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More reports that Apple plans iPhone 5 September surprise

Steve Jobs could reach 45rpm over iPad Mini

With another report naming September as the likely release date of the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, it now looks likely that Apple may be planning an earlier-than-normal release for its latest iOS kit.

Chinese sources identified the September launch date last month, and now "sources who have proven accurate in the past" tell iMore that Apple is planning a special event on September 12 to introduce an iPhone 5 running iOS 6, a 7-inch iPad Mini, and an updated iPod Nano, with the phone set for a September 21 release date.

The move would see a new iPhone on the market less than a year after the launch of the iPhone 4S, but based on Apple's latest quarterly results that might not be a bad idea. Sales of the iPhone dropped 25 per cent last quarter and Apple's CFO Peter Oppenheimer said that this was in part down to "rumors and speculation regarding new products."

While there's no confirmation, the iPhone's screen size should get an upgrade from the current 3.5-inch display, and the iPad Mini is widely expected to be a shrunken version of the world's favorite fondleslab.

At a secret location, most likely somewhere in California, Steve Jobs' remains must be reaching 45RPM. Just a couple of years ago Jobs argued against the concept of a 7-inch fondleslab, pointing out it gave 45 per cent less screen area than the iPad and that was too small to control "unless your tablet also includes sandpaper so that the user can sand down their fingers to around one quarter of their present size."

The tinier end of the fondleslab market hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire in terms of sales so far, but both Amazon and Google are making a serious play for the sector and Apple may feel it has to respond. With Google and Amazon selling at $199 it's highly unlikely that Apple will try to beat the current contenders on price – nor should it, one could argue.

Analysts suggest the increase in total sales from an iPad Mini could outstrip any major cannibalization of the iPad's market, and there's also the software and media side to consider. While you wouldn't want to write anything complex on a 7-incher, that format is fine for reading, most gaming, and watching films, and Apple takes its cut from all of that. ®

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