One of the biggest mysteries of our time is figuring out when the iPhone 5 will be released. A sign of the coming will be the announcement of an event that will take place shortly before the launch. Thanks to some insider information, we now have the date of that event.

According to sources speaking to iMore, Apple is planning to debut the iPhone 5 at an event on Wednesday, September 12. The source goes on to say that the iPhone 5 will then be released on September 21. This ties nicely into previous rumors that suggested the iPhone 5 would be launching in September.

What about the iPad Mini though? Previous rumors suggested that both the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini would be announced at the same time. It turns out that Apple will indeed be announcing the iPad Mini at the same event. No launch date was given for the device though.

Interestingly enough, the sources also say that Apple will be using the event to announce the next iterations of the iPod Nano and iPod Touch. We already got our first look at the new iPod Touch last week. It’s rumored to take on the design and hardware of the iPhone 4S. The new iPod Nano design is anybody’s guess at this time though.

With a packed event happening in September, it seems that Apple is preparing to take on the holidays in a big way. They will be fighting against stiffer competition this year with Google’s Nexus 7 and the all but confirmed Kindle Fire 2. Alongside the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini, Apple could really dominate the holidays if they come up with some interesting new designs for their iPod line. I’m especially interested in seeing how they evolve the iPod Nano.

While this is obviously not confirmation of any kind, it seems more and more likely that Apple will announce the iPhone 5 in September. They want to be there before the holiday rush starts in October so a September launch is perfect to capture the attention of a nation that’s starved for an iPhone 5.