3. Snow Leopard OS X 10.6
There is no doubt we are going to see Apple's new operating system at this year's WWDC. Though most of the features of Snow Leopard are "improvements", there are some major improvements that can make up for it:Support for connecting to Microsoft Exchange 2007 servers will be included in Mail, Address Book, and iCal.
A smaller hard drive and RAM footprint and faster installation times, under 15 minutes versus over an hour for Mac OS X v10.5.
Support for up to a theoretical 16 terabytes of RAM by further developing 64-bit kernel technologies.
Grand Central: a parallel-programming technology that aims to take greater advantage of modern multi-core CPUs, included in all current Macs.
QuickTime X which will feature optimized support for modern codecs.
OpenCL (Open Computing Language) will allow developers to more easily code applications to take advantage of the GPU for non-graphics computing purposes.
Some sources say we may also see a "Marble" themed UI with moderate transparency in windows. At the WWDC, I need Apple to give me another reason to make me buy this OS because as of now, I don't see why I should shell out $150+ for an OS with minimal changes. The only two reasons I have to buy it is to increase performance, and for Quicktime X. Odds are, that I will be getting it anyway. We'll just have to see what Apple has in store for us.
4. New iPhone Model(s)?
Well, it may be hard to make a new iPhone, like they did last year with the switch to 3G, from EDGE. This is because AT&T does not have their 4G setup in all places yet (and we've seen how long it takes for Apple to upgrade their phones to new networks). The only thing they can do is upgrade the specs on the iPhone 3G. You can expect the successor of the 3G (or the upgraded version of the 3G) to include the following:Faster processor (most likely the same chips used in the iPod Touch 2nd Gen)
Better screen?
Cosmetic changes?
iPhone OS 3.0
A better speaker (ear/speakerphone)
A 32GB model
Improved battery life
Personally, I think there is an open possibility for an iPhone Nano. But I would not be surprised if it does not happen. Their iPhone 3G's were First Place in the Smartphone category for months (till a few weeks ago), despite its cost, plus its data plan. If they were to release a Nano version of their phone, they would have to get AT&T to lower its data plan pricing. Lets face it...people want a cheap iPhone, but there is also a $70+ cellular plan in the way. I was about to make the switch to AT&T to get the phone. My mom was willing to pay the $200 for it but again, the plan stopped her from buying it for me. Now, I'm going the Google route. Yes... I can buy an unlocked one and jailbreak it, but I probably wont be able to get the T-Mobile 3G to work with it.
5. Others
Finally, you can expect some small changes to some of Apple's products. Some things we may see are:
iMac, Macbook (all), and Mac Pro hardware upgrades (Quad-Core iMacs 50-50 chance)
All Apple computers will ship with Snow Leopard pre-installed
New 20" and 30" DisplayPort Cinema Displays?
Some changes to iPhone 3.0
Please keep reading DiTechite for the latest news and rumors on Apple and other tech...
