A lot of online sources are now pointing to a launch date for the iPhone 5 and the iPad Nano (also known as iPad Mini). As expected, Apple has been playing coy about the actual launch date for a variety of reasons, but the latest news (or rumors) from multiple sources are all reporting that the iPhone 5 and the so-called iPad Nano will finally be launched in the United States on September 12.
If these reports are to be believed, Apple will be holding a “special event” on September 9, with the actual launch date falling on the 12th. But if you know Apple by now, you already know that they have neither confirmed nor denied these reports.
Several details about the upcoming products have been slowly revealed (or leaked) over the past few weeks, such as a 4-inch screen with in-cell touch technology, a tough super-alloy called LiquidMetal, a smaller 19-pin dock connector, a metal chassis, and a quad-core ARM processor running the whole show.
image credit: iLab Factory
As for the iPad Mini (or iPad Nano), there have been absolutely no “leaked” component details or images to base these reports on. What we have to go on, however, is the fact that Apple is a bloodthirsty competitor. Everybody knows it, and Apple makes no bones about it.
Just look at the ongoing success being enjoyed by Amazon’s Kindle, as well as the Nexus 7 tablet from Google. Both are 7-inch tablets, and both are making lots of money for their owners. So does it still surprise anyone that Apple would want a 7-inch tablet of its own?
Of course not.
What’s more, there have been reputable reports coming in that the Asian companies that Apple contracts to manufacture its components have all been ramping up their production as of late. These manufacturers could be making the components not only for the iPhone 5, but also for the iPad Nano. The Wall Street Journal itself points to LG (in South Korea) and AU Optronics (in Taiwan) as two of those component manufacturers.
Even though absolutely nothing is confirmed as of this time, it does make a lot of sense from our perspective if Apple indeed sets September 12 as the launch date for both the iPhone 5 and the iPad Nano. For one thing, Apple would then be able to release its new generation of mobile devices way ahead of Microsoft, which is set to launch their own Surface tablets (plus brand-new tablets running on Windows 8) on October 26 this year.
