Regarding new iPods on September 12

Back in July when iMore learned about Apple's plans for a September 12 iPhone event, we learned some new iPods would likely be coming with it, including a new iPod touch and iPod nano. Specifics were scarce, however. Now Mark Gurman from 9to5mac has a few more details:

[We] believe that there will be at least two new/updated iPod lines and possibly a third. All these new lines will come in multiple colors, one of the lines will come in two size capacities, and the other two lines will come in a single storage capacity.

iMore has learned that the new iPod touch is getting the same 4-inch, 16:9 aspect ration screen as the new iPhone. Whether it's the same exact panel as the iPhone 5, or Apple once again goes for a cheaper panel like the non-IPS one they went with in 2010, however, remains to be seen.

While the iPhone 4S last year got the Apple A5 processor and a bump to 64GB, the iPod touch got no processor or storage bump, only a white option. It seems logical that Apple would rev the iPod touch processor this year, but whether or not it goes to 128GB also remains in question. A 128GB iPod touch could let Apple retire the venerable iPod classic line. However, services like iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match have made iOS devices far less storage-constrained than they were in the past.

There have also been rumors about Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi direct device-to-device communications and connectivity. If those have any validity, while the iPhone would no doubt get much of the attention, those features could be even more compelling on the non-cellular iPod lineup.

As for the timeline, it does make sense for Apple to introduce the new iPods at the same event as the new iPhone, like they did last year. That leaves October clear for the iPad mini and whatever else Apple intends to showoff with it. Gurman's information on the iPod nano and iPod shuffle sounds reasonable as well.

Perhaps the biggest wildcard, as M.G. Siegler points out on TechCrunch, is whether or not iTunes 11 is finally good to go.

Whispers have a team from Facebook in Cupertino, actively engaged in the ongoing development. That clearly seems to confirm the end of Ping, but also — hopefully — a completely reworked experience. Be warned: there have been many false-starts here. So it’s not clear if we’ll hear more next week, next month, or alas, next year.

Some answers, at least, are just a week away...