Apple iPhone 5, 'iCloud phone' event set for Sept. 7?

apanese tech news site Kodawarisan (English version) says that Apple will announce its new lineup of iPods at the September 7 event. That's around the same date that Apple typically shows off its new iPods, though last year the company kicked off the event slightly earlier in the month, on September 1.

Kodawarisan listed the date as September 8, but as MacRumors points out, that date is according to Japanese time, so September 7 is the actual U.S. date.

The Japanese site has been on the mark in the past, having revealed the correct launch date of new Macs in 2009.

Blogger Jim Dalrymple, writing at The Loop, called the date into question. "According to my sources," he wrote, "Apple will not have an event or launch the next iPhone on September 7.

Though Apple watchers and users have been anxiously awaiting the next iPhone, there are no clues as to whether the company will also reveal the iPhone 5 on September 7. But MacRumors, which said it confirmed with Kodawarisan that the date came from a "source in the know," claims that this year's event has been expected to include the iPhone 5 announcement.

In recent weeks, the latest crop of rumors has maintained that the iPhone 5 will hit the market in September or in October at the latest. Assuming that time frame is correct, it's still a guess as to whether Apple will announce its new iPhone on September 7 or stage another later event to focus just on the phone.

Another report says Apple will hold a special event to announce not just one, but two new iPhones. Apple news site AppleNApps claims the company will launch a free cloud-based iPhone side-by-side with the full iPhone 5.

Citing information from three independent sources "all connected to Apple in different capacities," AppleNApps says the new phone would combine iOS 5 and iCloud to use Apple's new cloud-based service more so than local storage to house data. Cannibalizing parts from the iPhone 4 and using less flash storage, the iCloud iPhone would be cheaper to produce than the full iPhone 5 and ultimately be free to consumers who sign up for the typical two-year contract.

Apple's desire to hit consumers with both the iPhone 5 and the cheaper iCloud phone was the main reason the company stalled the launch date, say AppleNApps' sources, which claim that the phones will make their debut during the last week of September.

All Things D's Kara Swisher reported that ATD rechecked with several of its sources, and they reconfirmed that Apple will launch the iPhone 5 in October.

Apple did not return a request for comment.

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