Apple WWDC Predictions for Monday

 by Perry Longinotti

Apple's WWDC is next week and I have been thinking about what we could see.

I don't think this is the venue for hardware upgrades. Faster processors for Pro Macs and LED backlights for MacBooks are not keynote-worthy announcements. They will be rolled into small events on Apple premises, or might not warrant any fanfare at all.

A 3G iPhone and updated .Mac service (probably rebranded) are very likely. With 3G data connecting you to an expanded .Mac service, and the power of the iPhone could we finally see the true potential of cloud computing realised? My dusty forgotten and neglected .Mac account expires on Tuesday. If my prediction is wrong, I probably won't renew.

About that iPhone; I think there will be two variants (both 3G):

iPhone Pro

• Similar look - metal, glass
• Slightly smaller
• 16 and 32 GB
• GPS
• Exchange and Blackberry support
• Lots of coporate apps and certifications: Salesforce, CRM, ERP
• Full price

iPhone

• White or black plastic
• slightly fatter
• 8 or 16 GB
• GPS - more lifestyle centric
• Mobile Me
• Lots of fun features - games from EA, Ubi and Sega
• Available on subsidy from all carriers - from $199 on a 3 year contract

I'll also guess that we will see a milestone number of applications at the launch of App Store. 1000 is a good round number. It's a developer conference so expect some big names on stage to discuss how easy it is to port apps to iPhone from Mac and other platforms.

Will we see other devices? I don't think so. The tablet form factor computer I predicted last time around is more of a MacWorld type announcement - if it ever passes Steve's QA process.