The tech world is already gearing up for a rather exciting September, with the vast majority of major players apparently ready to come out with new smartphones. Apple is naturally no exception, and a September 12 event for the sixth-generation iPhone has already been widely reported despite it not being announced so far.

However, in contrast to earlier rumors, the iPad Mini is not expected to make its debut in September, and instead will get its own day in the spotlight in October.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball has speculated that the reports of a mashed-up launch event for both devices were completely off-base. He pointed out that Apple was unlikely to pit one of its products against the other in the media battleground, so holding a second event ahead of the holiday season should be an easy call to make.

All Things D has thrown its weight behind the two-event theory, citing several unspecified sources as saying that the September event would be followed by an October event.

While we could almost build a complete iPhone 5 from the components that have leaked from Apple’s supply chain in China, the specifications of the iPad Mini are still mostly unknown at the moment.

The device is expected to have a 7.85-inch display that splits the difference between the iPhone and full-size iPad, but it isn’t known if the tablet will follow the 1024 x 768 pixel resolution of the original iPad, or if it will shadow the iPhone 5’s reported widescreen aspect ratio.