Just about an hour until the big WWDC SteveNote take place, and we are of course as excited as ever! Below, please find our predictions for the event (some are obviously more likely than others, so we’ll take the likely ones) – we may score ourselves on this later!
Keep in mind that anything could happen – this is merely a roundup of possibilities, and our categorization of how likely they seem to be to occur.
Lion
Likely
- Find My Mac
- Close integration with iCloud
- Improved/Enhanced FaceTime (I suspect it will become part of iChat, and gain multi-person conferencing, might even tie in to Skype or another platform)
- App install and removal will become streamlined (via Mac App Store, etc).
- Back To My Mac will be improved or replaced, true machine syncing will become a feature (log in to any mac and retrieve your desktop and settings)
- Will become more iOS-like
- Airdrop.
- Find My Mac comes to Lion
- Lion Will be downloadable through the Mac App Store
Possible
- Lion will gain the ability to run iOS apps (possibly as widgets?)
- Access to both cameras simultaneously.
- Lion targeted for June 14 public launch. $29 for Snow Leopard users, $69 for Leopard users.
iCloud/TimeCapsule/AirPort Extreme
Likely
- Will replace the essential MobileMe features (email, syncing of calendar and contacts, etc) for free, while offering an additional paid enhancement for music and file storage, will come with an initial free trial.
- May use a new version of Time Capsule/AirPort extreme to do buffering/media sharing without having to have a computer turned on – will mirror and act as a failsafe to iCloud.
- Music and video streaming via iCloud
Possible
- Time Capsule may be rebranded and or merged with Airport Extreme
- Remote access to your Time Capsule and home folder
- Wireless backup.
- Free for the first year
- Time Capsule/Airport Extreme Will be updated
- Time Capsule May run iOS on an A4/A5 chip
- Universal Remote Computer Access
iOS 5
Likely
- iOS Widgets and Revamped Notifications
- Improved notification system resembling MobileNotifier.
- Faster application launching.
- Improved Camera App
- Voice Control will be vastly improved (Nuance)
- Twitter / improved social integration
- Wireless Updates Over The Air
- No Computer To Activate iDevices
Possible
- Wireless backup
- App Sync between devices / games / other apps
- “Unified Messaging” – incorporate twitter, email, MMS, etc into one messaging protocol.
- AirPrint To Any Printer
- Latest facebook/twitter updates/emails in contact view
- Themes, which Apple will begin selling.
General
- Developer Beta Of iOS 5, Lion Gold Master
- iWork 11 in the cloud
One More Thing?
No probability – its a crapshoot here!
- iPhone 4S/iPhone 5
- MacBook Air Refresh
- Will a new educational discount for iPads be announced?
- New Apple TV
Of course, with Steve, all things are possible – so keep in mind this list is in no sense all-inclusive of what might happen at WWDC! We will, of course, keep you updated on the events at the Moscone Center as we hear them.