2011’s World Wide Developer’s Conference is fast approaching, but for the first time in four years, there is no expectation that Apple will reveal a new iPhone there. That might be a very good thing for investors looking to capitalize on low expectations.

When isn’t San Francisco the place to be?

OK, maybe New Orleans during Jazz Fest, or St. Barts at your wedding; London for your royal whatsit.

But otherwise — right?

The Geek Universe is set to converge on Cupertino’s northern climes next week and lest anyone fear the festivities might be confined to Moscone Center’s sterile hallways, Party List is on hand to direct interested parties to the hippest, happening off-site and after-hours events during WWDC 2011.

(Update: Looks like we were right to be skeptical. GigaOm has since corrected their post to say they mistakenly published an old press release.)

In what we hope is a return from his medical leave of absence, Apple has apparently just confirmed that Steve Jobs will be the official keynote speaker at this year’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference.

Cupertino now has three out of the four big music labels signed, but even so, could Apple’s iCloud music locker and streaming service be delayed even later than its rumored WWDC launch? The music business is a tricky one, and although Apple’s got most of the labels signed, the negotiations with publishers are still in their early stages.

As this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference approaches, it seems Apple’s plan to bring us a magical cloud filled with a never-ending collection of music called ‘iCloud’ is getting its final touches. Sources say a licensing deal with music label EMI is now in place, but what about the other labels?

San Francisco-based Cult of Mac staff and any others of our far-flug correspondent crew as can get here look forward to meeting readers and WWDC attendees at a cocktail reception on Thursday, June 9 from 6pm – 9pm during Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference.

Are you a student teetering on the brink of an abyss of poverty some might describe as utterly Dostoevskyan? Barely enough coins in your pockets to buy tonight’s dinner — a single can of brine-soaked beans — and a sufficient volume of cheap lard trimming candles to light your midnight studies and pre-dawn app programming exercises, let alone the $1599 to attend this year’s WWDC? No need to hit your land lady with an axe handle for her hidden gold cache. Apple’s willing to give you a scholarship to attend WWDC in June at San Francisco.

According to Apple, to apply, you must be “at least 18 years of age, currently enrolled part-time or full-time at a college or university, and either an iOS Developer University Program member, Mac Developer Program member, or ADC Student member as of August 1, 2010 or later, and have identified yourself as a “Student” in your developer profile.”

About the only provision Apple’s making besides the academic ones is that applicants be talented, as they “will be judged on technical ability, creativity of ideas expressed in products or projects, prior WWDC attendance, technical and work experience.” No morons, in other wosrds.

Scholarship tickets will be passed out by May 3rd, with application due by April 26th. There will be 150 scholarship winners in all. Get on it there, Raskalnikov.

That didn’t take long: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is already sold out — less than 12 hours after $1599 tickets went on sale.

This looks like a record. Last year, it took 8 days for WWDC to sell out.

Apple’s annual developers conference takes place June 6-10 in San Francisco. The conference will focus on iOS 5and Mac OS Lion — and Apple seems to be setting expectations that there’ll be no iPhone 5 at the show. In past years, Steve Jobs has used to the WWDC stage to introduce new iPhone hardware.

Apple’s tagline for this year’s WWDC is “Join us for a preview of the future of iOS and Mac OS X.” Jim Dalrymple over at the Loop says that tagline is worded very carefully, and that according to his sources, Apple will not announce any new hardware at the event… pushing the release of the iPhone 5 back indefinitely.

Traditionally, Apple unveils the newest iPhone every June at WWDC, along with iPod Touches in September and new iPads in March, but according to Dalrymple, Apple’s going to mix this up this year. Why?

“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.”

According to two “solid sources” for TechCruch, Apple’s forthcoming iOS 5 software may bring with it a major revamp of the operating system built around the cloud, but we’ll have to wait for a fall release to enjoy its new features.

A fall release would break the pattern of previous iOS releases, which have typically been unveiled in early spring and released alongside a new iPhone in the summer. However, it’s believed iOS 5 may come with a third-generation iPad rumored to launch later this year.

The TechCrunch sources say that:

• iOS 5 will launch in the fall and will be a major revamp of the OS.
• It could well be previewed at WWDC, it just won’t be released then.
• The iOS 5 launch is also likely to coincide with the release of the iPad 3.
• The new iOS will be heavily built around the cloud, and we could see several new services launch from Apple that take advantage of this.
• Yes, one of those is very likely a “music locker” service. There is also a fall launch aim for this, during Apple’s annual music-themed event.
• But much of the cloud stuff will first be talked about at WWDC, Apple’s developer event which will take place in June.
• One of the new cloud service elements is likely a location service that focuses on finding friends and family members.
• OS X Lion is still on pace for a summer release — some of the new cloud components are likely to be baked into it as well.

Earlier reports had suggested that iOS 5 would be previewed at Apple’s iPad 2 keynote earlier this year, and when that didn’t happen, new reports then rumored that another event in April would take place to talk about iOS 5 and a revamped MobileMe. If the TechCrunch sources are correct, it seems this event won’t go ahead either.

Unfortunately, these sources didn’t provide any details on the iPhone 5, but we’re guessing the device is still on track for its unveiling at WWDC with a launch this summer. Of course, if that is the case, the device will launch with the latest version of iOS 4 and not iOS 5.