Apple may be planning a massive launch event on September 12 headlined by the unveiling of the iPhone 5 and the rumored iPad Mini.

Furthermore, the next-generation Apple iPhone, the newest smaller-screened iPad and two other new Apple gadgets will likely be available to the general public on September 21, the new report suggests.

This tidbit of information comes from iMore’s Rene Ritchie who said in a report yesterday that the site has been tipped about the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini launch by reliable sources.

The publication reported that it “has learned that Apple is planning to debut the new iPhone at a special event on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, with the release date to follow 9 days later on Friday, September 21,” attributing the information to “sources who have proven accurate in the past.”

Apple has been previously expected to debut the iPhone 5 sometime during the first week of October as it did last year. In 2011, Apple announced the iPhone 4S on October 4, a day before Apple’s legendary cofounder and leader Steve Jobs passed away.

Typically, Apple launched its new iPhone smartphones mid-year but last year’s iPhone 4S launch seemingly signified that the Cupertino, California-based consumer electronics giant was moving its launch of new models of its smartphone to the start of its fiscal first quarter.

This is why the iPhone 5 is expected to launch on October, contradicting this report from iMore.

Meanwhile, as the launch of the Apple smartphone nears, the rumor mill has gone into overdrive again. One of the latest reports regarding the iPhone 5 is a leak of what is alleged to be a fully-assembled iPhone 5 unit made out of leaked part from manufacturers.

The photos show a smartphone that looks not too far off from the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S but integrates some new features. One of these features is a new 19-pin dock connector which is smaller and less space-hogging than its 30-pin predecessor.

Another noteworthy change in the iPhone 5, if the previously leaked photos from iLab are accurate, is that its back will no longer be made of a single glass panel. The black version of the Apple smartphone will also be finished in a gun-metal gray hue.

The new iPhone will also see the 3.5-mm headphone connector placed at the bottom of the phone. The unit which ilab leaked also appears to have the larger screen rumored in the past to be included in the iPhone 5.

Back in May, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that the iPhone 5 will have a larger screen. This was followed up by a report from 9to5Mac which said that the iPhone 5 will sport a larger screen, 4-inches rounded up, which has a resolution of 1,136 x 640 pixels.

This screen, aside from retaining the Retina Display status, will also be thinner than the screens of previous iPhones, according to a recent report based on sources.

However, some reports about the iPhone 5 are just mere rumors. Take for example this series of photos first reported to be leaked photos of the iPhone 5 but then later discovered – after their creator spoke out on Flickr – to be renderings made by a talented graphics artist.

The iPhone 5, nonetheless, is very much anticipated as it will go head to head against the current top dogs of the Android smartphone market, the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Steve Jobs is said to have “worked closely” on the design of the iPhone 5. Bloomberg has reported in the past that “Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had worked closely on the redesigned phone before his death in October.”

Furthermore, the release of the new iPhone has also been predicted to be the biggest yet of any consumer electronics device in history.

The prediction came from Wells Fago which said in a guidance note it released to clients at the end of Last month that it is upgrading Apple’s rating “given what we believe will be the biggest product launch in consumer electronics’ history.”

Meanwhile, the iMore report mentions the iPad Mini which is said to feature a screen that measures 7 to 8 inches. This is as opposed to the 9.7-inch screen of the original iPad, the iPad 2 and the new iPad.

According to reports, the new iPad Mini will go against the recently-launched Google Nexus 7 tablet which has been selling out and then getting restocked just today again because of high demand.

From the previous report, the iPad Mini was said to launch in October and will also be priced at a lower tag than its bigger brother. The Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire, which the iPad Mini is said to also target, are both priced starting at $199.

The Kindle Fire has been particularly popular in the U.S. because of this low selling price. Meanwhile, the Amazon tablet is said to get a better display while also becoming thinner in its next iteration. Amazon is also rumored to make a new Kindle Fire with a 10-inch display to rival the larger iPad. It is yet to be rumored that the Nexus 7 will have a bigger Nexus 10 sibling.

Meanwhile, details have been scarce about the iPad Mini. People have been speculating that it will lose some features compared to the larger iPad to make up for the low price tag.

Together with the iPad 3, the iPad Mini may also compete against the recently-announced Microsoft Surface tablets powered by the Redmond, Washington-based software giant’s next-generation Windows 8 operating system.

Meanwhile, iMore has said that the iPad Mini and iPhone 5 may share the same launching event as the new iPod Touch and the new iPod Nano. During Apple’s recent report of its third fiscal quarter’s performance, it revealed that the iPod remains top dog in the U.S. portable music player market with over 70 percent share.

It remains to be seen whether this new report about a possible joint launch for the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini is accurate.

Images 1, 3, 4 & 5  from wilbertbaan, Martin uit Utrecht, Yutaka Tsutano & dan taylor on Flickr (CC). Image 2 from iLab.

About Solon Harmony Dolor

A passion for technology and journalism makes this upcoming writer very interested in social media and technology news. Fresh from finishing an English and Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, he aims to bring interesting news to our readers .