Delayed.

That’s what everyone is saying anyway.

The usual routine of April iOS preview and June iPhone release appears to have been altered for this year.

Why?

It’s possible it’s just a development delay. Problems happen. Devleopers get pulled into other projects. But I think this “delay” represents something more. Now both iOS5 and the iPhone 5 are expected some time in the late summer/early fall timeframe. I expect there are big reasons for each delay.

iOS5 – This has GOT to be big. The steps with each of the past OS updates have been noteworthy, but the UI is showing signs of age. Notifications are a real issue with iOS4 (try opening Mail with multiple accounts when you have no internet connectivity). Expanded control sounds like a real possibility. A new maps app is also possible. Expanded multitasking is a near certainty. Plus, there’s the support that’s needed for any new hardware features in the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 – The delay further increases the likelihood that we’ll see NFC in the next iPhone. Apple is in a race with Google and can’t afford to wait too long. The big question here is LTE. The risk in jumping to LTE too early is that the chipsets are immature, the battery usage is significant, and the coverage is limited. Apple doesn’t need to be the first one out of the gate here, but a fall release makes LTE far more likely.

Did Steve Jobs really kill the music business?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that in college, I had no trouble finding interesting new music to listen to. Somehow as I’ve aged I’ve retreated into replaying the songs of my youth or (only a marginal improvement), new creations from the same characters. I’ve tried the modern tools that are supposed to help people in my situation (last.fm, Pandora) with little success. Ping would help if people actually used it and it didn’t require such effort to get to.

Strangely, my only refuge has been the Gap. Yes, the clothing store. It’s become a regular destination for my son’s clothes. While I don’t always notice the music (it’s often barely audible), there have been several times where I’ve heard something I liked enough to take a closer listen later on.

My first find was VHS or Beta’s Fall Down Lightly. A few weeks later was MGMT’s Kids. Last weekend it was Ellie Goulding’s Little Dreams. What’s odd is that the two of these weren’t even singles.

Of course, technology has played a roleSoundHound has been key to figuring the songs’ identities.

If you see me at the Gap holding up my iPhone and walking around looking aimless, I’m not…I’m just trying to find that one location where I’m both close to a speaker and have adequate 3G coverage to make this work for me.

AppleInsider | Wireless NFC e-wallet won’t be a part of Apple’s iPhone 5 – rumor

Citing sources with “several” mobile operators in the U.K., The Independent reported Monday that Apple recently held meetings in which it disclosed it will not include NFC technology in the next iPhone. The inclusion of NFC technology like radio-frequency identification, or RFID, can allow mobile devices to serve as an electronic wallet, letting users authorize transactions without using their credit card.

While disappointing, this is not really surprising. Apple does like to the act as the driver of new technology, as they did with USB. However, they also are fond of holding off on releasing new technology before it’s ready. The infrastructure is probably just not there to make this a reality for June.

Another Apple event today. Here’s what I’m guessing we’ll see:

The iPad 2. I suspect it will just be called iPad.

• I think we’ll see WiFi and 3G models, and the same 3G model will work on either Verizon or AT&T.
• The screen will be the same resolution as the current iPad.
• It will be thinner, lighter, have a better speaker, but no other major external changes.
• The OS will be 4.3.
• It will have a faster processor and 512 MB of RAM.
• Storage will be 16, 32, and 64 GB. It will have a faster processor
• It will have cameras, though these could be eliminated on the low end model
• I could see the low end model dropping to $399.
• it will ship within the next 30 days, possibly immediately.

What else will we see?

I think Apple will announce that the white iPhone 4 will also begin shipping this month.

iOS5 preview? Possible, but I could also imagine not seeing it at this event. It may be too distracting.

I do think we’ll get some sort of MobileMe announcement with new features that are going to be available soon. Some level of MobileMe access will become free with your iOS device.