Apple prepares for iPhone 5 unveiling on 4 October

Apple has formally announced plans to unveil the next iPhone handset at the company's Cupertino campus at 10am on 4 October.

The 'Let's talk iPhone' event promises presentations from Apple bosses including new chief executive Tim Cook on the company's flagship smartphone.

The event confirms multiple reports that Apple is preparing to unveil the iPhone 5. Previous reports suggested that the handset would be unveiled in late September or early October.

Little has been confirmed about the feature set for the iPhone 5, but reports have pointed to a dual-core processor, an improved display and a thinner, lighter case.

The iPhone 5 has been the source of rumours and speculation for several months. In addition to talk about the handset itself, two high-profile legal cases have centred around the new phone.

Samsung, which has been locked in an intellectual property war with Apple in Europe, unsuccessfully lobbied for the iPhone 5 to be introduced as evidence alongside the latest iPad prototypes earlier this summer.

Later in the year, an employee lost a prototype iPhone 5 during a field test in San Francisco. Apple later requested the assistance of the city's police department in recovering the handset.

The release of the next iPhone comes as many of Apple's biggest rivals pitch new smartphones of their own. Samsung recently unveiled its first Windows Phone Mango handset, while the rival Android platform recently secured a high-profile partnership with Intel.

The iPhone, however, remains an immensely popular handset with consumers, and Gartner research vice president Van Baker sees little risk that the new model will fail to sell by the million.

"All the evidence points to the contrary, as there have been multiple surveys showing a high intention to purchase among current owners and non-owners," Baker told V3.

"That said, I think a lot will depend on the feature set of the phone, which may be perceived as an upgrade if you believe the iPhone 4S rumours, and very cool if you believe the iPhone 5 rumours regarding features."