A Key Question About iPhone 5

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Forget pregnancy. Let's talk what to expect when you're expecting an iPhone.

iMore, followed by AllThingsD and Bloomberg, reported that Apple(AAPL) was planning to release the iPhone5 on Sept. 12, though as in all things Apple, there was still, even in simple declarations of what was to come, total uncertainty.

AllThingsD, for example, wrote that Apple hasn't announced the Sept. 12 event to unveil the new iPhone "but it's definitely planning one." The Web site then adds curiously that Apple was planning an event for the week of Sept. 9 "with Wednesday being the date on which it will likely be held. And while we haven't yet confirmed the event's focus, history suggests it will indeed be the new iPhone."

Uh, OK. So the iPhone5 is definitely coming on Sept. 12, unless, uh, it's not.

Assuming it is, the consensus is for a larger screen and thinner body, design advances to better compete against Samsung. Most of the media can probably be forgiven for focusing on these design changes. To date, they have been what matters in the $220 billion smartphone business.

But Samsung is gaining traction by anticipating Apple's annual new product releases and heading them off with more frequent product innovations.