No iPhone, iPad or Mac hardware coming at WWDC

Apple’s apparent focus on software in its WWDC announcement backs up what my own sources are saying about the annual conference. That is, expect a software show in 2011, not a hardware event.

Apple said that Mac OS Lion would ship in the summer of 2011 and all indications are that they are still on track to deliver the operating system during that time. WWDC will probably be about the time the company is getting into the final stages of development, before hitting the GM stage.

At past WWDCs, Apple might show off a new piece of hardware, but Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg warns about getting too caught up in the past.

“You get caught up in patterns, and it holds true, until it doesn’t,” Gartenberg told The Loop. “There is no reason for Apple to follow a predictable yearly pattern, and it keeps their competition off guard a little bit.”

It’s important to remember that this is a developer conference, not a consumer show. Apple will host developers from around the world to show them what’s new in their mobile and Mac operating systems.