By Graham K. Rogers

In about 3 weeks, Apple will hold its annual World Wide Developers' Conference at the Moscone Center, San Francisco. I have been to a couple of these and while the technical presentations and workshops are what most of the developers come for, the world waits for the keynote presentation that opens the proceedings.

Opening Comments

With Apple, trying to predict anything is like walking a tightrope. There are some obvious announcements expected, such as on iOS 7 and OS X, 10.9 (perhaps including confirmation of its name), but the roadmap for other product releases is still vague, despite the variety of rumours that have been floating around for the last few months, like the iWatch, iPhone 5S (or 6), cheap iPhone, iPad mini with Retina display and MacPro: rumours all.

As with all keynote addresses, there will be some recent history. One comment is bound to be made about the recent download of 50 billion apps: the winner was Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio (Jordan Kahn, 9to5Mac).

Tim Cook is bound to use this to complement developers and probably discuss the healthy payouts that Apple has made. This is also a perfect opportunity to examine iOS 7. As with past WWDCs this will be the first opportunity for most to have a look at the interface. As is normal, immediately afterwards, Developer versions of the necessary software - including any new APIs - will be made available. The following days will be critical for Developers to become familiar with the new opportunities so that they are on track to release new versions and new apps at the same time as iOS 7 is made available, perhaps some time in September.

iOS and iPhone

There have been numerous requests for changes from users and developers. For example Rene Ritchie of iMore has suggested a separate Files app on several occasions. This would simplify handling of files, which currently works only with a limited app selection (photos with imaging apps, documents with doc apps, etc.).

One area in which there are strong rumours (and a degree of confirmation) concerns a secure system of access using fingerprint scanning. Such biometric access has been possible for a while (I log into one part of the university using such access) but recently, Steven Sande reports on TUAW, PayPal exec, Michael Barrett, suggested that Apple would be producing a phone with this type of security. For that to be in the next iPhone, the iOS will need to be ready to accept such hardware and developers will have the necessary APIs to be able to make use of the rumoured features.

We shall no doubt hear about the phone, the planned release timetable and the name as well as any special features, or improvements on current features, at WWDC. As I was putting this opinion piece together, Zach Epstien on BGR (with others) had purported shots of new iPhone (5S he calls it) components. He concludes that the external design will remain unchanged, but internally (as with the 4S that many derided) there will be major changes. One of the shots has a coloured SIM tray, adding to the rumour of coloured iPhones [My source for this item was MacDaily News].

I would expect that whatever the next iPhone is called, the camera will be better. Cameras in the iPhone have evolved from the 2 megapixel device in the original iPhone to the 8MP camera in the iPhone 5. Comparisons of the output from the different models were recently made available by Lisa Bettany on Camera+. There have been several rumours, such as components spotted in the wild, that suggest a 12 MP camera will be in the next iPhone. This makes sense in terms of iPhone evolution.

I would not expect any change in screen size or dimensions, nor to the resolution. The screen of the iPhone 5 was a fairly big step, but despite analysts and competitors suggesting that a 5" screen is the best size, this is unlikely to be a direction that Apple will take, at least for now. The only other major change could be the removal of the home button, and with the rumoured fingerprint identification this could be used as a substitute.

However, Filip Truta on Softpedia makes a claim that an Apple job posting for "a Mechanical Engineer with a broad understanding of materials and manufacturing process such as joining (press lamination, gluing, heat staking)," points to the use of Liquidmetal technology that Apple has invested in. There is a possibility that this might find its way into a new iPhone, but the evidence for a chassis constructed of this is slim [My source for this link was MacDaily News].

Related Developments

While these may be for the (long-delayed) update to the OS X version, it is expected that the iOS apps (Keynote, Numbers and Pages) which are available separately on iOS devices, will also benefit. AppleBitch also confirms the recruitment and suggests that there may be an announcement at WWDC. Mikey Campbell on AppleInsider adds to the information with a more detailed description of what the jobs may entail, however one particular aspect suggests that the apps are being refined for Retina display devices.

One recent patent shows an interesting idea concerns the illumination of a scene using multiple iPhones. The flash with the iPhone is not the best in the world and this synchronising solution - many iPhones, one flash - could be for "impromptu photo shoots that require more than one source of lighting", Mikey Campbell writes on AppleInsider.

Another patent, which fits better with current thinking (and with the development already begun with Passbook) concerns an e-wallet concept, that Neil Hughes writes, could suggest payment options based on context. This is a location-based concept that brings up menus on the device that depend on where or how it is being used, suggesting NFC which Apple has so far spurned. It would also be able to manage multiple credit card accounts.

OS X and Macs

Snow Leopard is considered to be one of the best versions of OS X, and the most recent version, 10.8 Mountain Lion, included a number of features that were seen as bringing more iOS technology to the desktop. This is in need of a lot of work as certain aspects do not work as well as they should, especially on older Macs or on Macs with 4 GB memory (or less). For good results, current installations tend to work better with 8 GB RAM. That needs bettering.

This is evident especially in applications like Safari, which has an odd and annoying feature that requires it to reload web pages. Why this should be necessary when they have been downloaded once is beyond me; but I am not alone in expressing my keyboard-banging frustration when a simple refresh of a page, or an attempt to open a new page, requires the user either to wait or reload ALL pages.

This may work fine in outer Cupertino, where broadband links are fast and sure. But step outside the major centers of population in the United States, or come to Asia where the internet gateways are controlled by old men, and the experience is vastly different. Safari needs a major rewrite with the way it handles and loads pages.

Another application that is overdue a proper update is Aperture. When I first used this on a 15" MacBook Pro with 2 GB RAM, it was fast. Subsequent updates now have it crawling on my latest Mac that was recently upgraded to 8 GB of memory. Part of the problem lies in the larger file sizes that the latest DSLR cameras produce, but that it not unique to me, nor to the Nikons I Use.

Also due an update is iPhoto and I am not alone in expecting some improvements with Apple's photo software. Jeff Carlson on MacWorld wrote an article recently about 4 things Apple could do to improve iPhoto right now.

Other parts of the iLife suite may also have updates, although as a collection, this is getting a little thin these days. GarageBand and iMovie are core parts of the suite, but iWeb and iDVD are of much less importance. iTunes is treated separately as the updates for this may depend on developments for iOS and its devices. As I write this, so a new version of iTunes (11.0.3) was released with changes to Albums view, a new miniplyer and other fixes.

There are two conflicting ideas concerning updates to any Macs (or other devices). On the one hand, Tim Cook said at the recent quarterly financial report that Fall was when devices were to be available (which sent Wall Street into a tailspin again). However, new processors are known to be coming from Intel right now, and Cook also made a (rare) promise about a new MacPro. It is time for Apple to deliver on that promise.

The other Macs are also due refreshing, if not updating, with priorities being for the iMac and MacBook Pro lines as well as the MacBook Air (not Mac Air as some insist on calling it). The reliable, if unremarkable, Mac mini keeps on going, but needs the occasional bump. Perhaps an OS X update will make that more necessary.

Conclusions

Images produced by courtesy of Apple

There will probably be other announcements during the keynote presentation and those appearing on stage will give some insight into the way Apple is progressing. Cook, Schiller and perhaps Federighi are bound to be there, Jony Ive will not, although may make his customary video appearance. A strong clue as to direction will be noting who makes the presentation on iOS and its related software. Look also to surprise hardware announcements, although I would not expect, "One more thing" these days out of deference to the late Steve Jobs.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand where he is also Assistant Dean. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.