Sources provided the details of the forthcoming release of Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 5, for and iPads.

There's been much speculation from the Apple rumor mill that the company will announce something big at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco June 6-10

Widgets are small programs in floating windows that provide quick access to information or functions, such as weather, or website news feeds. Google Android already has widgets, as do other smartphone platforms. There has been criticism from techies that widgets have been omitted from the iPhone and iPad platform to this point.

It's unclear how widgets would be implemented on Apple mobile devices. Other moves Apple has been making may offer some clues.

Apple is merging the look and feel of its desktop and mobile operating systems. Last year, it said it was , for example. The next release of OS X -- codenamed Lion -- mirrors many iOS features. That isn't surprising since iOS already borrows many features from Apple's desktop operating system Mac OS X, such as the ever-present Dock at the bottom of the screen, and Spotlight search.