What will Apple announce at WWDC 2011? We round up rumors in the wild

Apple is gearing up to kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference Monday morning, so it’s no surprise that the Apple rumor mill has been in full effect this weekend. We already know that Apple will discuss iOS 5, Max OS X Lion, and iCloud at WWDC, but the specifics have so far eluded the tech community. So far, we have what may be an early glimpse at the new notifications system in iOS 5, as well as word that Apple’s Time Capsule may get a major upgrade to work with iCloud.

The purported iOS 5 notification screenshot (right) comes from TechCrunch’s MG Siegler, who’s definitely hedging his bets on the image’s accuracy. It features a Twitter notification showing up on the top of the iPhone’s screen, instead of in a garish message in the middle of the screen. Siegler notes that this particular design would already fit in well with the current iOS workflow that puts tethering and mid-call notifications at the top of the screen. His sources say that the image has the “right idea.” Last week, we reported that Apple hired a jailbreak app developer who developed a replacement notification system for iOS, and last year Apple poached WebOS developer Rich Dellinger, who spearheaded that platform’s gorgeous notification system. At this point, it’s a given that Apple has been working on revamping its iOS notifications for some time, so you can rest certain that something new will be shown off tomorrow. Apple may also announce extensive integration between its Time Machine backups and iCloud, CultofMac’s Leander Kahney reports. An Apple source tells him that the company has developed a way to access files from its Time Capsule router and backup device (which is set up on a home network) through iCloud — potentially allowing users to access their files anywhere on iOS and Mac OS X devices (and presumably any computer with a web browser). Time Capsule will then be positioned as a network attached storage device (NAS) instead of just a simple way to backup files. Kahney says that a new version of Time Capsule, potentially powered with iOS and running Apple’s A4 or A5 chips, could be announced tomorrow as well. Kahney writes: “This service will also allow you to upload photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Time Capsule. The media will be stored on the device and be made available for other devices to sync. iCloud is the “conduit” through which everything moves, the source said.” Meanwhile, John Gruber over at Daring Fireball adds a bit of clarity to the relationship between iCloud and Apple’s not-quite-secret cloud music streaming service (which is rumored to cost $25 a year). “Music storage is a feature of iCloud; iCloud is not a music service,” Gruber writes. He later notes, based on “fourth-hand information”, that we should think of iCloud as a replacement to iTunes, instead of just a replacement to Apple’s MobileMe service. Specifically, Gruber says that iCloud could erase the need to sync your iOS device with iTunes on your computer for media, apps, contacts, calendars, files and more. That certainly would cover some of MobileMe’s territory, and Apple could potentially just give up on MobileMe altogether.

Apple rumored to add system-wide Twitter integration to iOS 5

As rumors swirl of an upcoming image service from Twitter, a new report alleges that Apple will participate as a major launch partner with system-wide support in iOS 5. Various sources have confirmed that Twitter plans to announce a photo-sharing service, reportedly called Twitter Pictures, at the D9 conference later this week. TechCrunch now reports that Twitter has lined up Apple as a key partner for the upcoming service. Though a number of popular third-party image services already cater to Twitter users,

the company is reportedly moving to take more control of its product in hopes of creating a more consistent user experience. Of course, money could also be an issue, as sites like Yfrog make millions by selling advertising next to images uploaded by Twitter users. According to the report, multiple sources have said that Apple's iOS 5 will have Twitter's image service "baked into the OS" with a "Send to Twitter" option similar to the current integration of YouTube in iOS. "A tipster informs us that one trigger happy Apple iOS designer has already released a test link into the wild," Alexia Tsotsis said in a separate report for TechCrunch, though she declined to provide the link. John Gruber of Daring Fireball took things one step further, hinting at possible deeper integration. "So close to the bigger story, but yet so far," Gruber said of the report. "Imagine what else the system could provide if your Twitter account was a system-level service." Apple confirmed Tuesday that CEO Steve Jobs will unveil iOS 5 next Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. iOS 5 is also rumored to include "deep" voice command integration. Last week, reports emerged that Apple will revamp notifications and widgets in iOS 5. WWDC kicks off Monday, June 6 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. In addition to iOS 5, Apple will present Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and introduce its new iCloud service. Last month, sources told AppleInsider that the iCloud service, which is expected to replace the existing MobileMe product, will store more than just music. Apple is rumored to be pursuing licensing deals with movie and TV studios for the forthcoming service.

Twitter Paying More than $40m to Buy TweetDeck

Twitter is finally buying TweetDeck for more than $40 million in cash and stocks. TweetDeck is a third-party client for the Twitter and It is the most popular Twitter application with a 19% market share as of June 2009, following only the official Twitter.com website with 45.70% share for posting new status updates.

The purchase isn't official yet and neither of the company has publically spoken about this deal.

On Monday night Twitter's PR employee tweeted "For all those who might be curious, we continue to not comment on rumors."

Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Twitter might buy TweetDeck.

A few months ago there was a report that UberMedia, the top developer of apps and Web-based services for Twitter users and other social media platforms, was in chat to acquire Tweetdeck. However, the deal didn't go through.

Twitter has known to either downplay third-party apps or purchase them outright.

TweetDeck would be an important tool for either service, as it's now one of the most popular clients.