WWDC 2011: All Software Focus And Hardware No-Show?

Apple officially announced WWDC 2011 earlier this morning, and now the dates are confirmed the attention has turned to what surprises the company may have up its collective Cupertino sleeve. The WWDC 2011 invite promises "a preview of the future of iOS and Mac OS X" which certainly implies iOS 5.0 and OS X Lion will make more than an appearance, but what about the iPhone 5?

Last year, Apple used WWDC 2010 to officially announce the iPhone 4, prompting speculation that the company will unveil the fifth-generation smartphone at this year's developer event. Meanwhile, we're also expecting to see a third-generation iPad later in the year, complete with a higher-resolution display amid other changes. Finally, mid-2011 might be around the time that high-end users are calling out for a Mac Pro refresh; the last significant update was back in September 2010.

However, various sources are suggesting that the software-themed event won't be the time for shiny new hardware. The Loop has heard from sources that it's definitely software-only, which might mean the iPhone 5 has to wait a little longer; after all, it's not been long since the Verizon iPhone 4 went on sale.