WWDC 2010 Predictions
UPDATE: Be sure to follow our WWDC live coverage of the keynote!
The theme for this year’s WWDC, “The Center of the App Universe,” is all about the iPhone. When Steve takes the stage on Monday, we can expect to hear a lot about the next release of iPhone OS and the next generation hardware. But what else can we expect to hear about during the keynote next week?
For Sure
iPhone OS 4.0
I do not expect many surprises beyond what is already listed on the what’s new page but it will be nice to get some more details on the iAd program and Game Center. My money is on a GM release available in the Developer Center later on Tuesday as soon as the keynote is over. The software might be available in an iTunes update on Tuesday as well.
iPhone OS 4.0 for iPad
Steve has already said that it will be available in the fall, but I expect we will hear about the imminent release of developer betas of iPhone OS 4 for iPad. I will go out on a limb and guess that iPhone OS 4 for iPad will be available on CD’s at the event and will appear on the Developer Center sometime next week.
New iPhone Hardware
The fourth generation of the iPhone hardware will not be called the iPhone 4G. No way. It would be too confusing to market a mobile phone as a 4G device when it does not speak 4G wireless protocols (LTE or IMT Advanced). I think it will be called the iPhone HD. That HD moniker is going to be popular this season.
The only big question remaining is to see if Steve brings G.P. up on stage with him to introduce it.
Tethering
AT&T already announced that tethering on the iPhone would be available on Tuesday this summer when iPhone OS 4.0 is released. If the software is not available to customers then, it would make AT&T look foolish and incompetent… wait a second.
Apple Design Awards Winners
The winners of this year’s Apple Design Awards for iPhone and iPad apps will surprise no one. Sure, I mean, it will be a surprise and all but there will not be a single app on the list that you have not heard of. I expect a few of the iPad showcase apps from the January event to get a nicely lit cube to take home.
Maybe
Apple TV
There are quite a few rumors flying that the next Apple TV will be based on the iPhone OS and the A4 processor in the iPad. The idea of running apps on the Apple TV, even with a non-touch, remote control interface, is exciting. Pandora would be amazing. I am a little concerned that the iPad can only do 720p video, so the Apple TV would need a little extra oomph to get to 1080p. If it does 1080p, it will be called the Apple TV HD.
iPod touch
There have been some sightings of the next iPod touch casing that show a camera. We might see an update here, but I would not expect anything until the back to school promotion is over in the fall.
Mac Pro Update
I think we are all ready for new Mac Pro hardware. New six-core Xeons would be amazing. You know, sometimes you just need a big truck to do some heavy lifting.
No Chance
OS X 10.7
This year is all about the iPhone. I think the only mention that 10.7 might get is to remind everyone that they are not going to hear about it this week.
Other U.S. Carriers
So many people want this that I figured I had to put it on the list even though I don’t think it is going to happen in the next week. If you are waiting to get an iPhone on Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint — keep waiting.
App Store Approval Process Q&A with Apple Executives
Hehe. Just having a bit of fun there.
I Can Dream, Can’t I?
Safari Extensions
Gruber dropped a hint the other week that an extension framework for Safari might be coming. Extensions are one of the few things that keep me on Firefox and Chrome. While Safari extensions would certainly be welcome on the desktop, it could also be amazing on the iPhone and the iPad.
MobileMe
I have heard the arguments for Apple to make MobileMe free, but I do not think that will happen. What I am hoping for is a cloud file system that makes sense for the iPhone and iPad.
iTunes Cloud/Lala
It would be nice to hear about a cloud strategy for iTunes, especially if the next Apple TV is primarily a streaming device. Surely that big, fancy, new data center is going to be used for something. That said, I am not holding my breath.
What Do You Want to See?
What are you expecting (or wishing) to hear about next week? Sound off in the comments below. And don’t forget to check out our live coverage of the keynote!
For those interested in cloud computing or data centers, check out our Structure conference in June.
At this point, I just want a VZW iPhone. That’s not gonna happen for a while. I’m giving up. Going with a different smartphone. Android or Palm.
