Start taking bets: September 7 fingered for fall Apple event

Japanese website Kodawarisan has officially made the first bet on Apple's usual fall media event, saying it will take place on Wednesday, September 7. Given that the annual event typically falls in the beginning of September, and is usually held on a Tuesday or Wednesday, it's a pretty safe bet. In addition to new iPod updates, however, the event is expected to see the introduction of the next-generation iPhone as well as the launch of Apple's iCloud.

Kodawarisan doesn't cite a source for the information that Apple's event will be held on September 7 (technically, September 8 in Japan), but the guess is as good as any. (In fact, within Ars, we have been informally planning our own schedules around that date already because of the timing.) We looked back through our archives for the last four September media events; three occurred on a Wednesday, while 2008's event happened on a Tuesday. So, even without an inside source or a crystal ball, it would be quite easy to pinpoint September 7.

While these fall events are generally music-themed and tend to focus on new iPods for the holiday shopping season, this year's event is also expected to bring the launch of the iPhone 5. New iPhone hardware was, in the past, announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in the summer, but this summer came and went without a new iPhone launch. Rumors as far back as February predicted a later-than-usual September launch, and a recent report by Bloomberg corroborated that timing.

Other reports have said that a next-gen iPhone won't launch until October. However, Ars has heard through the grapevine that iCloud will likely launch in September; given iOS 5's widespread use of the service, it certainly seems more likely that September will see the launch of the next iPhone. Given iCloud's ability to sync iTunes Store purchases and its paid iTunes Match library syncing feature, it would also make a nice tie-in to the usual "music" theme.

UPDATE: Sources for The Loop say that a September 7 event is definitely "not happening."