What Apple Didn't Announce: iPhone OS 4.0What Apple Didn't Announce: iPhone OS 4.0

Today's iPad launch event was just that -- all about the iPad. Despite the belief by many credible sources that Apple would also preview iPhone OS 4.0, the new operating software for the iPhone failed to show up.At least two analysts and two other "trusted sources" cited by reputable news organizations such as Bloomberg and FOX were dead wrong. iPhone OS 4.0 was not announced today, as they expected. Instead, today's event encapsulated the launch of the iPad and nothing else.

We did, however, learn that the iPad runs iPhone OS 3.2, and learned a lot about the features that the iPad (if not iPhone OS 3.2) has. The iPad has a number of nifty new capabilities that may or may not make their way to the iPhone. Apple did not sort them out for us. iTunes on the iPad, for example, appears to be richer than the iPod software on the iPhone. Will the iPhone OS 3.2 software upgrade the existing iPod player on the iPhone itself? Who knows.

I suppose the most important thing to consider now is that Apple has timed major iPhone upgrades for the June and/or July months. June, as we know, is when Apple's WWDC is typically held, and is where Apple announced the iPhone 3GS last year. Now that the iPad event has come and gone, I'd be surprised if we see a major OS upgrade for the iPhone before summer.

By then, Apple had better have new iPhone hardware, too.

For the latest Apple tablet news, opinion and conversation, be sure to check out information's Special Report: Tablet Wars -- Can Apple Three-peat?