It’s pretty much a guarantee that Apple is going to show off the iPhone 5 at an event on September 12. The device will go on sale soon after and will sell millions of units before the end of the year. Microsoft apparently wants to get in on the smartphone action before it’s too late.

Microsoft and Nokia have begun sending out invitations for a big press event in New York on September 5. It will obviously be about Windows Phone 8 and Nokia’s Lumia line. Beyond that, there’s not much else to gather from the invitation.

What we can gather, however, is Microsoft’s strategy going into the holiday season. The iPhone 5 is going to be the must have item this holiday season regardless of whatever Microsoft and Nokia says. What they can do is get the word out on their newest products before the rush of iPhone 5 hysteria hits. If successful, they might even be able to get a few converts to the Windows Phone camp.

Microsoft just recently showed off Windows Phone 8 and the software is pretty impressive. Nokia makes a fine phone in the Lumia. It’s a good combination that has yet to actually gain any kind of traction in the marketplace. The latest numbers for smartphone marketshare show Windows Phone trailing far behind everybody else, including RIM.

It’s highly unlikely that Microsoft is going to convince people to buy Windows Phone 8 devices en masse once it launches. They need to get people into Windows 8 before they can sell them a phone. That’s where the Surface tablet comes in. If it costs only $199 as rumors suggest, then they might have a hit on their hands. Consumers would be far more likely to buy into Windows Phone 8 if they already like the tablet operating system.

Either way, we’ll let you know what Microsoft and Nokia have in store for the holidays come September 5. They might even be able to surprise us.

[h/t: The Verge]