[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyOqeDfJueM[/youtube]
In the midst of rumors regarding the launch iPhone 5Those from iLounge now offers information about the new device, at iPad Mini, iPad 4, to a new one iPod Touch and to a new iPod Nano. Starting with iPhone 5, the September 21 release is confirmed according to iLounge sources, the device will look exactly as we know it, but will be available with two new case models. The first case would be very similar to the Bumper launched in 2010, and the second would be a revolutionary one, which would have a strong impact on the accessories market, but for now it is not known if it will be launched on the market.
New iPhone. Apple will be ready to ship the new iPhone starting in mid-September, pointing to a launch date around the third week of September, maybe a little later if it waits to build additional inventory. But just before October is looking increasingly likely.
New iPhone Cases. Apple is working on at least two cases for the new iPhone. One is very similar to the Bumper released for the iPhone 4, and is a lock for release. The other is a different design that our source says will have a major impact on the accessory market if released, yet is not hugely surprising. Something with a stand, perhaps?
A new model of iPod Touch is to be launched this fall by Apple, the device having a 4-inch screen, probably the A5 processor from iPad 2/3 and iPhone 4S, plus the new design of iPhone 5. Unfortunately, Apple would not launch a new version of the iPod Nano, a device that does not receive even that much attention from consumers.
New iPod touch. The new iPod touch will likely be announced at the same event as the new iPhone, and as we've previously noted, it will grow in screen size and performance relative to its 3.5"-screened, A4 CPU-based predecessor.
New iPod nano. As interesting as the new form factor rumors have been, there is too little evidence at this point to suggest that a new iPod nano is actually about to be announced or released.
iPad Mini it would be presented in a separate event from that of the iPhone 5 and the new iPod Touch, and the launch could take place somewhere in mid-November. It seems that Apple would also produce new versions of the Smart Cover cases that will work with the iPad Mini, but the launch of the tablet is conditioned by the relatively low stocks of the product. Apple would be interested in launching the tablet in the middle of the winter holidays, a season in which buyers don't really look at money and increase the accounts of companies.
iPad mini + Cases. The iPad mini will apparently not be ready to ship at the same time as the new iPhone, and might* have its own debut event. Our source says that it could ship by November, which we noted would be really close to year's end, during a month that typically doesn't see new hardware releases from Apple; our source stood firm on the target date. On the accessory front, Apple is working on smaller versions of the iPad Smart Cover and iPad Smart Case for the iPad mini.
iPad 4 is in the development process at Apple and it seems that the tablet will maintain the iPad 3 design, but it will have minor changes that should theoretically improve the user experience. Apple will improve the heat dissipation system, include new and better performing components, implement the 19-pin connector port and a microphone to cancel background noises, the same microphone as the one used in the iPhone 5. Apple would implement the microphone next to the camera the tablet, as we have already seen in the prototypes of the new device.
Fourth-Generation iPad. Apple's current plan for the fourth-generation iPad is to release another relatively modest body tweak, which would keep the shape basically the same while introducing the new small Dock Connector, a rear-side microphone, and spec-improving/heat-reducing changes to the hardware inside. The rear-side mic might aid in noise cancellation or improve audio quality during rear video recording, and is apparently just like the one found on the iPhone 5, between the camera and flash; prototype iPad minis apparently have a mic on the back in the same place.
iPad mini + iPad (4th-Gen) Event? The next iPad's release date is a big question mark right now. As noted with the * above for the iPad mini, Apple could hold a special event just to announce the sub-8" tablet, and our source suggests that Apple might be ready to refresh the iPad at the same time. We and our source both feel that a late 2012 iPad refresh is unlikely given Apple's track record, particularly the bad press/consumer anger that would follow if something replaced "the new iPad" so soon after its launch. This is purely speculation, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the iPad announced at a low-key event at Apple's Town Hall, with the fourth-generation iPad launching around the one-year anniversary of its predecessor.
