According to Fox News host and tech blogger Clayton Morris, Apple will show off the next version of the iPhone OS at their press event next Wednesday, January 27. 

The event, which was announced yesterday, is almost universally expected to be the launch of Apple’s long-awaited tablet, though this has not yet been officially confirmed by the company.

Morris reports that a source inside Apple told him on Monday that “the event would likely focus on three projects: The tablet device, iPhone 4, and a new round of iLife 2010 software.”

Neither we nor Morris expect the 4th Generation iPhone to be announced at the event, though this remains a possibility.  iPhone OS updates have been nil over the last several months, reportedly because Apple’s team has been hard at work on software for the upcoming tablet.  There is also speculation that, if true, the announcement of the next version of the iPhone OS alongside the unveiling of the Apple tablet makes it a lock that the tablet device will run an OS much closer to that of the iPhone than the full OS that runs on its laptops and desktops.

Including of the next version of iLife with the announcement of iPhone OS 4.0 and the tablet might indicate that a tablet-and-iPhone-friendly version of the software suite will be made available for the two devices.  Touch-ready ports of iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, etc., would seem natural additions for Apple’s touch devices.