Apple Sends out Intriguing Invitation to "Major Announcement" on September 5th "The beat goes on" September 5th... now just two days away. Unusual for Apple rumors, this event has pretty much all the analysts and so-called insiders in sync with their predictions. Mass disillusion or divine soothsaying, we don't know. Certainly everyone's been expecting this to be a big quarter for product transitions. Reliable Web sites are making the following predictions for Wenesday's announcement:

iPod Touch with flash-memory, WiFi and OS X-based CoverFlow user interface
iPod nano (which looks to be short and stocky)
Wireless iTunes store sales for iPhone and wireless iPod(s)
(PRODUCT) Red iPod shuffle
iTunes ringtone service
Beatles on iTunes -- yes, again

As if you need another source "confirming" the launch of new iPods at Apple's September 5th event, along comes DigiTimes riding their wave of Taiwanese component manufacturing insiders. According to the folks who brought us the Powerbook G5 (No DigiTimes, we won't forget), Apple is due to drop a new Inventec Appliances manufactured, flash-based widescreen "iPod video" with touch-interface (widely rumored to carry the iPod Touch brand) sporting WiFi and an iPhone-like UI when it ships "at the end of this month or early October." Also in the cards is a Foxconn manufactured iPod nano with more storage and iPhone-like UI at the same prices as existing models and higher capacity iPod shuffles from Asustek.