Apple iPhone, Snow Leopard OS Highlight WWDC, but No Jobs

Steve Jobs is unlikely to make a surprise appearance, but Apple enthusiasts can expect news about an upgraded iPhone plus more details about Apple's Snow Leopard Mac OS. Price cuts may also be on the way, analysts say.

Steve Jobs may not be scheduled to unveil advancements around the iPhone, the new Snow Leopard Mac operating system or other Apple technologies at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco today, but Apple is likely to have plenty of news in store for its loyal followers about those technologies.

And WWDC is something that resellers and solution providers will likely watch more carefully than ever before, given the rising business interest in the Mac platform and the iPhone for business.

Among the more likely expected announcements at the conference are hardware updates to the next version of the iPhone, including a faster processor, more RAM and storage, a built-in compass and a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus and video recording capability, says Toni Sacconaghi, senior analyst at Bernstein Research, which released a brief report this morning listing some of the more likely rumors and expected announcements at the event.

Other likely announcements include the following:

• Apple is expected to provide more detail about its new Snow Leopard Mac OS and iPhone OS 3.0.
• The company may reveal plans to expand its iPhone further to more geographies such as China.
• Price cuts on iPhone hardware and/or services may be among the announcements.

Less likely at WWDC is a surprise presentation by Apple’s leader, Steve Jobs, says Sacconaghi. That’s because Apple has said Jobs will return in late June and an earlier return could further undermine the company’s credibility with regard to statements about Jobs’ health, says Sacconaghi. In addition, the company needs to establish the precedent of doing successful product and technology launches and presentations without Jobs.