Members of the American press have been sent out invites to one of Steve Jobs’ “special events” on September 9 – and it’s iPod season.

Apple traditionally unveil a new range of iPods around this time of year, just in time for Christmas. Steve Jobs’ “special event” this time last year saw the introduction of the iPod touch, a flashy wide-screen, touch sensitive interface iPod.

Geek forums worldwide are chomping at the bit with all sorts of conjecture, but a few certain facts will be indisputable whether a new device is added to the line-up or not: price cuts, more memory, and an avalanche of sales of Apple in the lead up to Christmas.

Sales of iPods accounted for 22.5 per cent of the company’s sales of $US7.5 billion for the quarter ending June 30.

Forbes magazine is predicting massive price slashes along the lines of the $US200 cut to the cost of the iPhone last year, but also believes that it’s time for Apple to start using their hardware as Trojan horses to increase the uptake of the iTunes online music and video store which accounts for $211 million in sales, up 35 per cent over this time last year.

Several competitors have launched in the last year or so, including high profile efforts from Amazon.com. iTunes, despite it’s near monopoly status in this sphere, is actually under threat for the first time.

Apple chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said the company expects its gross margins to fall to 30 per cent for fiscal 2009, down from 35 per cent, claims the magazine.

Expect another $US100 to be slashed off the prices of the iPod Touch, to avoid it overlapping with the iPhone, and similar cuts for the conventional iPod, iPod Shuffle and Nano. The magazine believes the Nano may be redesigned, and that both will increase their storage capacity.