Plz, Plz, let me send and receive ical invites/change ical events and synch back to my Imac, from my iPhone, cant understand why this is still not here
I just want to see a real pro macbook to replace my aging 15″… It’s good to dream :)
Who’s going to sue the data center?
Wait. Sue? or did you mean use?
Read your copy.
“Surely that big, fancy, new data center is going to be sued for something. That said, I am not holding my breath.”
’nuff said!
Well, considering all the people that are lining up to sue Apple for one thing or another, maybe I should just leave it the way it is. :)
A free basic mobile me (with no big storage) is a MUST. This is the way things are. Apple can support it for with Ads if needed.
iChat with Video will be there as well. A good move will be to make it RCS compatible so it will open up not only iPhone devices and that would really mean ‘open’
Any iPod touch or Music related annoucement will wait until September
No Apple TV…that would be a specific event. And I expect Apple to get into the market with a TV itself, not a set-top box
Maybe a price cut on the iPhone.
…with regards to names…I think it will be called iPhone. No HD, no 4G. Look at the iPod history of names.
“No Apple TV…that would be a specific event. And I expect Apple to get into the market with a TV itself, not a set-top box”
Not a chance of that, they would have to compete with all the other tv manufacturers or persuade them to embed it in their own tv. Then you have to wait for people to replace their existing HD TVs in order to get market penetration and finally the cost for entry would be way more than $99 so it would not be a discretionary item to most people.
I just want to set and use my own SMS ringtone. How hard is that?
No kidding! My cellphone from 2003 did this! This has been a frustration for sooo long.
Wireless syncing would be great
I don’t usually get sucked into this sort of thing, but hey, it’s Friday, I’m having a cold drink and the weekend is just about here, so here goes:
iPhone OS 4.0 – I’m on the beta and it’s great. There are not too many gaps left to fill in my mind, but I can’t claim to be looking at this from everyones perspective. There’s a bunch of stuff that it can do with multitasking that clearly Apple will not approve for the App Store. What I mean by that is that the capabilities are far greater than the narrow examples Steve covered in the keynote on 4.0, but Apple just isn’t going to approve those use cases, so I don’t expect any revelations there.
The gaps that I do see, that could easily be filled by “surprises” on Monday:
As someone else mentioned, iCal invites / events could use some love.
The lock screen needs some kind of way to show what messages are waiting. e.g. what Apps have badges and/or a timeline of notifications. It would make sense to be able to review that list/screen once you unlock the phone too.
Some facility for widgets. Recent App Store activity suggests this might come true, along with their omission (Weather, Stocks etc) from the iPad. Personally, I’m not so interested in them. Maybe this will be 4G only, if the memory capacity of that device is greater than the 3GS.
Plenty of evidence suggests Video Chat should make an appearance, if only for the 4G. Will we get access to the API though?
Wireless sync with iTunes. I hate the fact I can’t do this. I only really need it on Wi-Fi. Or maybe we’ll get more than this. It’s about time our media just sync’d seamlessly across all our Apple devices/Macs. Or we get the “Cloud”
iPhone 4G – Seems like plenty has been uncovered. Did anyone mention 802.11n? I don’t recall, but if the iPad has it… and that would give enough bandwidth for wireless iTunes sync, no?
iPad OS 4.0 (4.1?) – Surely this will be brought forward. I find my iPad old-fashioned, what with quitting apps and stuff, already.
All good points. I think the notification system needs a complete overhaul.
@frats
AMEN TO THAT!!! so many iPhones out there with the same Message Tone. The tritone is the only bearable stock one and what do you know everyone uses that one too. I had to jailbreak mine to change it.
I would like to see the Apple HDTV (television) with Apple TV HD built in and maybe Blue-Ray built in. The sometimes beautiful HDTVs are too often cluttered with several ugly, mis-matched boxes. If Apple could put together an Apple television that would clean up the TV space and be controlled by iPhone or iPad I think it would be a hit. Art on the wall w/o clutter, who could do it better tha Apple?
i’m wishing for an itunes software update that lets me store video on an external drive and keep my music and apps on my internal drive
I already do that on my mini, you just have to change the setting in iTunes advanced settings not to copy, and then drag your media in from their current locations. Just make sure the external is plugged in when you launch iTunes or it will default back to the internal.
