iPhone 5 Release Date and Rumors: Anticipation Reach Climax as Apple Big Day Nears

The much-anticipated day when Apple will announce the release of its iPhone 5 is almost here, as the Cupertino company's conference will take place in just three days; on September 12. 

And, since there's been plenty of rumors to go about -- the Google Maps and YouTube snubs, the size, the battery life -- Apple early adopters will finally have the chance to confirm if Apple can keep expectations in the post Steve Jobs era.    

Besides announcing the day in which iPhone 5 will be available, Apple is also expected to unveil other new products such as the new iPod Touch and iPod Nano (in Apple's trademarked multiple colors). And fans are already salivating at the prospect to put their hands in the freshly launched products, as the company already started to decorate the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California, for what it will be an event part tech fair part red carpet affair. The facade of the center is being covered with numerous banners with the Apple logo surrounded by flashy colors. 

Apple delayed the release of the iPhone 4S in October 2011 because new iPhones were previously presented during the summer, usually at the famous WorldWide Developer Apple Conference. The iPhone 4S was then introduced, with iOS 5 software and iCloud. They also presented the new iPods.

However, iPhone 5 will be the main event this year, as iPods are now "supporting actors" in a movie in which smart phones are increasingly monopolizing functions from music listening, to calendar scheduling to navigating. This presents a potential downside for Apple as the high expectations over iPhone 5 -- which will be strongly emphasized by CEO Tim Cook during the keynote speech -- could hurt the sales of the new iPods (a good niche product for young Android users who, nonetheless, can drop some money into Apple even if they don't end up switching to iPhone 5).