Report : Apple will unveil its next iPhone on Oct. 4

An Apple event next week? Not so fast. According to All Things D, Cupertino will unveil its next iPhone on Oct. 4.

New CEO Tim Cook will do the honors, ATD said, citing sources "close to the situation." The blog does say, however, that "Apple could certainly change its plans anytime."

Going by past releases, that would put a new iPhone on store shelves by mid-October, which follows previous ATD reports of an October launch.

Cook took over for Steve Jobs after Jobs resigned last month. While Cook has been at Jobs' side at various Apple events and took the reigns at the Verizon iPhone launch, this will be his first major product launch as CEO.

That launch, of course, is expected to be the iPhone 5. There have been rumors that Apple is also (or only) cooking up a low-cost version of the iPhone 4, dubbed the iPhone 4S, which could help push iOS into developing nations. Those who bypassed the iPhone 4 and have been holding on to their iPhone 3GS, however, are likely itching for a major upgrade.

Apple also traditionally unveils upgrades to its iPod lineup in the fall, so expect some announcements there. The launch of the new iPhone also means the arrival of iOS 5, which Jobs first showed off earlier this year at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.

That being said, it's probably best to wait for the official call. As PCMag mobile analyst Sascha Segan noted, "When the Apple event is announced, it won't be announced by 'sources.' It'll be announced by Apple."

TechRepublic editor Jason Hiner, meanwhile, also tweeted that San Francisco's Moscone Center, where Apple typically holds larger launch events, is booked by Oracle on October 4. Apple could hold the event at its Cupertino campus, but the auditorium there only holds about 250 people, which is much smaller than the usual big Apple launch, according to Segan. Stay tuned.

Pcmag.com