Tethering SOFTWARE is already there, even since iPhone OS 3. The carrier must support it and that’s what AT&T will finally do — but European carriers (such as mine) all provide it and there’s no problem with tethering over iPhone 3G w/ OS3.
I want to see an iPhone/iPod with 16:9 display with wireless connection to any screen of my choosing (say, watch a movie on a 60″ screen streamed wirelessly from the device over at a friend’s house where I want to “share” the movie with him by watching it with him). It should also offer biometric access so if I leave it lying around in a bar somebody has to steal a part of my body to unlock it.
I find the rumors about the Apple TV to be intriguing and I hope they prove to be real. The Apple TV has never really appealed to me, but the idea of a set top box with access to an App Store is awesome. It could be a killer product if Apple does three things.
1: 1080p video of course. This would probably require them going with a different chip set than what is in the iPad but that is no big deal since this would be a non-portable device and power usage isn’t that big of a concern.
2: A real universal remote instead of that stupid little thing they have now. Even if it was an optional purchase this is a must have.
3: An optional and official Apple branded controller for video games which would give Apple a great excuse to fire up their photocopiers for a change because Microsoft already has one of the best designed controllers ever with the Xbox 360′s controller. And it really has to be official and Apple branded otherwise developers will mostly ignore it.
I think it’s safe to consider the MacBook Air over any other piece of hardware. It’s a great selling device that appeals to on the go users like me. I just sold my 2.13Ghz Rev. C MBA in anticipation for WWDC so it’ll be disappointing if that isn’t refreshed.
Core i5 w/ 256GB SSD and an improved GPU would be welcome addition to the MBA and if a new IPS display is put in there, I’ll be one happy geek!
Sorry and by hardware, I was specifically referencing Macintosh hardware (not iPhone, AppleTV or iPod)
Really? I don’t get the impression that the MacBook Air sells very well based on the fact that they are readily available for deep discounts on the Apple refurb site.
I would say FREE Mobile Me. This would create more of a customer base since right now it cost $99/ year. It would also work great for ipad, iphone, and macs alike.
I think a free MobileMe is a strong possibility. Apple isn’t making buckets of money, and offering it for free would keep a lot of people away from using Google products.
A competitor to Google Docs that really competes would be wonderful.
A Lala/iTunes product/update is likely, and something I would love to see. I hope they have a flan to compete with Frobo, or iPhone could die a quick and horrible death.
I think we will possibly see a major change to the iPod lineup this week.
Steve Jobs coming out of the closet? C’mon, the turtlenecks are a dead giveaway.
Lined to buy a new Mac Pro with 2×6 cores and new Hi-def iPhone. Anything else is gravy
Totally agree with Carrie above me somewhere. Having the ability to store videos separate from the main drive is a must with the drive options Apple provides. 500GB doesn’t cut it if you’ve got 10 HD videos and a few thousand songs. I think this might have something to do with Lala and the huge server farm. If we don’t see Apple announce something about it Monday, it will definitely make and appearance come September.
I am hoping that a world i phone will be announced which can work on any
service carriers….
Also,
A Camera on i pod touch is on my wish list….
Let us keep guessing for the world best gadgets…
Cheers….
All I want is personalised SMS tones & the ability to send group SMS messages by group name …. please
At the this point I want an iPhone on Verizon, so all the people complaining about AT&T can leave for Verizon, making AT&T’s horrible service better :-)
Apple TV 1080p would be really cool at $99.
World peace and end to hunger!
A consolidation of the ipod-iphone lines would seem a step forward for me, though not a good one commercially. Am not a fan of the current iPhones as they’ve so far seemed comprimised by size and performance. Would be chuffed to see a smaller product e.g. “iPhone mini/nano” which fitted in your pocket, as a mid range line. Sandwiched between a smaller ipod line and the current ‘chunky’ model with all the bells and whistles. And ditch the many other incarnations of ipod which all seem to overlap and create a fussy brand/product proposition.
