Apple dispatches 'Let's talk iPhone' event invitations

by Steven Mostyn

It would appear the recent rush of misty rumour and speculation connected to Apple’s unveiling of the next generation iPhone was largely on the money.

Moreover, the Cupertino-based giant has this week officially announced a vaguely mysterious October 4 media event by emailing “Let’s talk iPhone” invitations to technology outlets.

Although Apple has not said exactly what it will reveal during said presentation, the iPhone’s annual refresh is (over) due and industry watchers believe the San Francisco spotlight will indeed showcase the iPhone 4’s successor.

Of course, whether the smartphone in question arrives as merely a tweaked upgrade (i.e., the iPhone 4S) or a completely new handset (i.e., the iPhone 5) remains to be seen.

Associated features long-rumoured to be aboard the device include the likes of a slimmer and lighter chassis, a dual-core A5 processor, version 5.0 of Apple’s iOS operating system, an 8.0 mega-pixel camera, up to 64GBs of data storage, and support for iCloud services.

News of Apple’s event comes after AT&T and Sprint (both of which carry the iPhone) instructed employees that no vacation time is to be granted during the first two weeks of October—which suggests an impending major device launch.

We expect Apple’s new iPhone to be ready for retail by the middle of October.

Facebook iPad App to be Announced Alongside Apple iPhone 5

It seems like Apple fans are getting even more reasons to get excited about the iPhone 5 announcement next Tuesday (Oct 4th), as rumour has it Facebook will also be taking the stage to make some announcements of its own.
According to Mashable, Facebook will be unveiling its long awaited iPad app to coincide with the latest release on iOS 5. As Ben Parr put it, the iPad app has been “in limbo” since it was leaked a few months ago.
It looked like the app was fully functional with a typical iOS design but for some reason it was immediately blocked and never heard of again after developers managed to hack Facebook for iPhone to use it.
Facebook have been much more tight-lipped about the new release with no recent screen shots or hacks being leaked. You can still see the old screenshots on Mashable if you want ideas of what the app will probably look like.
Parr also says that Facebook could be launching and improved iPhone app and even may unveil an HTML5-based mobile app marketplace. It’s uncertain whether Zuckerberg himself will make the announcements but we’re sure the combination of a new iPhone and the long awaited Facebook iPad app will be more than enough for attendees.