iCloud, Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5 confirmed for WWDC

Apple has announced that it will indeed be releasing iCloud at this year's WWDC in June, although it looks like the launch of the iPhone 5 will be subject to delay.

In a rare email, which maps out what will be shown at WWDC, Apple explained:

"Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00am.

"At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software - Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple's advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple's upcoming cloud services offering."

No iPhone 5

There's no word on the iPhone 5, so it seems that Apple is launching iOS 5 first and then focusing on the launch of the iPhone 5 at a later date.

The release continued: "WWDC will feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers. Mac developers will see and learn how to develop world-class Mac OS X Lion applications using its latest technologies and capabilities.

"Mobile developers will be able to explore the latest innovations and capabilities of iOS and learn how to greatly enhance the functionality, performance and design of their apps. All developers can bring their code to the labs and work with Apple engineers."

So, the rumour and conjecture over Apple's cloud plans is over - the Apple iCloud UK release date is set for 6 June at the WWDC.

There's been a lot of talk about Apple getting the majority of music labels to sign on to iCloud, a service that's set to take MobileMe and add music streaming and possibly movie streaming to the mix.