accurate we are only 6 short weeks away from some big announcements from Apple.