Apple will finally unveil the iPhone 5 at its next big media event scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 4, according to sources familiar with the situation. This means, in all likelihood, the iPhone 5 will be released within the few weeks following the announcement.

Tim Cook, Apple's new CEO, will reportedly take Steve Jobs' old duties and formally conduct the event for the first time. There will be a lot of pressure on Cook to perform up to Jobs' standards. No word yet as to whether or not the new CEO will don the infamous black sweater for the announcement.

Other key executives at Apple, such as Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of public marketing, are expected to make appearances, but what's unknown is whether or not Jobs, who resigned as the company's CEO in August, will attend the event.

Rumors have been swirling about the iPhone 5, from its looks to its release date, for months now, but Apple's forthcoming announcement aligns nicely with predictions that pegged the iPhone 5 release for early October. For example, one report said Sprint is not letting its employees take vacation time from Sept. 30 through Oct. 15, and a source close to Apple says AppleCare call centers are prepping for an unusually high amount of incoming tech support calls, about an eightfold increase, starting Oct. 10.

October will be a busy month for Apple. Many wait with bated breath for the iPhone 5, but the company has stated that every iPhone 5 would come preloaded with iOS 5, Apple's newest operating system for its mobile devices. This means that the iPhone 5 announcement means iOS 5 is coming soon, too. No sources have confirmed as to whether or not iOS 5 will be mentioned at Apple's Oct. 4 address.

Apple announced this week it will reset its iCloud backup data Thursday and release the iOS 5 Golden Master version to developers Friday.

The company, true to form, has not confirmed or denied any rumors detailing its upcoming products or a release date for those products. Apple's only statement was its first one made at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2011, stating that iOS 5 and iCloud would be released sometime this fall. Apple has never provided any official information about the iPhone 5.

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