One Apple announcement or two? It doesn't matter

It's Friday in late August and everybody is a little punchy, so now there's a controversy about whether Apple will have one announcement in September for both the new iPhone and smaller iPad, or one in September for the iPhone and a second one in October for the iPad. The "one announcement" theory was dominant until   yesterday, when both John Gruber and Jim Dalrymple wrote in their blogs that two announcements are more likely. Panic ensued. (Why am I writing about this? It's a Friday in late August and I'm punchy.)

The truth is, it doesn't matter. One rumor is that Apple only recently began production of the smaller iPad and won't be able to deliver product until October anyway, so why announce it a month early, build up an order backlog and potentially disappoint people? If Apple only announces an iPhone at the September event, the obvious expectation will be that the small iPad is coming in October--thanks to Gruber and Dalrymple. Of course, if the small iPad doesn't show up in October, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and who knows who else will breathe a sigh of relief.

So, don't worry about whether it'll be one announcement or two. Take a deep breath and relax. It's Friday in late August and you're punchy. Have a good weekend!