Apple's annual epic developer conference, WWDC, kicks off Monday and expectations couldn't be higher. Other than a new-ish iPod, there's been nary a product-related peep since Apple's fall media event, which means there's a lot that could be unveiled here in San Francisco.
Some things are relatively safe bets. Being developer-centric, we'll definitely get a first look at big upgrades to Apple's mobile and desktop operating systems, iOS and OS X. Look for greater integration with social platforms and more refined options for power users. WWDC also is where we tend to see updates to the MacBook line -- last year brought the Retina display MacBook Pro and a processor refresh for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. So we're counting on some hardware announcements too.
As to the rest? Here's what Apple's likely to unveil based on past trends, and what the rumor mill has been spinning up.
iOS 7
Each iteration of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system introduces hundreds, if not thousands, of updates, from major apps to minor performance tweaks. This year, we expect iOS to get the flatter aesthetic championed by Apple UX chief Jony Ive. The skeumorphism that's dominated iOS apps like Calendar and Podcasts almost certainly will be toned down, as will the use of textures and gradients.
iOS 7 is likely to include Flickr and Vimeo integration. OS X Mountain Lion already has it, and Flickr sharing is built into iPhoto. This, like iOS's system-wide Twitter and Facebook integration, would make sharing photos and videos to those services as simple as a finger tap. For apps that give you the option to share to Flickr, you wouldn't need to log in separately if you've already logged in inside the system settings.
Apple also is likely to make the experience more efficient. How so? According to 9to5Mac, notifications on the lockscreen (expected to get a new look, btw) will be more easily accessible through gestures. Notification Center will include more widget-like panels to make weather and news feed information available at a glance.
We expect Apple to kick up Siri's capabilities a notch or two as well. Apple has slowly added features to Siri since it debuted on the iPhone 4S in 2011, most recently with the addition of Fandango movie ticket ordering. At D11, Tim Cook said Apple will open its API to more developers. We're hoping this means developers could finally start integrating Siri into apps. That would be a sea change.
OS X 10.9
Starting with OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple began blurring the line between iOS and OS X by providing shared software services like iCloud and shared design aspects (faux leather stitching anyone?). The latest version of iOS should continue that trend, and we'd like to see cloud-based services like iCloud and iMessage improve in terms of experience and reliability.
OS X 10.9 will also reportedly tout more "power-user" features. In recent versions, Apple made its OS and applications like iPhoto and iMovie friendlier to new users who may have been introduced to the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone or iPad. The needs of advanced OS X users were put on the back burner. Those advanced features might include things like tags and tabbed browsing modes in Finder, according to 9to5Mac.
Users with multi-monitor setups finally will be able to open an app in full screen on a specific monitor (Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said in an email exchange with a user that this was an issue Apple would be addressing).
Siri also may make its way onto the desktop in some form. Voice recognition has been available as an accessibility feature for a while, but it would make sense for it to be rebranded and expanded with Siri's voice chops. Google recently introduced voice search in the latest version of its Chrome desktop browser.
We've got a long list of things Apple should include in the next version of OS X; for the rundown, you can click here.
Hardware
WWDC traditionally is a Mac-heavy event. So it's no surprise we expect to see internal upgrades for Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines, specifically to Intel's next-gen Haswell processors.
While Apple has ditched the optical drive in its MacBook Pro with Retina and MacBook Air lines, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities believes its too soon for Apple to ditch the optical drive in its products completely -- and we agree. There haven't been any supply chain indications that Apple is changing up the look up its MacBooks drastically, so they likely will keep the same, or a very similar form factor.
Despite almost no supply chain indications, Apple could also debut a new Mac Pro. An interaction between Mac Pro product manager Douglas Brooks and aMacRumors forum member seem to indicate the tower could be getting extra graphics cards support and memory expansion could be in the Mac Pro's future, among other new features.
Although Apple once upon a time unveiled new iPhones at WWDC, we would be extraordinarily surprised if Apple introduced a new iPhone (or even an iPad) next week. Apple seems to make those blockbuster mobile announcements in the fall now -- a new iPhone at WWDC is not in the cards.
Music Streaming Service
Rumored for months, Apple could finally be revealing its music streaming service, often referred to as "iRadio" for lack of a better moniker, at WWDC this year. According to AllThingsD, all three major music labels -- Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group -- are now onboard.
With this information, it seems likely that Apple could announce the service to developers, but wouldn't actually launch in earnest for a few more months. The service is reportedly Pandora-like, offering users the ability to stream music stations with some degree of control.
