WWDC '09 keynote at 10AM

Apple's 2009 Worldwide Developers Conference is set to begin at 10AM Pacific time on Monday, or 1PM Eastern. Leading events will be a keynote hosted by Apple's senior VP of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, filling in for CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs has been on a medical leave since January, and is only scheduled to resume normal work later this month. Some speculation has held that he could make a cameo appearance at the keynote.

The highlight is meanwhile expected to be the announcement of new iPhones, primarily in the form of flagship 16 and 32GB models with faster, 600MHz processors. A 3.2-megapixel camera should support video recording, and possibly autofocus functionality. A magnetometer may aid in navigation, and support for 7.2Mbps HSPA could improve mobile data speeds. Apple may also be planning to introduce a cheaper iPhone variant with reduced features, which could be matched with a less expensive data plan from AT&T.

Much of the keynote will center around the iPhone 3.0 firmware, which includes features like push notification, copy and paste, and expanded interaction with external hardware. The code also allows for in-app purchases, as well as turn-by-turn navigation, which should make the iPhone more practical as a GPS device for cars. Users may additionally be able to buy videos directly from the iTunes Store, skipping computer sync as a middle step.

Helping to round out Schiller's presentation should be Mac OS X Snow Leopard, many of the minor aspects of which have been leaked to the press. Major announced features include QuickTime X, more flexible multi-processing through Grand Central and OpenCL, and a shift towards a more heavily 64-bit architecture. Shipment of the OS is expected later this year, likely in August or September.

MacNN will cover developments from the keynote live.

by MacNN Staff