13″ macbook pros with i5 chipsets ( i wish )
macbook pros with IPS screens! as the leaked iphone has an IPS screen.
I am holding my breath for the possible release of the ipod touch with a camera…i’ve been waiting forever for it! i hope Apple and Steve Jobs do not let me down!
i want the ipod touch to get a camera!! thats my wish!! dont let me down Apple and Steve Jobs!
I would love to see more customization features. I believe I speak for many when I say that i would pay a small premium for downloadable themes on the app store. It’s a gigantic money pot that apple hast dabbled in for some reason. Time to let up on the reigns a little bit apple.
Bike Helmet Girl on the Playboy centerspread.
One of the most important thing coming i thing that no one really covers (Techcrunch gave a hint a few weeks ago) > Facebook connect integration in iTunes.
The only big question remaining is to see if Steve brings G.P. up on stage with him to introduce it.
who is G.P?
the dude who lost the iphone at the bar Gray Powell
“AT&T already announced that tethering on the iPhone would be available on Tuesday. If the software is not available to customers on that day and date, it would make AT&T look foolish and incompetent… wait a second”
Software tethering support is there, I’m using since 3.0. Come again… who look foolish.
Who is G.P. ?
What about a long overdue update to both iWeb and iWork?!
I personally would like to see blue-ray players/burners made available on MacBook Pro & iMac. I thought Apple would have got onto the Blue-ray bandwagon when HD-DVD stopped production.
First the iPhone, be able to change sounds and background please. Wireless syncing would be great, and allow me to have more than one computer. Also the ical/invites and changes.
Apple TV, cloud would be great, and how about a subscription feature like Netflix for the iTunes store (talk about dreaming ah)? 1080p is a must.
MobileMe, have a basic free account then subscriptions for more features and storage. The free account could be supported by ads and the paid account NO ADS.
Low man on the totem pole:
iPod Nano update. It’s been “special priced” in the Store for at least a week.
Surprised no one is mentioning iLife ’11
I am not convinced that it will be called iPhone HD.I’m betting that it goes back to being simply the “iPhone”. Back to the original name.
I would like to not see this anymore: http://screencast.com/t/NDcyZjc2M in my news reader.
Ok, you can flame me now. Sorry, but I just had to say it. It is like a punch in the face every time I ready my RSS.
Not yet mentioned in the comments is one I want on the iPhone – the option for an alternative default browser on the iPhone, but I doubt it will happen.
It’s good being in the UK, where we can choose from any of three mobile networks, I like to think of it as a consolation for the fact that hardware is not released released outside the U.S until much later. Here, the iPad went on sale just over a week ago while the U.S. has had it for months.
There better be an explanation of what Apple intends to do to fix the AT&T dropped ball on the iPad 3g service. It was sold by Jobs in January as a revolutionary plan for $30 per month for unlimited data that could be stopped and started on an as needed basis. Barely 30 days after releasing the iPad 3g, AT&T pulled the rug out from under buyers UNLESS you start and NEVER STOP the service. Otherwise, its off to the $25/2gb plan.
I fully expect Apple and AT&T to dance arounf this by announcing a feature in iPad OS4 software this fall that allows tethering ONLY WITH an iPhone and sharing a common data pool. Maybe wishful thinking, but I think Jobs will pull a rabbit out of his hat tomorrow, or will see a raft of returns in favor of the $130 saving on the WiFi model.
I agree,
I think the iTouch will almost definitely not make an appearance, that is traditionally held in a separate ipod function a lot later in the year.
Hey What happened to Shadow figure in this post’s WWDC icon?
2009 is the shadow of 2010? Uh, Uh
I have a 3G iPad and I don’t have a data plan on it. I assume a lot of people (like me) bought the 3G version for the GPS, not necessarily the data. Hopefully in future versions all models will have the standard GPS receiver.
New iMac!!
All i want 2 see is an ipod touch w/ camera by sept. of 2010