Apple picks date for iPhone unveiling: rumour

Apple has set the date for a media event at which its new iPhone or iPhones will be unveiled, according to AllThingsD.

A source has told the online publication that Apple will hold a media event on October 4, with the new iPhone, expected to be the iPhone 5, to go on sale within a few weeks of that date.

The unveiling will have extra significance for Apple, as it will be the first since Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs as CEO of the company.

Jobs’ product unveilings are part of Apple lore; in 2007, satire site The Onion posted a story about Jobs unveiling a product-unveiling product, iLaunch.

Health problems have limited Jobs’ capacity to drive the launches recently, and although Cook has been stand-in CEO for most of this year, the pressure will be on in his first launch as official head of the company.

Investors will be watching to see how much Cook relies on other Apple executives. Jobs himself could even make a cameo appearance, health permitting, although this could do just as much harm as good to perceptions of Cook’s leadership.

What do you think? Will Tim Cook unveil the iPhone 5? Will the event even be about the iPhone, or will it introduce another Apple product like iCloud? Post your comments below.