Apple on Monday told developers through the members-only Apple Developer Forum that it will reset iCloud backup data this Thursday, September 22.
"Backing up to iCloud or restoring from an iCloud backup will be unavailable from 9 AM PDT—5 PM PDT," according to the notice, which was posted by MacRumors. "If you attempt a backup or restore during this time, you will receive an alert that the backup or restore was not successful. After this reset, you will be unable to restore from any backup created prior to September 22. A full backup will happen automatically the next time your device backs up to iCloud."
The move reinforces rumors that Apple is launching iOS 5 and the next-generation iPhone, either an iPhone 5 or iPhone 4s, or both, sometime next week.
Since Apple has already missed June, late August, and early September launches of the iPhone 5, rumors we'd previously picked up, the latest blogosphere buzz pins an announcement from Apple in late September with products hitting stores on October 7.
Apple's iCloud—Steve Jobs' last major announcement as CEO—is a way for users to store and quickly access vast amounts of data through a remote server. Developers were given beta access over the summer. Jobs said Apple will launch iCloud this fall.
For more, see Apple's iCloud, iOS 5, and OS X Lion: Moving Toward an Internet-Centric Vision and Apple iOS 5, Lion: Magical Innovation or Blatant Copying?
Losing track of all the Apple iPhone 5 rumors? Be sure to check out What the iPhone 5 Might Look Like and Six Amazing Phone Technologies We Want in iPhone 5, as well as the 8 Likely iPhone 5 Rumors, and 2 Wild Ones slideshow below.