Microsoft and Nokia aim to trump iPhone 5 launch with Windows 8 event

Firms send out invite for event one week ahead of expected Apple launch

Microsoft and Nokia appear set to unveil the first Windows Phone 8 devices in early September, a week before the expected iPhone 5 launch on 12 September in an effort to grab market attention from Apple.

According to rumours, the two firms will launch the devices at events across the globe, with The Verge posting a copy of an invitation it has received to an event on 5 September in New York, giving weight to these suggestions.

V3 contacted Nokia for comment on the event, and a spokesperson confirmed that there would be a live webcast of the event as it happens, all but confirming the invitation information. Microsoft said it had no comment to make.

Such a move would underline the strength of the firms' partnership, despite suggestions the deal was fracturing because current Lumia devices would not be compatible with the new platform.

Earlier this week, Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop recommitted the firm's future to the Windows Phone platform, dismissing any suggestion he regretted the Microsoft deal.

"I don't think about rewinding the clock and thinking about competing elsewhere," Elop told reporters in Oslo, according to Reuters.

"In today's war ... [between] Android, Apple and Windows, we are very clear, we are fighting that with the Windows Phone."

Nokia was also forced to dismiss yet more financial concerns around its future, after ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded its credit rating based on concerns it has insufficient cash reserves and an unsure future.

Apple's launch of the iPhone 5 is expected to take place on 12 September, with the new device rumoured to have a number of new features including NFC capabilities and a larger screen.