Apple is quickly running out of time in its annual OS revision cycle, likely to mark iOS 4.3 as the last of the 4.x series. Rumors are pointing to an iOS 5.0 announcement coming in early April, according to what German site Macerkopf.de identifies as a trusted Apple source.

If these suggestions are accurate, Apple will shortly be sending out invites to a press event scheduled during the first half of April. What could set this year apart from the announcements of years past is an increased focus on the MobileMe service, pushing iPhone users’ data out into the cloud.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Apple was considering making MobileMe free, instead of charging the $99 yearly fee it currently does. Keeping pictures, videos, and music in the cloud could allow users to effectively increase the storage capacity of their iPhones without requiring any extra flash memory. It’s possible that we could even see a streaming addition to iTunes, sending your purchased music out to you on demand.

As for the OS itself, Macerkopf’s source identifies multitasking and notifications as two components ripe for an upgrade. While new features are always nice, making existing features run even more smoothly is a goal we can totally get behind. Hopefully we’ll hear more about how those changes could work as more rumors circulate in the coming weeks.

Source: Macerkopf.de (Google translate)

Via: BGR