iPhone 5 Introduction Planned for Apple's September Media Event?

With increasing rumblings that Apple is planning to release its fifth-generation iPhone sometime later than its usual June-July timeframe, including fresh analyst comments claiming that the device won't even begin production until September, All Things Digital's John Paczkowski now reports that he is hearing that Apple may use its traditional September media event to stage the introduction.

As I've reported here before, Apple doesn't plan to unveil a new iPhone at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which this year will be largely software-focused. And increasingly, I'm hearing speculation about the company possibly commandeering its annual September media event to launch the device instead. Which seems plausible.

While Paczkowski refers to the rumor as "speculation", his history of demonstrating solid connections providing insight into Apple's plans suggests that the idea is likely more than simple speculation.

Packzowski goes on to note that the iPod line has lost a fair amount of its luster in recent years as the iPhone and now the iPad have surpassed it in consumer awareness and the company's long-running efforts to enhance the line have already come close to "perfecting" the various models, making annual incremental improvements less exciting than in past years. That decline in importance for the iPod could allow Apple to use the iPhone to spice up its fall media event while allowing it to focus its Worldwide Developer Conference in June more squarely on software and developers.