Apple WWDC: iOS 8, Beats, Home Automation [PREVIEW]

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is scheduled to start next week and will last from June 2-6 in San Francisco. Around 1,000 Apple engineers and 5,000 developers will be present for the meet, and the WWDC site claims “life will be different as a result.”

What Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will showcase at the event? Well, there are many possibilities, with some of them largely expected while others less so. Here is a list of what to expect next week at the WWDC.

Expected software updates from Apple

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could use the platform to show the content side of its operations, or perhaps something related to the recent acquisition of Beats Electronics. The Apple iTunes/software/services category posted an impressive growth in revenues for the second quarter, so to boost the segment further; the iPhone maker may introduce video and audio subscription services, as well as app sales and other content plays.

Recently, a report from the Financial Times claimed that Apple plans to announce an interface for the Internet of Things (IoT) at WWDC, something along the lines of Google and Samsung’s recently announced plans. In line with this, the iPhone maker could unveil a software platform for iOS devices to make them control-networked appliances.

There has been no news on the launch of the iWatch, so Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could use WWDC to at least share the concept of its wearable devices.

With regards to iOS 8, no major changes are expected, but the company will surely try to overcome some of iOS 7’s rough edges along with adding some new features. It is largely expected that the Cupertino-based firm will update the next version of its mobile operating system with .aps and multitasking, and possibly also a health app.

A report from Bloomberg also stated that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could further improve the Siri feature to make it listen and identify the songs automatically when asked. There have also been reports that Apple plans to bring Siri over to OS X.

Expected hardware updates

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been known for keeping its tablets and smartphones relatively simple, but that could change. A report from 9to5Mac claims that the company is working on a technology that could run two apps at once while holding the iPad in landscape. However, most likely the company will limit the feature to the larger iPad Air for now.

A high-resolution Retina display for the MacBook Air is long overdue. There have also been reports suggesting that Apple is developing a slimmer MacBook Air with a 12-inch Retina display. It seems unlikely that the company would reveal this at WWDC, but with Apple one can’t be sure of anything.

Since Apple came up with a major upgrade to the iPad last year, not much is expected on that front this year, but there have been reports that a Touch ID fingerprint sensor could be added.

There have been hints that this years’s WWDC was going to be a big one for developers and for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and now the wait is almost over. High expectatations have already been set by iTunes chief Eddy Cue, when he claimed that Apple’s product line-up this year is the best in over two decades.

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