Taking the stage a second time after going on medical leave five months ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is slated to announce the iCloud services offering at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week.
At the conference Apple will also introduce its next generation OS X operating system for Macintosh computers, code-named Lion, as well as the next operating system for its iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch devices, officially named iOS5, the company said Tuesday.
Earlier this year, Apple acquired the iCloud.com domain name. While industry observers have speculated on what kind of services the company will offer via the site, Apple has not yet revealed its intentions.
Rumors have also swirled about the state of CEO Jobs’ health, so his return to the WWDC stage will be good news for Apple followers. Jobs, 56, took a medical leave of absence in January, handing over the day-to-day operation to Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook. He did take the stage briefly in March to introduce the iPad 2.
WWDC, to be held in San Francisco June 6 through June 10, will offer more than 100 technical sessions, which were designed to help developers become better acquainted with Apple’s operating environments.
Joab Jackson covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Joab on Twitter at @Joab_Jackson. Joab’s e-mail address is Joab_Jackson@idg.com