It’s been more than five years since the first iPhone was unveiled, and here we all are, still caught up in “When is the next iPhone going to come out oh please tell me tell me” speculation. After months of guesswork, the announcement appears to be nigh, as Apple has issued an invitation to media for a special event on Sept. 12.

The date doesn’t come as a complete surprise, as die-hard Apple fans have been gathering any and all hints of news about the expected iPhone 5 and guessed it would be announced in the second week of September.  The event will kick off at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the email invitation is quite a tease, reading “It’s almost here” on a white background with a number 12 that just so happens to have a shadow in the shape of a five. Wait a second… could that mean… yes, it’s probably the iPhone 5. We get it.

Apple could get a pretty big score with the iPhone 5, as fans of the phones have been holding out for the next offering for awhile now. It’s facing plenty of competition from its courtroom foe Samsung, as well as other makers of smartphones featuring the Android platform. Android holds 68% of the global smartphone shipments, notes the WSJ, in comparison to iPhone’s 17% share.

The buzz around the newest iPhone has customers expecting a somewhat larger screen but to look a lot like the one-year-old 4S. As we noted last week, you might want to get a jump on pre-ordering your phone once it’s revealed, as Apple is reportedly having trouble getting enough screens for the new iteration. And we know if anyone has to wait even one second longer for a new phone, they will absolutely burst from the anticipation. No one wants that.

Apple Sets Sept. 12 Event [Wall Street Journal]

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