Although Apple has been rumored to be planning a single launch event for the next-generation iPhone and a smaller iPad, some believe the company may spread the announcements across two separate events. The idea was initially proposed by blogger John Gruber and then reposted by The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, both of whom have a history of accurate reports surrounding upcoming Apple products.
"I’m thinking it makes more sense for Apple to hold two events. First, an iPhone event, focused solely on the new iPhone and iOS 6," Gruber wrote. "Then, the iPhone ships nine days later, and there’s another wave of iPhone-focused attention as the reviews come out. Then, in the first or second week of October, Apple holds its traditional 'music event', exactly along the lines of the events at which they’ve been debuting new iPods for the last decade."
Both devices have been the focus of a flurry of rumors that have continued to accelerate in recent months. Both are expected to integrate a new dock connector that is said to be much smaller than the current 30-pin interface found on Apple's iOS devices.
Several alleged leaks point to September 12 as a likely launch date for the fifth-generation iPhone, scheduled ahead of the early-October unveiling of the iPhone 4S last year. As the "iPad Mini" would be an entirely new product for Apple, dropping the 9.7-inch display in favor of a seven-inch panel, it is not expected to follow the launch timing of its predecessors.
