Apple plans iPod announcement for September 5

Cupertino (CA) - An Apple press conference has been scheduled for September 5, lighting up speculation that a new line of iPods may be announced next week.

While Apple did not give any indication as to what would be discussed, Apple Insider reports that the company will unveil a new generation of iPods that are powered by a custom form of the Mac OS operating system.

According to the Apple enthusiast site, as many as four new models are expected to be announced next Wednesday, with refreshes to the video iPod and iPod Nano lines.

In the last few months, Apple has launched the iPhone and introduced a new series of Mac computers, leaving the iPod as the least recently updated part of Apple’s portfolio.

There is also speculation that an announcement may be made concerning Apple’s future plans with The Beatles’ music catalog on iTunes, following a resolution to a long-running argument between the music group and Apple.

All details are speculation at this point. Apple usually does well with presenting surprises, so next Wednesday’s announcement is likely to catch the attention of iPod fans.