Think of It as an AT&T-Free iPhone

The next iteration of Apple’s iPod touch will boast not just a camera, but a microphone as well. That’s the latest rumor, anyway–this one from a “well-connected” Wired source who claims the device is already being manufactured with an eye toward a September launch.

And that makes perfect sense really. A touch with an integrated camera and mic is more an inevitability than anything else at this point. And the rumored September launch jibes with the timing of Apple’s (AAPL) iPod announcements for the past several years.

So, if the rumor proves true, we’ll soon see the touch transform from a media-player to a media-creator and VoIP device as well. Outfitted with Skype or a similar application, the touch would make a slick home phone–and give a nice little sting to AT&T (T).

[Image Credit: TechAu]