Apple has made a series of changes to the App Store ahead of today’s announcement, including some design and speed enhancements for the iPad, as well as a new “Catalogs” category, leading to speculation that Apple may be preparing to offer new interactive catalogs on the App Store.
Notably, as AppleBitch points out, the top apps section for the iPad is now displayed horizontally rather than vertically, making it easier to swipe between items on the list, as well as eliminating loading when viewing additional apps. This should speed things up considerably.
Lastly, Joaquin Ruiz, CEO of Catalog Spree, notes that Apple has created a new Catalogs category in the iTunes App Store, which suggests that they may begin offering interactive catalogs in the near future.
I suspect that Apple may show off catalogs on the high-res Retina display of their next-gen iPad today – it would be a great way to show off how clear and sharp the new display really is!