Rumors surrounding Apple are mainly focused on the next generation iPhone dubbed iPhone 5 at the moment. But, along with the next iPhone, Apple is also expected to release a smaller iPad this year. There is still no official release date for any of these devices, but new report suggests that the day could be Aug. 7.

Citing reliable Chinese sources, Macotakara [English translation] reported on Saturday that iPhone 5 is in production stage. The Japanese blog claims that iPhone 5 has several design changes from the pre-EVT model leaked by 9To5Mac in May. In iPhone 5 production model, the backplate has naked aluminum and partially glass covered portion. The blog also notes that a small hole that was seen between the LED flash and camera lens is now missing.

Earlier this year, Macotakara claimed that the third generation iPad entered production in January, while the new iPad debuted in March. It means that we may see the next iPhone in 2-3 months.

Folks at KnowYourMobile are more specific about the official release date. Citing reliable industrial sources, the KnowYourMobile claimed on Friday that the Cupertino tech giant will release iPhone 5 on Aug. 7.

There are no words on iPad Mini in both these reports. But the smaller and cheaper iPad is also expected to debut along with the new iPhone.

Earlier this week, pre-production of iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, courtesy of GottaBeMobile, appeared from a manufacturing plant in China. The tech site said that iPad Mini is two-third the size of iPad and claimed that it will debut along with the next generation iPhone. GottaBeMobile's claim coincides with an earlier report that iPad Mini and iPhone 5 will share the stage in fall.

With the launch of iPhone 5, Apple plans to take on both Samsung Galaxy S3, which is making waves at the moment, and Windows Phone 8, which is expected to release this fall.