Other WWDC Possibilities: iPhone OS 4, Mac Pro, Apple TV, Cloud-Based Services

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off next Monday with a keynote given by Steve Jobs. While almost all of the attention has been focused on the leaked iPhone, Jobs will likely be talking about more than a new iPhone at the event. Here are a few possibilities of other announcements that we could see at or around WWDC.

iPhone OS 4

It's guaranteed that Jobs will spend a good portion of the keynote talking about the upcoming iPhone OS 4. New iPhone SDK developer seeds have been regularly released every two weeks until this past week, indicating that Apple is likely saving up the most recent changes for WWDC. We're not yet sure when the final version will be released to customers.

Mac Pro / 27" Display

Apple's Mac Pro line is overdue for updates. The last revision for the Mac Pro was in March 2009. Intel has already introduced new processors that would be suitable for the Mac Pro, though volume shipments of the 6-core Xeon chips were delayed until June. We've also heard whispers that Apple could be readying the new Mac Pros very soon.

A report from earlier this year also indicated that Apple was prepping a new 27" LED Cinema Display for launch "by June". The display is said to utilize the same panel used in the 27" iMac and closely resemble the 24" LED Cinema Display that launched in late 2008.

Cloud-Based iTunes / MobileMe

While some observers have speculated about a possible launch of a cloud-based iTunes service at WWDC, industry sources suggest such a service isn't imminent. Steve Jobs did reveal earlier this week, however, that Apple has been working on some sort of wireless syncing for the iPhone.

One unconfirmed rumor has also suggested that Apple may begin offering a free version of MobileMe as part of a cloud-based initiative.

Apple TV

A recent rumor reported that Apple was working on a completely revamped Apple TV. While streaming content will be the focus of the device, users will also have the option of pairing the new Apple TV with a Time Capsule for external local storage.

The new device is said to be based directly on iPhone OS 4. If true, WWDC might be a natural venue to introduce the device, although the report indicated that we should not expect an announcement there as Apple seeks to keep attention focused primarily on the iPhone.

Mac OS X 10.7 (Unlikely?)


The next major release of Mac OS X has been in use since at least October 2009. Web records for MacRumors show that Apple has been using 10.7 internally since that time. While early rumors have pointed to the possibility of a Mac OS X 10.7 announcement at this year's WWDC, the most recent reports have nixed that plan.

Other

Steve Jobs promised that we wouldn't be disappointed, so there is always the hope for something more. We'll have live WWDC Keynote coverage on Monday, June 7th at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.