Apple Inc. (AAPL) iOS 7: A Wish List From Goldman Sachs

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is set for June 10 – 14 in San Francisco, and we’re expecting some major changes to iOS to be announced at the conference. Analysts at Goldman Sachs have released their wish list of things they would like to see in iOS 7.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) iOS 7: A Wish List From Goldman Sachs

Analysts Bill Shope, Elizabeth Borbolla, Cristina Colon and Justin Price  believe that WWDC could be a positive catalyst for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) even though we aren’t expecting any major hardware to be unveiled. In their view, the enhancements that will be part of iOS 7 may be enough to get the stock back on a consistently upward trajectory.

A New User Interface For Apple iOS

It’s been widely speculated that iOS 7 will feature a completely redesigned user interface since Jony Ive took over the design division at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Since Ive prefers a flatter design, it’s expected that we’ll see one in iOS 7 as he moves the company away from the skeuomorphic designs feature by his predecessor. Such changes will probably not change the way consumers use their iPads and iPhones, although it is expected to change the appearance of the devices quite a bit.

More Updates And Enhancements For Apple

The analyst team said investors are probably not going to be too excited about a simple redesign of the interface, so they hope to also see “some critical updates and enhancements” for the iOS ecosystem. Two of the services they see as needing the most help are iCloud and Siri because they believe competitors are passing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) up in these areas.

They’re looking for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to make it easier for third-party developers to use iCloud syncing and also for the company to announce not just how many registered users it has for iCloud, but also how many are paying for the service. For Siri, they’re looking for updates to third-party support and also performance enhancements.

“Game-Changing Innovations In iOS Services”

In addition, the analysts are hoping to see some major innovations like the introduction of some kind of music streaming service. They do note that thus far Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s music streaming service seems to be delayed by negotiations with content providers, although they still hope the company can make a deal early enough to announce it at WWDC. They also said we could see some hints at an iOS-based payment service, which is another thing that’s been rumored for quite some time.

The analysts reiterated their buy rating and $500 per share target price for shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) ahead of WWDC.

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