Expect These Three Things At Apple's WWDC 2012 Keynote

On the 11th of June at 10AM PST, we'll be liveblogging the Apple WWDC 2012 official keynote, but before we get there, we've got some educated hypothesizing to do. First we must decide if its possible that Apple would release one or several new devices or device refreshes at that event. Next, we've got to assess how important it is that Apple push forward with new software in this ever-changing mobile-minded world of ours. Finally, we've got to set the stage for the event itself – gotta get prepped!

First let's talk about the three big things that Apple could hypothetically be announcing at the WWDC official Apple keynote. They aren't all hardware, and it's quite possible that the big colorful fruit will signify nothing but software this time around. Barring that slightly less exciting possibility, let's see what we've got here:

• iPhone 5 (portal)

• MacBook Pro 2012 refresh (portal)

• iOS 6 (portal)

And that's it, right? There is one more possibility that we've been hearing whispers of in the forums, one that by all means hasn't been tipped by anyone at Apple, but might be due for a refresh in a big way:

This Mac device is that utterly fantastic looking Apple tower you non-professionals may have long forgotten about. It's the beast that made Apple seem like a computing powerhouse before they were known primarily for such monsters as the iPad. There isn't a whole lot that has to be said about that device other than how excellent it would be to see the options for its innards be advanced to 3rd Generation Intel Core technology at least.

On that note, it appears very likely that the MacBook Pro 2012 refresh will include Ivy Bridge, that being another name for 3rd Generation Intel Core, for those of you that do not know. These processors will make their way into Apple products eventually – it's just a matter of when. The MacBook Pro's 2012 refresh will also likely do away with its optical drive and will have much greater battery power than past models. This update will also likely be slightly thinner than MacBook Pros of years past.

Next there's the iPhone 5, a device whose name has been on our lips since the iPhone 4 was tipped for a refresh. We got the iPhone 4S last year, and here in the summer of 2012 we're looking for no less than a completely revolutionary device to replace what's easily the most popular smartphone line in history – by a long shot. This device's rumor list is as long as Apple's billfold is wide, so have a peek at this timeline to get you started:

While it's not entirely clear what the next version of Apple's mobile software will contain, it's appearing more and more likely that Apple's own vision for Maps and turn-by-turn navigation will be included on it. This software has been teased several times by the companies that are supposedly behind its development – or were before Apple purchased them wholly. This new mapping software will present a whole new take on how you can see where you are going and what it means to explore your home town or city using your smart device.

Since iOS 5 was released, Apple's biggest competitor Google has had several massive updates to Android. Android is Google's mobile OS and isn't sold by them, but given out with an open-source lisence. Because Apple sells their software with their devices, it's much more important that they present a much more "perfect" vision for mobile devices in iOS 6. The interface users are still working with after over a year with iOS 5 is tuned to a degree that Apple can rightfully say is just fine and without need for an update – but consumers are hungry.

Consumers always want a bit of change, even if that means the next version of the product or service they're purchasing is not better than the last. Believe it or not, stable products have given way to less stable products in the past. Not necessarily at Apple, but the attitude of the average consumer remains – we want new stuff. Apple will present "new stuff" one way or another at WWDC.

We will be presenting WWDC 2012's big Apple keynote for you live through not only our live portal, which you can reach here: http://live.slashgear.com/, but through our main news feed as well. You can head to [our big Apple hub] to stay in-tune with Apple-only news if you wish, or you can stay on the front page at SlashGear.com to keep up with reverberations of Apple's news throughout the day. Stay close to the web on the 11th of June at 10AM PST – big things will be happening!