iOS 5 TO GET IMPROVED VOICE COMMANDS

Citing a source claimed to be reliable, tech blogger Robert Scoble says enhanced voice commands will be included in iOS 5 when it launches this fall. Apple acquired Siri last year, presumably with the intention of enhancing the lackluster voice command support found in iOS. It has been rumored for quite some time that Apple would be making enhanced voice commands a major part of iOS 5, but Steve Jobs’ WWDC keynote came and went with no mention of voice commands.

Scoble claims that his source — one who spoke accurately of the deep Twitter integration Apple showed off on Monday weeks ahead of WWDC — said Apple’s voice command integration wasn’t ready to show off at the show. The feature will be a part of iOS 5, however, and will perhaps be unveiled this fall when Apple is expected to announce its next-generation iPhone.

APPLE TO UNVEIL iOS 5, OS X LION AND iCLOUD MONDAY JUNE 6

Apple has confirmed that it will be announcing iCloud on June 6th, what it's calling an "upcoming cloud services offering." That will be part of the keynote for this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, known to the cool kids as WWDC. This is, of course, where everyone has come to expect new iPhones to come to light, but this year we're thinking the focus will be more on software, and indeed Apple's event notice indicates that the big highlights will be Mac OS X Lion and the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 5.

This is a decidedly non-Apple way to announce something big like iCloud, making us wonder what other surprises Steve Jobs will have for us at the event.

RUMOR: iOS 5 TO ONLY RUN ON iPHONE 4 OR HIGHER

Eldar Murtazin is a Russian mobile phone guru with an uncanny knack for getting his hands on unreleased phones. While most of Murtazin’s information and scoops have involved non-Apple products, Murtazin recently tweeted that the next major iOS update, iOS 5, will only run on the iPhone 4 and the next-gen iPhone. In other words, iPhone 3GS users are out of luck.
“Just one comment. Apple iPhone 3Gs wont be upgradable to iOS 5.x. iPhone 4 will”, the tweet reads.

While Apple has typically made new iOS updates extremely backwards compatible, arguably to a fault, an iOS update that excludes iPhone 3GS owners would mark a departure from Apple’s efforts to keep previous owners with the most up to date mobile OS. Note that iOS 4, released last June, was backwards compatible going back two generations to the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 3G.
While Murtazin’s tweet should be taken with a grain of salt, he does have a good track record and it is worth nothing that iOS 5 is largely believed to be a major and significant iOS update. That said, it stands to reason that Apple would only want its upcoming OS update to run on hardware powerful enough to deliver the high level of performance and user experience iPhone users have grown accustomed to.

Apple will take the final wraps off of iOS 5 in the coming weeks at WWDC scheduled to kick off on June 6. While specific features remain murky, iOS 5 is rumored to be heavily focused on location and cloud-based services along with significant voice recognition integration.

RUMOR: NO iPHONE, iPAD OR MAC HARDWARE ANNOUNCEMENTS AT WWDC 2011

Apple released the invitation for WWDC 2011 this morning and it only mentions software, specifically OS X Lion and iOS 5 previews. Nowhere on the invitation does it mention any hardware. Rumors are running rampant that this confirms earlier rumors that the iPhone 5 would be delayed into the fall or even until 2012.

Apple’s apparent focus on software in its WWDC announcement backs up what "sources" are saying about the annual conference. That is, expect a software show in 2011, not a hardware event.

At past WWDCs, Apple might show off a new piece of hardware, but Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg warns about getting too caught up in the past.

“You get caught up in patterns, and it holds true, until it doesn’t,” Gartenberg stated. “There is no reason for Apple to follow a predictable yearly pattern, and it keeps their competition off guard a little bit.”

APPLE'S WWDC 2011 TO START JUNE 6TH

It's five days of developer love in sunny San Francisco, and this year it starts on June 6th. As ever, Moscone West will be hosting Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, and this year we'll be seeing "the future of iOS and Mac OS" along with "more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers." Last time Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4 to a very willing world at large. Could its successor make an appearance this year?