iOS 5.0 This Fall With Cloud Services, Latitude Rival And iPad 3?

Apple is readying iOS 5.0 for a fall release, a major refresh of the mobile platform and including several cloud-based services including an online "music locker" for streaming content, and a location-tracking system for friends and family. According to TechCrunch, Apple may preview iOS 5.0 at WWDC 2011 in early June, but release it later in the year alongside the iPad 3.

The music streaming service – which is expected to allow users to store their content in an online repository, and stream it to multiple iOS devices rather than rely on local storage – is likely to launch simultaneously in the fall, and be announced at Apple's traditional music-themed event. Meanwhile, the LBS service will be an Apple rival to Google Latitude. They're tipped to be two of several new cloud-based services Apple has in the works.

Meanwhile, OS X Lion – which is expected this summer – is likely to also include various overlapping cloud-based functionality, further bridging Apple's iOS mobile range and its Mac lines.

As for the iPad 3, there's no new information about the third-generation slate, but according to earlier leaks and rumors it's expected to mark the introduction of a higher-resolution display than the current 1024 x 768 offered by the iPad 2.