It’s still unclear if Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5 will be released in September or October, but MacRumors’ Eric Slivka writes in a recent article that the iPhone 4S and iPad 3 are due out in late October, citing information obtained by Japanese Apple rumors website Macotakara.

“Macotakara reports that it has received information indicating that Apple will be introducing the iPad 3 and ‘iPhone 4S’ sometime early next month, with availability set for ‘late October.’” Slivka reports. “The source offered no information, however, on plans for the iPhone 5, although rumors have suggested that Apple will introduce both a revamped iPhone 5 and tweaked iPhone 4 next month.”

For a while now, there have been rumors about Apple’s possible plans to release a high-end iPhone model (iPhone 5) along with a cheaper, more affordable version (iPhone 4S). An iPad 3 release this year would be unusual, considering that Apple debuted the iPad 2 in March and usually rolls out new iDevice generations once per year.

“There had been some confusion about whether Apple would be releasing an ‘iPhone 4S’ or ‘iPhone 5’ this year, with some suggesting that the confusion stemmed from Apple testing iPhone 5 components within iPhone 4 enclosures for secrecy,” Slivka says. “But others have claimed that Apple will indeed be introducing both the iPhone 5 and a tweaked iPhone 4 as rumors of a low-cost iPhone have continued to swirl.”