Report: September debut for iPhone 5 and iPad mini

iPod touch speculated be released at the same time

Apple junkies, rejoice! If reports are true, you are about to get what you’ve been waiting for in just six short weeks... if you can last that long.

iMore, citing “sources who have proven accurate in the past,” reported on Monday that the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini will debut on September 12, despite the fact that it was previously speculated that the new devices would be launched in October.

The iPhone 5 will be released nine days later, on September 21, the sources said, but there is no word on when the iPad mini will be available for purchase, though it could be the same day as the iPhone 5.

The iPad mini will likely have a seven or eight inch screen, an idea that Apple founder Steve Jobs once called “dead on arrival.” The new device is expected to sell for $200 to $300, which would be a major blow to other tablet retailers, who consistently relied on providing a cheaper alternative to Apple products.

In comparison, the new iPad released earlier this year costs from $499 to $829.

The new iPhone is rumored to have both a larger screen, and a thinner body, than previous iPhone models. It will supposedly have a four-inch, 16:9 screen, and a smaller dock connector.

This will be Apple’s first redesign of the popular smartphone since 2010’s release of the iPhone 4. It was widely speculated that the iPhone 5 would be released last year, but the company decided to go with a retooled version of the iPhone 4 instead, named the iPhone 4S.

A report by Changewave last week found that, out of 4,000 people surveyed, nearly a third, 31%, said that likely to buy an iPhone 5.

iMore speculates that the new iPod Touch could also be announced on the same date, but says that they do not have any confirmation of this yet.

These announcements come on the heels of a disappointing quarter for Apple.

For the second time since Tim Cook took over for Steve Jobs, Apple missed the mark in its quarterly earnings.

Apple had $35 billion in revenue, with a net profit of $8.8 billion. Apple sold 26 million iPhones last quarter, an increase of 28% over the same quarter last year, but that’s still lower than the 29-30 million units sold that analysts were expecting.

The company also sold 17 million iPads last quarter, marking an 84% increase over the same quarter last year.  This outshined analysts’ expectations of 15 million iPads sold.

Apple is projected to sell nearly 73 million tablets this year, according to Gartner, which would account for 61.4% percent of the market.

In comparison, Android tablets are expected to sell less than 38 million. Microsoft, who recently announced their new Surface tablet, is expected to sell less than five million.

As a result of the lower than expected number, Apple stock dropped nearly 5% to $574.97. 

The stock was up nearly 12% on Monday, ending at $597.10 in after hours trading. 

Apple was unavailable for comment

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