WWDC 2011: Past, Present and What to Expect

Apple is holding the annual 2011 World Wide Developers Conference, and rumors are circling about the new products and expectations we may have for the launch event. Before we delve into that though, we can recap on some Apple’s most significant announcements this past year.

The first one from early 2011 is probably the one that stands out most: the launch of the iPad 2. The demand for the iPad 2 was (and persists to be) greater than that of its predecessor, and this can be attributed to a number of elements. The tablet comes equipped with a dual-core A5 CPU offering up to 2x faster processing and 9x faster graphics, frontal and back cameras and of course , iOS 4.3. Customers also have access a broad range of accessories with the iPad 2, including a “smart” cover.

Second on the list is the announcement of Mac OS X Lion and new MacBook Air. The 8^th and latest release of Apple’s computer OS comes with updates to native software including GarageBand and iMovie, the all new Mission Control terminal and some iPad-resembling features. In turn, the latest MacBook Air is thinner and comes in two sizes, with either a 11.6-inch screen and a 1.4Ghz, or a 13 screen and a 1.86Ghz processor.

Another product launch to make it to our list if Facetime. The WiFi video chatting service available to Apple customers stirred quite a bit of buzz, and fits very well into the vale-added concept.

Now to move on to what we can expect from this year’s WWDC: several things come in mind. For one there’s iCloud, the personal cloud and streaming service of which we’ve heard very few details so far. There’s also iOS 5, which may offer a line-up of polished voice recognition features, a refreshed UI and the introduction of home screen widgets.

Lastly, it’s not unlikely that Apple may launch a new iPhone. While several things seem to indicate otherwise, an “iPhone 5” would certainly be welcomed by users.  Expanding the iPhone line-up would help Apple compete with Android on the smartphone front, extending its range of device features and prices.  As Android’s widespread devices have taken Google’s mobile OS around the world and back, it’s high time Apple take another jab.