On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

It is official-- the next big Apple launch event will happen on September 12 2012, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco.

The location is significant, seeing it is where Apple tends to launch new products. What product this time? The invitation image says "it's almost here," on top of a giant "12" with a shadow reading... 5. What else?

Maybe some were expecting a glimpse of the legendary (as in like a unicorn) Apple TV set, or a smaller iPad mini, or... something entirely new?

Then again recent rumours suggest Apple does not want to dilute media attention (or free marketing) from the iPhone 5-- meaning any non-iPhone devices will get a separate launch event on a later date.

What will the iPhone 5 look like? Maybe just like an iPhone 4, but sharper eyed IFA 2012 visitors might have seen an interesting beast within the jungle of smaller, more obscure stands... an iPhone 5 cover mockup from to an unnamed device cover maker.

First spotted by GSM Israel, the supposed "new" iPhone has an elongated 4-inch screen, shrunken dock connector, repositioned headphone jack and a 2-tone colour back.

Either way, knowing Apple the only way to actually know on what will be shown on the September 12 is... to actually follow the event. Mark the date on your calendar, if you must.

Go Apple Sets September 12 Event (Reuters)

Go iPhone 5 Mockup (GSM Israel)

The largest OLED TV from Samsung, the ES9500, gets a European launch at IFA 2012-- with the Samsung stand featuring 25 (9 of which suspended from the ceiling) of the 55-inch TVs.

The 55-inch Samsung OLED TV made its debut earlier at CES 2012, together with LG's similar take on the technology.

With a minimal design consisting of a super-slim bezel, a thin screen (the surround gets thinner towards the edges) and a stand hiding all cables, the ES9500 has self-emitting sub pixels reproducing life-like colours and "unparalleled detail" with shadows and shapes.

A "Multi View" feature allows 2 users to watch 2 different shows simultaneously (complete with sound) via Multi View 3D glasses with integrated earphones. The bezel hides a front-facing camera handling gesture control duties.

Also showing up at the Samsung IFA 2012 stand is the 75-inch LED ES9000 Smart TV-- a fine-looking HDTV with a rose-gold finish, 7.9mm frame and hidden push-up camera.

Go Samsung Displays Next-Gen Smart TVs at IFA 2012

Customers lacking the space for a home theatre system but still wish to boost the sound of their HDTVs might like the Bose Solo TV-- a single speaker product ideal for general TV applications.

The unit measures 52.5 x 30.9 x 7cm and sits under flat panel TVs measuring between 81-106cm. Sound comes through Bose digital sound processing and speaker array technology.

It is also very easy to set up, since it only uses one speaker and one cable connection (either optical, coax or analogue).

The package includes a remote control, but the unit should also be compatible with most universal remotes.

Go Bose Solo TV

While IFA 2012 visitors can find a number of 84-inch 4K TVs from the likes of Sony, LG and Toshiba, the Panasonic stand houses a far more impressive specimen-- the 145-inch 8K "Super Hi-Vision TV."

A Panasonic and NHK co-development, the Super Hi-Vision TV carries a self-illuminating plasma panel and handles resolutions of up to 7680x4320. Positioned down a narrow hallway, it was also admittedly difficult to photograph properly.

While awe-inspiring (with rich detail and naturalistic colours), unfortunately the 8K TV still has some way to go before it hits the mass market-- it is still in prototype stage after all.

The museum-style Panasonic stand also houses what the company claims is the largest glasses-free 3D display yet-- a 103-inch monster making use 4K2K panels for HD-quality 3D imagery. It also carries a "newly developed barrier" in order to reduce crosstalk and moiré interference.

Other IFA 2012 offerings from Panasonic include a set of four 20-inch 4K TVs carrying the IPSa LCD panel and an interactive "Multi-View 3D System" allowing users to manipulate images on screen using a touch pad.

Go Panasonic Exhibiting New 3D Technologies at IFA 2012