Apple to unveil "revolutionary" product this year, says French designer

(CBS/CNET) Ready for some more exciting Apple rumors? A well-known French designer claims the computer giant is releasing something "revolutionary" in October.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, designer Philippe Starck, known for his interior design and stylizing mass-produced consumer items, claims he's teamed up with Apple on a new product that is set to be release in eight months.

Below is an excerpt published by the Paris newspaper, translated in English via Google Translate.

French designer Philippe Starck announced today on France Info that it is working with the U.S. computer group Apple in a project "revolutionary" that would emerge in eight months. "Indeed, there is a big project together which will be out in eight months," said the designer in the show "Everything and its opposite."

Invoking the "religious cult of secrecy" of the California firm, he declined further detail, except to talk about a project "quite revolutionary (...) if not very". Philippe Starck, who has revamped hotels, restaurants, toothbrushes or even the last Parisian Navigo travel card, has revealed that he regularly met in California [with] Steve Jobs, Apple's legendary founder who died last October.

Though nothing is certain, the thought of something "revolutionary" doesn't necessarily mean something brand new. As CNET's Lance Whitney points out, October is the same month that could see the launch of the iPhone 5.

"Though Apple's iPhone changes are typically evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the company is facing increased competition from Android and Samsung in particular," Whitney writes. "So it could always be planning a major ergonomic overall for the next iPhone."