Apple's annual music media event rumored for early September

Apple typically holds music and iPod related events to make new announcements every September. Last year, the "Let's Rock" event was held Sept. 9, while the 2007 "The Beat Goes On" keynote was Sept. 5, and the 2006 "It's Showtime" event was held Sept. 12. Apple has not yet confirmed the date of its keynote this year.

The MediaMemo report speculates that Apple's rumored "Cocktail" album concept could play a part at the event.

"Given that Apple has tipped off music industry executives, it’s a fair bet that the event will incorporate music in some way," the report states. "Perhaps it will show off the new "Cocktail" format that Apple has been working on, which bundles full-length albums with other goodies like album covers and interactive bells and whistles."

It also suggests that Apple is bound to disappoint if it doesn't unveil its long-rumored tablet device. Despite some speculation, AppleInsider does not expect the tablet to appear at the event. Sources say that the device will not launch until early 2010.

This year, rumors indicate new iPod touch and iPod nano models with cameras. In July, numerous photos of third-party cases for the iPod touch and iPod nano featuring camera holes bolstered those ongoing rumors.

There have also been reports of the release of iTunes 9, possibly with support for Blu-ray discs and social media integration. Apple has also reportedly been working on a video on demand service for iTunes.

At lest year's event, Apple unveiled iTunes 8 with the new Genius feature, debuted the fourth-generation iPod nano, introduced a reworked iPod touch with hardware volume controls and built-in Nike + iPod support, and refreshed the iPod classic with a 120GB model.