Apple is taking MobileMe’s web apps down for maintenance from 10pm to 12am PST tonight. MacRumors has heard this may just be to tweak the interface and add new functionality that:

will see the rolling out of several new enhancements, including an official launch of the redesigned Mail interface for MobileMe that has been available in beta form for the past month. Included in this rollout will be push functionality for the Web-based Mail client, providing real-time updating as messages arrive.

Apple is also reportedly removing the MobileMe “toolbar” for the various Web applications offered by the service, replacing the toolbar with a single “application switcher” icon that will allow users to switch between Web applications.

They’ve also heard a dedicated, universal iPhone and IPad app for Find My iPhone is on its way as well. That would be a first, since Apple hasn’t so far updated any of their existing iPhone apps for iPad.

I guess we’ll see come tomorrow.

[MobileMe System Status, MacRumors]

TiPb just received a tip from inside one of Apple’s carrier partners on the memo reproduced below. We can’t verify it but are running it just in case anyone notices any problems and comes looking for potential causes.

Our tipster thought Apple might be using the downtime to prep for some iPhone 3.0 and next-generation iPhone hardware goodness. We have no way of verifying that either, of course, but with under 10 days to WWDC 2009, nothing — fact or fiction — surprises us anymore…

On Sunday evening May 31 / Monday June 1, in some time zones Apple will perform maintenance on the servers responsible for all iPhone activations.

This is a planned maintenance that begins at 8:00 p.m. and ends at 11:00 p.m., United States Pacific time.

During the scheduled downtime, attempts to activate a new iPhone will result in iTunes displaying a message that says activations are currently unavailable.

If a customer reports this as a problem please explain that:

Nothing is wrong with iTunes or the customer’s iPhone.

This is a scheduled downtime for system maintenance.

The iTunes Store, App Store, MobieMe, and www.apple.com are not affected.

Per the message in iTunes, the customer should try connecting again after the maintenance period has ended.”