iOS 7.0 & OS X
Two things that we know for sure will be unveiled for the first time are the new versions of iOS and OS X. These two announcements were confirmed by Tim Cook during his D11 interview last week so you can count on getting the full slew of details likely including price and release dates. I expect that the majority of the keynote will be devoted to these two topics for one very important reason. The release of these two pieces of software is going to be a defining moment for Apple. Whether that moment will be good or bad is yet to be seen but these operating systems are going to mark a huge change in the look and feel of Apple products. This is the first complete interface redesign that will be done without the input of Steve Jobs and it is impossible to overstate the significance of that fact.
Many rumors point to a new "flat" design that has been concocted by hardware design genius Jonathan Ives. Ives has had enormous success being the lead hardware designer for Apple for quite some time, however in the past he always had a counterpoint in Jobs and that partnership ultimately ended up turning out countless revolutionary product designs. During the major management shakeup last year Ives took over the visual design of Apple's software in addition to the hardware and these two releases will be the first products developed under his supervision. Ives has long been known to hate the skeuomorphic design elements that Apple previously has employed throughout both their desktop and mobile platforms so it is all but given that he is going to eradicate these elements from the new versions. What does that mean for the end user? Well some simple examples are that your calendar, notepad, and address book applications will no longer visually mimic their real life companions. Skeuomorphism is a hotly debated topic amongst the design community so I expect that this change will ignite quite a bit of discussion. Personally I have always felt that the skeuomorphic patterns employed by Apple have mostly been instrumental in helping them achieve their goal of creating technology that lives at the intersection of art and the humanities. Something about these interfaces has made them feel more accessible and more personal to a lot of people so I am concerned that this change may bring Apple much closer to Android's style of interface which I find to be more cold and emotionless.
Leaving interface changes aside for a minute there is likely a lot to look forward to with the new versions of these operating systems. Tim Cook has confirmed that Apple is going to be opening up their SDK for iOS in ways that they never have before which could lead to some interesting possibilities for developers. Additionally, it is highly likely that Apple will continue to incorporate successful elements of their mobile operating system into OS X which has proven to be successful with both the Lion and Mountain Lion releases. Rumors are also currently suggesting that this could be one of the first times in awhile where Apple begins moving functionality from their desktop operating system into iOS, specifically AirDrop. AirDrop wireless file sharing has been available in OS X since the Lion release and Apple is known to at least be internally testing a version of iOS that employs this functionality. Apple aficionados will understand that this would be a big step for Apple who has always been quite restrictive as to what files from the iPhone can be shared. It will be interesting to see if Apple blows the doors open and allows for things like music and video sharing , if it will be restricted to things like pictures and contacts, or if they will just scrap the feature altogether.
In a world where Windows 8 has mostly been a failure and the line between desktop and mobile computing is getting less and less clear, it is going to be extremely important for Apple to put out a release that updates and modernizes both iOS and OS X while and creates a seamless experience that is accessible, versatile and cutting edge but still maintains the trademark quality and stability that Apple is known for. A failure in this arena could severely jeopardize Apples position in the market when it comes time to release new devices.
MacBooks, Mac Pro and iMac
In the category of not confirmed but still basically guaranteed announcements for WWDC is updates to Apple's computer line, with a particular emphasis on the Macbook Pro lineup. Given that Intel is going to be launching their newest line of Haswell processors, it seems only natural the Apple would update it's lineup to include the latest from Intel. Perhaps more interesting though is the rumor that Apple will be revealing some minor tweaks to it's 13" Retina MacBook Pro that was released less than a year ago. The tweaks are rumored to be fairly minor but will result in an overall slimmer (yes you read that right) design for the already incredibly thin notebook. Expect the array of ports and probably even graphics support to remain fairly similar to their current state. One thing that is not clear is whether Apple plans on any special updates for the MacBook Air lineup. Enthusiasts have been salivating over the idea of a Retina MacBook Air since the first retina machines came out last year, however given the current technology behind the displays. high cost and supply chain issues Apple continues to have, I don't expect that we will see retina displays make their way into the MacBook Air lineup this go round.
One last interesting note is that supplies of Mac Pros have begun to wane in the weeks leading up to WWDC so it is likely that the Mac Pro will finally get some long overdue attention to bring it up to par with the current standards for insanely expensive cutting edge machines. Don't expect this to get much attention, if any, during the keynote though given that the Mac Pro accounts for an almost nonexistent amount of revenue for Apple.
iRadio
Last but not least is something in the category of, could happen but pretty unlikely, is Apples long rumored iRadio service. For those unfamiliar with Apple rumors, iRadio is Apple's long gestating subscription music service (kinda like Pandora). Apple has been known to be working on this service for quite some time but has had major problems getting music labels to sign on. The only thing that makes an announcement of this service possible is that Apple is alleged to have finally gotten Warner and Universal to both sign on, leaving Sony as the only holdout. It is possible that Apple could announce the service to try and drum up some hype and strongarm Sony into giving in. What remains to be seen is if there really is even a market left for this. The streaming music market is already pretty packed with the likes of Pandora, Rhapsody, Spotify, I Heart Radio and the new Google Play Music All Access. If Apple is going to join the fray they are going to need to bring something new to differentiate themselves from the mob. Look for some kind of combination of iTunes Match with this service as a means to accomplish this differentiation. My personal feeling is that we will see iRadio launch this year but probably not until the iPhone 5S announcement.
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