Apple is, as announced, set to unveil the fourth generation of its mobile operating system tomorrow morning. Alright, great, but what does it mean?

Well first of all, new OS means new features, obviously, and we haven't seen much of these lately so it better be something big. We could also speculate about a new design; after all, the iPhone's operating system still looks very much like it did when it was introduced three years ago and could use a refresh. So what could Cupertino have possibly been prepping for so long? Let's see.

Very likely

Multitasking

Third-party apps multitasking is the most obvious one. On top of the various reports we've heard, the very invitation to the event itself (above) consists of a shadow, which could suggest something going on in the background. If done well, this could be amazing; it opens an entire new world of new possibilities for developers to make some awesome apps.

Notification System

The current Push Notification system has some serious flaws and would eventually not make sense if apps were allowed to run in the background, which it was meant to replace.

New UI

Pretty much all of the features added to iPhone OS so far were simply built over the existing interface. I wouldn't be surprised to see that Apple has rebuilt the UI from the ground up to accommodate the new additions. That's one of Apple's strength, so it should look pretty good.

Wallpapers

I'm not into customizing my gadgets, but with the iPad allowing it, the iPhone is next.

Universal Inbox

This one comes from Jobs himself who answered positively to an email inquiring about it. It's convenient, but nothing to get excited about.

Shared Folder

The possibility to share documents between apps or with a computer should become standard system-wide.

Spell check

Possible on the iPad already, it might become a standard.

Better Bluetooth

The extended support for keyboards on the iPad might not make as much sense on the iPhone. File exchange, however, could be a nice touch.

Possible

iAD

Apple's acquisition of Quattro Wireless is believed to result in an Apple-owned advertisement platform for app developers. This would further cut the grass under Google's feet, which is also trying to tap into this business with AdMob. All this can bring is more ad-sponsored apps, and I don't like that.

Printing Capabilities

This is a new one based on Appleinsider's interpretation of the iPad's support documents that iPhone OS 4 would allow you to use printers wirelessly. Mac OS X's support for printers is actually pretty impressive compared to Windows and Apple has some experience to leverage there. On the other hand, the need for drivers could be too heavy for mobile devices.

Location

Apple has been patenting a lot of location-based features for the iPhone that would allow you to share your location via text or track members of an "iGroup". Another idea we saw was the possibility for your iPhone to adapt itself to your location, such as switching to vibrate on its own when you're at work.

System Wide Speech Recognition

Also patented recently, this would allow you to dictate rather than type in any app. If you hate the on-screen keyboard and don't have my accent, you might actually find it useful.

HD Apps

Apple is rumored to double the resolution of the next iPhone. If it's indeed the case, we might hear something about it tomorrow, but it's unlikely unless they present new models.

Wishful thinking

FM Receiver & Emitter

The iPhone's hardware already allows receiving and streaming radio and it would just take a software update to activate it. Unfortunately, emitting radio signals is very reglemented in certain countries, so don't get too excited. Further, we haven't heard anything that would suggest it.

iPad Sync & Tether

The idea of connecting your iPad to your iPhone to sync data and maybe use its camera or data connection has not been discussed much, yet it would be great. However Steve Jobs turned down the latter by email and never meant for the iPad to replace a computer.

WiFi Hotspot

The iPhone can already share (not everywhere) its data connection via Bluetooth or USB; Wifi should but probably won't be the next step.

App Sample

The possibility to test any app before buying it is a frequent request. It's possible in iBooks, but hard to implement with apps.

In short

Tomorrow, expect a new fresh looking iPhone OS that lets you multitask along with some minor improvements and features, and let's hope, some major surprises.

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