Our 2012 WWDC Predictions, Wish List And Longshots

With just six days to go before the start of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the time has come to place our bets on what we think we’ll be seeing next Monday in San Francisco, California. This list is based on rumors, previously confirmed news, and of course, some hope on our part. Likely to be announced Apple has traditionally used WWDC to launch new mobile hardware, with three of the past four iPhones announced at this event. Not this year, however. For 2012, WWDC will return to its roots and give Apple a forum to highlight iOS and OS X Mountain Lion. Additionally, look for an update to the Mac lineup. iOS 6 The sixth version of Apple’s mobile operating system could very well be the first significant upgrade since iOS debuted along with the first iPhone in 2007. Along with further Facebook integration, iOS 6.0 should include, for the first time, a new 3-D maps utility created in-house. Additionally, we’ll probably see Siri arrive for the new iPad. Also likely: iCloud Tabs, Mail VIPs, and a Do Not Disturb feature. OS X Mountain Lion Apple will finally spring their latest OS X, Mountain Lion, into the wild. When it arrives, expect it to include quite a bit of iOS-like capabilities. This will include Messages, Notification Center, Reminders, Notes, and Game Center, among other goodies. Expect Mountain Lion to launch in the Mac App Store before the end of the month. New hardware While Apple will likely hold off until fall to announce their iPhone refresh, WWDC could be used to unveil a new Mac lineup. As 9to5Mac suggested this morning, Apple could update nearly all of their Mac products next week. These could include refreshes for the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac. It will be interesting to see if Apple uses WWDC to unveil a new Mac Pro, which hasn’t been updated since July 2010. Apple TV OS refresh As per a previous rumor, Apple is expected to use WWDC to demonstrate a brand new version of the Apple TV operating system. This OS is said to be more “feature-complete” and perhaps the one that could run on Apple’s long rumored iTV. Our wish list For iOS 6 to truly be a worthy successor to past versions, there are a number of features we’d like to see demoed next week. Regrettably, rumors on these enhancements have been scarce, at best. Better Siri Indeed, Apple’s voice recognition software is in need of a significant update. In fact, if Apple were to not announce a Siri update next week, the entire conference might be considered a disappointment in some circles, at least as it relates to iOS 6. To make Siri better, we’re hoping Apple announces new third-party integration. For example, have ESPN tell us the baseball games scheduled for this weekend; or have the iTunes Movie Trailers app tell us what’s showing at our local multiplex. Please, Apple, give us reason to believe in Siri again. Likewise, take off Siri’s “beta” tag too. Better multitasking First launched with iOS 4, multitasking on an iPhone/iPad is more like multitasking-lite. To make it better, Apple should offer a split screen app view. In addition, by double-clicking the home button, we can see icons for those apps already open. Instead, give us the ability to preview those apps performing the same steps. Toggles in Notification Center The Jailbroken hack by SBSettings already offers this, making the process that much easier and faster. Apple should give this to all iOS users. Just not seeing it These items probably won't see the light of day, at least not next week. New iPhone, iPad “mini” Don’t expect to see an iPhone refresh next week, nor the so-called iPad “mini.” These will likely come in an "exciting" September. Apple iTV Steve Jobs will forever be known for his “one more thing” announcements. In the past these have included iTunes Match (WWDC, 2011), Facetime video calling (WWDC, 2010), and the iPod mini (MacWorld, 2005), among others. If Apple were to announce an iTV next week, look for Tim Cook to hold out until the end of his keynote to make the announcement. We’re not saying the iTV will be announced next Monday, but rather that it would be huge news if it were. Apple's own wireless service While Apple may be planning their own wireless service, we don't expect it to arrive next week. Instead, this could be announced later this year. We've surely missed a number of items here, but this is a good start. As a reminder, WWDC begins next Monday, June 11. Stay with AppAdvice for continuing coverage. What do you hope to see at WWDC?

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