Move Over Apple Tablet, New iPod Touch Coming Too

As rumors of a touch-screen Apple tablet continue to capture the industry's speculative imaginations, Apple has sneakily begun setting the stage for a new iPod Touch.

The third-generation iPod Touch, complete with a camera, is expected to launch in September, the same time Apple is supposedly going to drop its "iPad" tablet bomb on unsuspecting Mac-heads.

Early images of the next generation iPod Touch, which feature a camera at the top center, surfaced on The Cavino & Rich Show over the weekend. The show posted a host of images of what appear to be the real deal, a new iPod Touch. The early images also showed that the new iPod was likely put through intense testing, as the back panel appears scratched.

The photos of the new iPod Touch surfaced after images of new iPod Touch accessories were spotted last month. Additionally, the beta for the Apple iPhone OS 3.1 software development kit (SDK) also offered some details about iPod 3,1, or a third-generation iPod Touch model.

As with any Apple-focused rumor, it's easy to dismiss it as false. But one Cavino & Rich Show listener said he obtained the new iPod Touch while working with Apple. He also pointed out that the device features the date "Apple 2009" on it, while earlier generation iPod Touch devices read "Apple 2008," according to a report by TechTree.com, which also reprinted some if the photos of the supposed new iPod Touch.

Aside from the photos, little information was available for the upcoming third-generation Apple iPod Touch. Storage capacity and other details were not discussed.

Word of a third-generation Apple iPod Touch and its possible September launch comes as Apple fans also eagerly await the release of a long-rumored Apple tablet. Apple is expected to hold a product event for the media in early September, further fueling speculation that a 10-inch touch-screen Tablet device from Apple will be revealed at that time.

Some call it the "iPad," others call it "MacBook Touch," but for months rumors have spun around Apple readying the touch-screen device which will be part tablet and part netbook and has been compared to an oversized iPod Touch device.

In theory, both a touch-screen Apple tablet and a third-generation iPod Touch could be in the works and both could be unveiled at the September event. Regardless of what the Cupertino, Calif.-based company really has up its sleeves, all eyes will be on Apple in early September.

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