Twitter could be integrated directly into iOS 5

Reports are flying that iOS 5 will integrate Twitter, and possibly other social services like Facebook, on the system-level in iOS 5.

The news comes by way of TechCrunch tipsters:

"We’ve heard from multiple sources that Twitter is likely to have a big-time partner for such a service: Apple. Specifically, we’re hearing that Apple’s new iOS 5 will come with an option to share images to Twitter baked into the OS. This would be similar to the way you can currently share videos on YouTube with one click in iOS. Obviously, a user would have to enable this feature by logging in with their Twitter credentials in iOS. There would then be a “Send to Twitter” option for pictures stored on your device."

The reliable Jon Gruber of Daring Fireball threw in his two cents on the TechCrunch story:

So close to the bigger story, but yet so far. Imagine what else the system could provide if your Twitter account was a system-level service.

In other words, an app-less Twitter ecosystem inside iOS 5 on the iPhone could extend far beyond simple image sharing. 

For example, it isn't hard to imagine how Apple and Twitter could make use of GPS functinality on the iPhone. 

At any rate, we will know for sure in less than a week since iOS 5 is offiically a go for Apple's WWDC event.