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Apple iPad, iPhone 2012 release date rumors

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(CBS News) Apple may launch a 7-inch iPad mini in August, iPhone 5 in September and 10-inch iPad in the fourth quarter, if surfacing rumors are true.

Full coverage of Apple at Tech Talk

Orders for the next iPad and iPhone had reportedly been placed at Pegatron Technology, a global electronics manufacturing company.

"Pegatron has already finished expanding its equipment and labor force for Apple's orders," the Taiwanese technology blog DigiTimes reports.

"To mainly focus on Apple's orders, Pegatron has also internally decided to downsize its SI motherboard department and to shift resources to Apple's orders."

According to DigiTimes, a 7-inch iPad will be launched in August. The iPad mini tablet will reportedly be manufactured by Foxconn.

Take the rumors with a grain of salt, however. DigiTimes' predictions are very hit-or-miss.

Earlier this year, DigiTimes reported that Apple would release a smaller, cheaper iPad to compete with the Kindle Fire. Those rumors were unfounded, as the new iPad launched without mini version in March.

However, the Taiwanese blog was only off by a month in predicting Amazon's 7-inch tablet, the Kindle Fire.

Speculation that Apple will produce an iPad mini is a wide-spread. In April, the Chinese blog NetEase reported that Apple placed an order for the iPad mini at Foxconn.

According to the report, 6 million units have been ordered for release in the third quarter. The smaller tablet is estimated to retail anywhere from $249 to $299.

The next significant Apple event is the Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), which will take place from June 11 through June 15.

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