Apple will be showing off the next version of its iPhone operating system, iPhone 3.0, at a 17 March event at its corporate campus in Cupertino, California.
The company said in an invitation that it would be providing a sneak peek' at the new software and will also reveal details of a new SDK, enabling third-party developers to provide applications for the phone.
The release of the SDK with the iPhone 2.0 software was a hugely successful move for the company. In January, Apple said more than 500 million applications had been downloaded and that more than 15,000 apps were available.
There has been much speculation on what new features the next iPhone software could introduce with background notifications for third-party applications touted as a major new feature. Other much requested features include copy and paste support, MMS messaging, and tethering via USB and Bluetooth.
Apple is also seen to be responding to Google announcement of an update for its Android phone operating system and the resurgence of Palm's with the forthcoming Pre.
With additional reporting by Reuters.
