So WWDC is in full swing, fancy new developer stuff sprouting from left, right and center. The keynote that kicked it all off is probably the most talked about event at WWDC and it delivered on many fronts debunking rumours and confirming suspicions. As with all Apple announcements the air of secrecy that Apple manages to protect makes forcasting what’s coming like playing bingo.

Hit the read link to see how we did this year.

So how did we do?

iPhone 3GS

Storage bump – 16Gb and 32Gb replacing the 8Gb and 16Gb - on the money with that one

More RAM
New processor (incremental speed bump most likely)
- Although exact details aren’t available the stated 2x faster average definitely comes from a faster processor and more RAM

3.2Mp camera (no zoom or flash just a straight drop-in sensor replacement)
- 0.2MP out, not bad, autofocus with tap-to-focus also bolted in there

Digital compass (magnetometer)
- Present and accounted for.

Video recording
- Check

All the trappings of the current 3.0 beta (MMS, Copy/Paste, Spotlight etc etc)
- Goes without saying plus some extras like Voice control

7.2Mbps HSPDA (rather than the limited to 3.6Mbps current chipset)
- S for speed baby, not just on the processor front

Change of back plate to a matte finish (hopefully less scratch prone)
- Sadly missing, nothing other than the addition of a S on the back has changed on the appearance front

Possibly:
802.11 N (rather than b/g)
- No additions just b/g (time to upgrade to a dual band router)

Front facing camera for video calling
- Absent, although I’ve never really considered mobile video calling viable because of the cost issues at least in the UK.

Budget iPhone (I wouldn’t put it past Apple to keep the current iPhone 3G like they have done the White Macbook as a ‘budget’ offering)
- Bingo! Right on the money with this one.

Predictions for WWDC, because WWDC is much bigger than the iPhone:

iPhone revision 3 announced for release in July
- 1/2 month out, didn’t realise they’d have their act together so soon.

iPhone 3.0 firmware made available for download from the keynote for original iPhone 3G owners
- 17th July, not what I was hoping for but it’s not that long to wait I guess.

Snow Leopard goes Gold
- Apple didn’t say but they committed to a September release and only $29 for the privileged (bargain if you ask me)

Snow Leopard shown off to the Apple faithful to be released July/August/September
- Just in with that one

Lots of talk about the new technology behind Snow Leopard including perhaps a road map to a new file system to replace the ageing HFS
- No talk of file systems but lots of new goodies in Snow Leopard including new GPU hookins and Grand Central Dispatch to name but a few.

MacBook and possibly MacBook Pro incremental refresh (processor, memory, HDD bumps)
- Got a bit more than I was expecting from this one. Definitely didn’t see the 13″ MacBook Pro coming, but pleased none the less because I miss the 12″ PowerBook from yester year

Talk of or presence of Steve Jobs returning (might be in the panel of Apple Execs up on the stage for the keynote)
- No mention of a Jobsian return but they haven’t said anything to indicate he won’t be back in July.

Overall I was quite saticefied with the WWDC keynote. From an iPhone prespective you could feel a little hard done by with no radical changes available, but a faster device with video/autofocus camera and a compass, I’m pretty stoked about an upgrade in 6 months. Mind you it also pleases me that it’s not so radically different that I can’t resist until I’m actually eligible for the upgrade. Is it a Pre and Android beater? Time will tell.

From a Snow Leopard perspective I’m even more impressed and excited than before WWDC. I definitely wasn’t expecting the upgrade to cost so little, puts Microsoft’s Windows pricing to shame! I’m looking at Snow Leopard as a building and consolidating upgrade that makes subtle changes to an already winning formula but with big performance upgrades. It’ll make my year old MacBook Pro all nice a new again and likely run a bit faster.

What are your thoughts on WWDC so far? Pleased? Cheesed off at AT&T for basically killing all the new goodies you could get on your iPhone 3G? Left wanting more from a new iPhone? Hit us up in the comments.

Tags: apple, iPhone 3GS, iPhone and Apps, osx, Snow Leopard, wwdc