Following a leak from the past weekend, Digg founder Kevin Rose went on the "This Week in Tech" podcast to mention an upcoming September 9th introduction for the new iPods.

According to AppleInsider, Rose then went on to allegedly further leaked images of the redesigned iPod nano to reporter Leo Laporte, who didn't notice any glaring contradictions, but had been sworn to keep the product shots to himself. Laporte later deleted the product shots he had been sent.

In addition to Rose's leaks, reports from Chinese accessory resellers AliBaba and iDealsChina, who seem to be selling or claim to know of cases for a fourth-generation iPod have emerged. In at least one of these shots, however, Apple's proprietary Dock Connector is replaced with a mini-USB port and a lanyard hook, casting doubt on its accuracy.

Rose has added an additional element to the mix by stating that he believes he has knowledge of a new feature in Apple's upcoming iTunes 8.0 software that would analyze a user's music and recommend content based on specific conditions. An additional rumor has also insinuated that the software will arrive simultaneously with the new iPods.

Where the timing of the event is concerned, an article over at Ars Technica has pointed to September 9th and analysts over at Piper Jaffray have issued similar predictions for September as Apple reveals one or more product updates.

Stay tuned for more details as they become available and let us know what your predictions are over in the comments or forums.