WWDC 2011

We’re mere hours away from Apple’s then big reveal at the Worldwide Developers Conference. What can you expect to see? Are there likely to be any surprises in store? Read on to find out.

Apple has been uncharacteristically forthcoming about this year’s WWDC. The main focus will software, and of chief concern to discerning smartphone fans is the confirmed unveiling of iOS 5.

The then and there edition of the iPhone and iPad operating system is expected to make some sweeping changes. This is widely expected to include an overhaul to the notification system and the addition of voice recognition to any area you’d by and large enter text. Some people as well expect Apple to belatedly jump on board the widget train, replacing those static front-end icons with live tiles, and many believe there’ll be a pronounced Twitter flavour to the new OS.

The main area of interest

The main area of interest, although, will be iOS 5′s integration with Apple’s new cloud-based services. Speaking of which…

It sounds a little strange to say it, nevertheless it as a matter of fact is about time Apple got with the program when it comes to online music. iTunes might have been the music sensation of the noughties, yet we’re then into a new decade now, and the truth is it’s starting to look a little dated. Competing services have introduced wireless syncing and – moreover importantly – cloud streaming.

Major overhaul of the iTunes offering

iCloud will see a major overhaul of the iTunes offering, for the time being when it comes to delivery. It’s believed that your iTunes music folder will be scanned for music, and any tracks that are present on iTunes will be made available to stream to your iPhone, iPad or computer. It’s unclear whether music that hasn’t been purchased from iTunes will be included – we hope so, or it could prove to be a to put it more exactly limited feature for a lot of people.

The other big questions is: will you be able to stream video content in the same way? It’s known that Apple has tied up deals with all four major music labels, nevertheless progress on discussions with the major Hollywood players isn’t believed to be quite as advanced. Has Apple sorted things out as time goes by to offer a multimedia iCloud offering?

Casual afterthought

Steve Jobs is then known for throwing surprises into his announcements nearly as a casual afterthought. If there’s going to be “one more thing” at WWDC 2011, what is it likely to be? The obvious guess would be the iPhone 5/iPhone 4S, nevertheless that’s pretty unlikely. There have been none of the usual murmurs and leaks to suggest that Apple’s anywhere nearly ready to produce a follow-up to the iPhone 4 on a large scale, and Apple never likes to keep its clients waiting once it’s announced a new product.

There are some convincing reports that another piece of Apple hardware will be revealed at WWDC 2011, even though, and it ties in strongly with iCloud and iOS 5. According to Cult of Mac, Apple will reveal a new version of its Time Capsule which will store all your files and stream them to your Apple devices should the need arise.

This would be something of a surprise if it proves to be the basis of Apple’s cloud-based plans because, then, it’s not as a matter of fact proper cloud computing as many people think of it. In other words than having all your files stored on secure Apple servers – which would offer protection for your files against theft and loss and grant ultimate accessibility – you’d after all have to store them locally. It would just mean that you would access them from an always-on media server in other words than a cumbersome old computer.

The extent of Apple’s cloud-based plans

Is this the extent of Apple’s cloud-based plans, or will the Time Capsule merely complement a wider cloud offering? Will you be happy if this is how Apple introduces wireless iPhone syncing – by charging you for a new piece of hardware? Either way, we can’t wait until this evening’s WWDC announcement. We’ll bring you our take on it tomorrow.