Rumors fly as WWDC dates announced
Apple has finally announced the date of this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), much later than usual. Now the rumors are flying about what will happen there.
The developers conference will be held June 8-12 at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco. When Apple announced last year that they would no longer be involved in the MacWorld Expo, observers of the Apple scene knew immediately that the WWDC was going to become much more important as the venue where Apple made major announcements.
That is expected to be the case this year for the first time, according to a PCWorld story. Given the dates involved, and various statements by Apple on product timing, it seems very likely that the new version of Mac OS X will be announced at WWDC, as well as the official release of iPhone OS 3.0. Including those two possibilities, here’s a short list of what may be on center stage at the WWDC.
OSX Snow Leopard – Always billed as a technical upgrade, it may be that Snow Leopard has become more than that. There have been a lot of rumors lately that the new Mac OS will also introduce a new user interface. Some developers reported new elements appearing in test builds, but those changes were quickly removed when they were leaked. The new look is said to be closer to dark chrome than the current platinum-based motif.
iPhone OS 3.0 – Given the timing of the announcement of the new iPhone operating system, and remarks made for its availability, OS 3.0 will probably be released at the developers conference. This makes a huge amount of sense given the growing importance of iPhone developers in the community.
New iPhone – Early summer is the traditional time of year for the introduction of a new iPhone, as both of the past models have been introduced at that time. And since WWDC is the biggest Apple event of the year now, it would be the perfect event. As if to bolster this rumor, others rumors are starting to spread about shortages of the 3G iPhone model, just as there were shortages of the original model just before the introduction of the 3G.
Apple Netbook – Rumors about this device have been flying for months, including some pretty solid ones concerning flat-panel display contracts and cases. The device could be anything from a tablet computer to a smaller version of a MacBook, kitted out as a netbook. There are a million guesses.
Jobs Returns – The WWDC is just about at the end of the six months that were specified for the medical leave being taken by Steve Jobs. Could it be that when the spotlight comes on at the opening keynote, it will be Mr. Jobs stepping back into the limelight? Or will it be Jobs at the closing keynote, announcing his retirement from Apple. These rumors are all over the board.
It should be an interesting show from a number of vantage points. We will certainly see some new software. It seems likely that we will see some new hardware. And we may even see the return of the Emperor of Apple as an extra added attraction. So pick up the phone and make those reservations now.
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