iOS 5 Preview, New Social App Expected Among March 2 Announcements

A preview of iOS 5 and a surprise announcement relating to social networking is expected at Apple’s iPad 2 event today, according to ‘second-hand gossip’ from a mobile industry source.

Citing the source in question, SAI reports hearing vague rumors that Apple is poised to launch a "social" application today around or as part of a highly anticipated iOS 5 software preview.

The technology site admits this is nothing more than gossip (and second-hand at that), but given that the information is coming from a source in the mobile industry, it is worth taking into consideration.

This person reportedly went into specifics, noting that said social app “could” have media sharing and location sharing features, perhaps photo sharing as well, though none of this seems like actual information obtained from a reliable source.

SAI does the obvious in speculating that Apple’s potential new social service could be a part of iTunes Ping, the company’s existing social network focused on music, or that it could replace Ping altogether.

Again, this is the kind of speculation that any obscure tech-blog could come up with, therefore should not even be considered a rumor.

Plus, Apple watchers are expecting Cupertino to make an even bigger announcement regarding MobileMe, the cloud-based sync service, which is a far better candidate for this alleged social extension of Apple’s services.

A potential iOS 5 preview is also mentioned, though not detailed. The likelihood of Apple unveiling the next-generation iOS has been discussed for quite a while, and seems like a fairly possible deal at the moment.

Apple has offered iOS previews at such events in the past, with the purpose of enticing customers.

Knowing that iPhone refreshes haven’t skipped one summer since the original was introduced in 2007, it is reasonable to assume that Cupertino will do everything in its power to keep the hype alive for the upcoming iPhone 5.