Apple has today announced the date for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), traditionally the launching pad for a brand new iPhone. That’s not the only brand new Apple product we could see unveiled on 6 June in San Francisco however, especially since Apple promises to unveil the future of Mac OS alongside iOS for portable devices. We’ve been reading the tech tea leaves to see what that might just be: read our guide right here for what to expect.
iPhone 5
WWDC has been the birthing place of the three previous iPhone models, the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G, so we’d be surprised if the iPhone 5 didn’t rock up into officialdom this time round too, regardless of whether Steve Jobs is on hand or not to compere proceedings – even if we’re hearing reports otherwise.
What can we expect from the iPhone 5? A dual core processor like the one inside the iPad 2 seems a shoe in, but there are some other bits and bobs we’ve divined from leaks and patent applications – check out our iPhone 5 rumour roundup for all you need to know.
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iOS 5
Apple has unveiled a new version of its iPhone operating system in the Spring with a Summer launch for the last two years running, but a new report suggest the next iteration, iOS 5, will arrive later than usual, with a roll out in the Autumn. However, that could well mean iOS 5 is first revealed at WWDC, since Apple tends to give developers several months with beta access to make sure their apps are bang up to date. As for what we’ll see, we’d expect iTunes cloud features of some kind, and possibly even NFC support for new iOS devices to make wireless payments.
New MacBook Air
Apple’s revamped MacBook Air has received widespread acclaim, but despite being impossibly thin, it’d still be even better with a second generation Intel Core processor inside, as some ultra portable Windows 7 laptops pack, rather than older Core 2 Duo chips. Now that Intel’s got its Sandy Bridge silicon to market, could we see an even more powerful MacBook Air line?
New Mac OS X Lion features
Apple already has a preview of its big update to OS X for Macs available to developers, but it could still be hiding surprise features. It’s possible we’ll see even closer integration with iOS, as this was one of the big pitch points Apple made with Lion when it was announced last year. Cult of Mac reports that Apple is even working on a system to allow you to log into any Mac with an NFC equipped iPhone (Such an iPhone does not yet exist), and load up all your settings and applications from the cloud.
iPad 3
This one’s a rank outsider since it’s unlikely that Apple would miss the chance for separate launches for the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 and even more press coverage. But there have been reports that an iPad 3, or whole new type of iPad (smaller, larger, it’s unclear) could debut much sooner than next Spring – perhaps to capitalise on the Christmas sales rush. Could we see an announcement at WWDC and a launch alongside Apple’s 2011 iPod line up, likely to be released in early September? Don’t rule it out.
