Technology giant Apple has fuelled rumours it will launch a new version of its best-selling iPhone on the day two of its competitors are expected to unveil a new device.
The secretive firm sent out invitations for a "special event" next week ahead of today's announcement in New York by Nokia and Microsoft where they are expected to announce details of two new phones which will run on Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Both companies are under pressure to succeed with Nokia recently announcing job cuts and losing its position as the world's biggest phonemaker to Samsung.
The Apple emails, sent to selected journalists, invite them to an event on Wednesday September 12 and includes the line "it's almost here".
It also features a figure 12 with a shadow that appears to be the number 5 - seemingly confirming the company will announce the arrival of the iPhone 5.
The events typically involve Apple executives unveiling new products at their California base - which are carried by videolink live to a central London location.
It is around a year since the firm unveiled the iPhone 4S complete with voice recognition software and an A5 chip allowing it to use much faster graphics for gameplay and to download data twice as fast.
The 4S also has an eight megapixel camera with five lenses, one more than the iPhone4, which results in sharper pictures and allows users to take HD video.
The new phone is expected to sell well. Thousands of gadget fans queued to get their hands on the iPhone 4S when it first went on sale.
