Sources: 4th generation iPod due this Fall

Apple is not expected to release its rumored 4th generation iPod until September, some of AppleInsider's most reliable sources said last week.

As previously reported, the company has been testing prototypes of the new media player, which is said to contained a 2-inch color LCD screen, an improved dock connector (with video-out capabilities), an advanced embedded operating system, and 50GB of hard disk space.

The company is apparently utilizing unreleased disk drives in the development of the 4th generation iPod, as no 50GB or larger 1.8-inch hard drive currently exists in the market.

A report published in today's edition of InfoWorld corroborates rumors of larger drives and a potential September release of the new iPods. According to the article, Toshiba Corp. is planning to launch a 60GB version of its 1.8-inch hard disk drive in the coming months and has already received an order from Apple.

The new 60GB drives will enter mass-production during July or August, which would allow Apple ample time to ready a product introduction during the September time frame.

Toshiba is currently shipping 350,000 of the 1.8-inch drives per month to Apple for use in the iPod. The drives are available in 5GB, 10GB, 15GB, 20GB, 30GB, and 40GB capacities.