WWDC: Not All About iCloud

Tomorrow is like Christmas morning for many of us, as we await WWDC and Steve Jobs' important keynote address.We know quite a bit about some of the gifts coming our way. However, there could be some unexpected surprises under the tree. And one in particular. I was a bad kid. Growing up, I always knew where ‘Santa Claus’ hid the presents. Because of this, I became quite the expert on rewrapping gifts, and then looking surprised when I opened them (again) on Christmas morning. Yet, Santa always dropped off one or two extra presents that I knew nothing about; those were the ones that made the holiday even more amazing. In the past week, I have felt a lot like that kid waiting for the jolly fat man to reveal his goods. Thanks to Apple’s announcement last week confirming iCloud (and iOS 5 too), I am feeling underwhelmed heading into tomorrow’s WWDC keynote. This isn’t to say I’m not excited about what Apple will have to offer. After all, the details of iCloud remain hidden. Rather, since the gifts have already been unwrapped, I’ve become bored with them already. Apple’s every move is backed by a calculation and its press release on Tuesday was no different. The move itself was very un-Apple like. Typically these releases come after a big event. In this case, Apple made huge news in confirming iCloud (the service and the name). And guess what? For this past week, bloggers like myself have been talking about Apple’s cloud system and little else. A calculation on Apple’s part? Yeah, I believe so. Our readers should be reminded: Tomorrow is a big deal in the tech world. What Apple’s about to unleash on the world has long-term repercussions, not just for Apple, but also for the industry as a whole. For example, the release of OS X Lion and iOS 5 offer developers new tools for their products heading into the important holiday season. Plus, something like iCloud could very well cause others to rethink their own cloud computing initiatives (think Amazon and Google). Apple will have a captive audience when Jobs takes the floor. Therefore, the company needs to amaze us with something besides iCloud. One More Thing With this in mind, I’m in the camp that believes Apple will announce a new piece of hardware tomorrow. Its ‘one more thing’ won’t be a new iPad (or Apple TV), but rather, a new iPhone. Going back to the release of the second-generation iPhone in 2008, Apple has always announced a new handset at WWDC. They will continue that streak this year by offering an enhanced iPhone 4(S). In doing so, the company will discontinue the iPhone 3GS and instead make the iPhone 4 its entry-level smart phone. What will the iPhone 4S include? There will be a tweak here and there, but unlike its predecessor, the iPhone 4S will be an evolutionary device. Specifically marketed to those buyers who don’t own an iPhone 4, the new handset will offer just enough improvements to keep the masses at bay until an iPhone 5 is released in 2012. Why would Apple do this? Apple hasn’t released a new handset in 12 months. In the meantime, quite a few Android-based phones have entered the market. Simply put: Apple needs to release something; not in September has has been the rumor, but right now. And what about iOS 5? The iPhone 4S will come with the latest version of iOS 4, not iOS 5. Like Apple did with the first-generation iPad, the iPhone 4S will ship with the company’s current software, with a guarantee that an iOS update comes later in the year. Summary Christmas is coming on June 6. And with it, Apple will probably release a few goodies we haven’t yet seen. Chief among them will be a new iPhone. What do you think? Leave your comments below.

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