What's the Deal With Apple's September Event?

Hold the presses, kiddos -- we have a hot new Apple rumor on our hands. This time, Apple has allegedly scheduled a "keynote event" for September, according to some unnamed sources quoted over at some unnamed blog. (Okay, I got carried away; the blog isn't really unnamed. It's All Things Digital.) The event has been unveiled so far only to mysterious people within the music industry, All Things D says.

Now, it's worth noting that an Apple keynote event in September -- even one related to music -- is not anything out of the ordinary. In '08, the company unveiled the iTunes Genius feature and some updated iPods; in '07, it was the original iPod Touch; and in '06, it was iTunes 7. Still, if there's one thing the blogosphere loves, it's an Apple-related rumor, so word of a 2009 gala is getting an awful lot of attention.

Rather than trying to pile more analysis into the pool of unsubstantiated info (let's face it, I've done more than my share of that before), I thought I'd present you with a smorgasbord of speculation from across the great wide Interwebs. Think of it like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, only without the dragons and blood.

All right, then...ready?

• Peter Kafka at All Things Digital (the guy responsible for starting this whole thing) suggests the event might involve the debut of Apple's new "Cocktail" album format. If so, they really should get Tom Cruise and brand the occasion "Cocktails and Dreams."

• Mashable's Adam Ostrow calls the event a "possible launch date" for that Apple Tablet everyone's always talking about. "At this point, it's still all speculation, but at least some dots are starting to connect," he says.

• Brian Lam at Gizmodo quotes one of those ever-popular "Apple insiders" as saying the cryptic tablet will arrive sometime "this holiday season," leading some to believe September could be too early for its announcement. His colleague Jason Chen concurs, guessing the event will focus instead on the iPod and iTunes 9.

• CNET's Erica Ogg gives us a near-guarantee that iPod upgrades will be in-store, including improvements for the iPod Touch and iPod Nano.

• The folks at MacRumors revive the idea of iPods with cameras coming into our lives, saying "evidence point[s] to the possibility" of it happening in September.

• The iPhone Blog's crystal ball shows signs of a "S"-appended iPod -- you know, iPhone 3G S-style.

• Seth Weintraub at 9to5Mac questions whether the elusive Steve Jobs will make his grand return to the grand stage. Jim Dalrymple at The Loop wonders the same, saying: "Perhaps the biggest draw at the event will be seeing Steve Jobs make his first public appearance since taking a leave of absence earlier this year."

Of course, other tech prophets are predicting an edible MacBook could be in the cards, so it's up to you to decide what you want to believe. (I'm pulling for the MacBook, personally.) If you can't make up your mind, though, don't worry: Another new rumor will be here any day now, and you can start playing all over again