Apple invites media to event, hints at iPhone 5 - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

NEW YORK (AP) -- We still don't know for sure, but consumers may be holding the iPhone 5 before the end of the month.

Apple has invited reporters to a news conference next week in San Francisco with a message that suggests that it will reveal the iPhone 5, as expected.

The email invitation shows a big "12," for Sept. 12, casting a shadow in the shape of a "5."

Reports have pointed to Sept. 12 as being the day Apple Inc. shows off the new phone, which is expected to go on sale a week or two later.

The next iPhone is expected to have a taller screen and the ability to access the latest wireless data networks in the U.S.

Other unconfirmed reports say Apple will reveal a smaller version of the iPad, taking on competitors like Amazon.com's Kindle Fire, which have eroded the iPad's dominance in the tablet category.