This week has been full of the most exciting iPhone 5 rumors of the entire summer.  In addition to that, they are growing incredibly solid and lead me to believe that I could own a new device (of which I still don’t have much certainty as far as its looks go) by this time next month.  Why am I so positive that it’s coming?  Read on and you will be too.

Invitations/Events:
Apple has historically sent out invites for its major events about 7 to 9 days before they take place.  They typically occur on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and product launches seem to prefer Fridays.  That being said, I anticipate Apple sending out invites for its iPhone 5 event either Wednesday, September 7 or Wednesday, September 14.  An invitation received then would lead to a September 14 or 21 event and pre-order date, exactly 2 1/2 weeks before a Friday, September 30 or Friday, October 7 launch.

Is anyone catching on to my thought process here?  Invites the 7th or 14th, event and pre-order the 14th or 21st, and launch the 30th of September or 7th of October.  It’s coming soon folks.

Supplies/Cases:
News broke this morning of Apple solidifying its 8 megapixel cameras with Largan Precision and Genius Electronic Optical.  This basically confirms the addition of an 8 megapixel camera to the iPhone 5, a welcomed change in my opinion, that will allow the iPhone to continue to be king of mobile cameras.

On top of that, case makers continue to support the larger iPhone 5 rumors, and a new photo gallery by Macitynet.it demonstrates how much larger these cases are than the iPhone 4. (image by Macitynet.it)

Rumored Apple Services:
New information surrounding future services offered by Apple add to the credibility of iPhone 5 rumors.  These services, such as Find My Friends, Remote iOS Diagnostics, Speech to Text, Assistant, Photo Stream and iTunes Match are each gaining the spotlight amongst constant rumors.

For those of you unaware, Find My Friends is a feature similar to Google’s Latitude that Jake discussed the other day.

Remote iOS Diagnostics is a new feature for iDevices.  According to Apple, “iOS Diagnostics sends an email to the iOS device or provides a manual URL that prompts the user to allow a diagnostic report to be transmitted to Apple. iOS Diagnostics will display that report within GSX in near real-time. It’s that simple.”  An image of the process is below (image from 9to5mac). Speech to Text, using technology by Nuance, is also rumored to be part of iOS 5.  Below is a screenshot of what this allegedly looks like (image from 9t05mac). Assistant is the result of Apple’s 2010 purchase of Siri, an iOS app that can find movie times, book a restaurant reservation, and locate the nearest gas station or ATM all based on spoken commands.  It is rumored to debut as a part of iOS 5 and work system wide on iDevices.

Photo Stream is nothing new, it was announced as iCloud’s new way to share photos between all devices linked to the same Apple ID.  However, a new image leaked of a Photo Stream icon may accidentally show a tiny version of the iPhone 5.  Blown up to actual size, 9to5mac has demonstrated what this icon would look like in full form next to the iPhone 4.  Images of mock-up iPhone 5 and Photo Stream icon are waiting below (from 9to5mac).

Lastly, iTunes Match has finally reached developers in the iTunes 10.5 beta 7.  The only significance here is that iOS 5 (currently on beta 7) and iCloud (currently on beta 10) are both clearly nearing perfection and final releases.

Apple Store/Non-Apple Leaks:
Now that we “know” when the event will take place, what the new iPhone may feature physically, and what new services Apple will bring with it, it’s time to discuss the final rumors that made this week so significant- and add the last details to conclude this long-awaited mystery.  As you just read, Deutsche Telekom has confirmed that they are secretly offering iPhone 5 pre-orders as of this morning.

Also, the iPhone “N94″ just received its FCC ID number, BCG-E2430A.  It’s unclear whether this is the unreleased iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S, then again it’s also unclear if we will see both of those devices or if they are actually the same product.

Next, Apple retail stores just began iOS 5 and iCloud training with employees.  Training is supposedly done through a new section in the RetailMe application.  (image of iCloud training from 9to5mac)

Best Buy has also joined in to be featured in our Rumor Roundup.  They recently leaked a document that suggests pre-orders for the iPhone 5 to begin this week (but I find them more likely to begin the 14th or 21st), and a launch during the first week of October, including the release of a new iPhone on Sprint.  Best Buy is also planning a new fixture installation for October 21, two days before the iPod turns 10.  Is it possible they will have to wait 2-3 weeks after the iPhone 5′s launch before they begin selling it, or could this new fixture be for upcoming iPods (and maybe a 10th anniversary celebration)?  Time will tell.

Adding to Sprint’s possible iPhone launch, they may be planning to up their early termination fee from $200 to $350 starting September 9.  Don’t worry Sprint users, this will supposedly only apply to new contracts signed after the 9th, not existing customers.

Lastly, a fun fact about Apple’s latest flagship store in Hong Kong: it is opening September 24 (image below from Engadget).  Is this just in time for a September 29 launch?  Or a week early for the October 7 launch?  Your guess is as good as mine (unless you are Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook- because he probably knows for sure).  One last fun fact, if I haven’t already made it clear: the iPod turns 10 on October 23.  Do with that what you will. I know I’ll be celebrating.

So what are your thoughts?  Did I miss anything?  Feel free to comment below.