October 4: Apple's next big event; iPhone 5 expected to be unveiled

By Zack Whittaker | September 21, 2011, 4:09am PDT

Reports are circulating around the media wires this morning that Apple’s new chief executive, Tim Cook, will take to the stage and announce ’something’.

John Paczkowski with the Wall Street Journal’s AllThingsD network, says that Apple’s next event will be held on October 4, where it is most likely that the next-generation iPhone 5 smartphone will be unveiled.

Hedging on the side of caution, Paczkowski has long claimed through sources of his own that the launch will be in October. Sources say that the iPhone will be made available for purchase within a few weeks after the announcement.

Update: As Jason Hiner, editor-in-chief of TechRepublic, ZDNet’s sister site, points out, the Moscone Center where previous launches have been made is “booked out” for Oracle on October 4th. Apple previously used the Moscone for WWDC 2011 earlier this year. Whether this means the October 4th date is a busted flush, or it means Apple already has another venue in mind, it is yet to be known.

There has been wide speculation over the device, which is believed to have changed in screen size and dimensions. Other leaks point to a radical new design, whereas leaked device cases show that the smartphone will remain widely the same.

The truth is: Apple has done it again. We have no real idea what the next-generation iPhone will look like.

But while consumers will be looking for the new iPhone, as the highly anticipated Christmas and holiday season seller of the year, analysts and journalists will be looking at Tim Cook, who replaced Steve Jobs over the summer after he resigned from the company.

Cook will be in charge of the event, and no doubt will take to the stage as Apple’s new chief executive to announce the device. He has to be — he’s the boss. But Cook has never done this before, and will no doubt be aided by other executives to make their own announcement.

But as this may be Cook’s first presentation to the world, it has not been his first major challenge as chief executive.

Late last month, an Apple employee reportedly lost an iPhone 5 prototype in a bar in San Francisco. Bad luck struck twice, only a year after the Gawker media storm after the iPhone 4 was sold to the media company. A huge controversy began when Apple security staff alleged to have impersonated police officers when searching the suspect’s home, when the device ended up in someone else’s hands.

Though Steve Jobs continues to serve as chair of the Apple board, Tim Cook has already had a tough couple of months. Nevertheless, for consumers, the iPhone 5 will be the prime focus for the day.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/october-4-apples-next-big-event-iphone-5-expected-to-be-unveiled/58570?tag=nl.e539