Rumor: iOS 5 will be a 'major revamp,' won't debut until fall

TechCrunch reports that two "solid sources" have said Apple will hold off on unveiling the next iteration of iOS, version 5, until this fall instead of debuting in the summer as in years past. If TechCrunch's sources are correct, the iPhone 5 is still likely to debut in the summer, but it will be running a flavor of the current v4 iOS.

In addition of launching in the fall, TechCrunch's sources state that iOS 5 will be a "major revamp of the OS" that will include:

• an heavily cloud-based iOS, with several new services
• a "music locker" service to coincide with the introduction of new iPods
• a location service that focuses on finding friends and family members

TechCrunch also states Apple will first discuss many of iOS 5's cloud-based services at WWDC in June, and Mac OS X Lion will likely include integration with those cloud-based components.

Until Apple makes an announcement about iOS 5 nothing is certain, but if TechCrunch's sources are right about a "music locker" service, it would make sense to hold iOS 5 until the fall when new iPods are traditionally launched. The extended timeline would also give Apple the time to devote sufficient resources to completing work on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, which Apple has said will be released this summer.