WWDC 2012 rumors: iOS 6, new Mac hardware, and more

9to5Mac has just published a shot of what appears to be an iOS 6 banner at San Francisco's Moscone Center, confirming what most of us could've guessed: that next week's Worldwide Developers Conference will be heavily focus on the iPhone and iPad's next-gen operating system. What will be revealed in iOS 6 remains to be seen, but Apple has been good about keeping the platform on a roughly annual cadence, so it makes sense that we'd get details on new features and capabilities at the show.

We'll be live from WWDC covering all the announcements — stay tuned for details.

With only a few days until WWDC '12 kicks off, the rumors of a gigantic Mac refresh are running rampant, and now there's more fuel to be added to the fire. AppleInsider has received what looks to be a list of new part numbers destined for Australia, and it looks like there are a whopping 14 new Mac SKUs on the list. Given that there's a total of 20 standard Mac models is Apple's online store (not counting the myriad of customization options), this would indeed represent a turnover of significant proportions. 9to5Mac also appears to have received the same list, though they have included the prices and guesses on what each product is — if these guesses are correct, it looks like the Mac Pro will indeed receive its long-awaited update, which means the Mac Mini might be left out in the cold. We'll know for sure exactly what Apple has in store in just a few more days.

We've heard that Apple will be focusing on its Mac lines this WWDC, and now another rumor from 9to5 Mac claims that one of the updates will be to the oft-neglected Mac Pro. Their sources claim to have part numbers for three varieties of the desktop: two standard editions and one that supports OS X Server. Pricing will apparently be similar to current versions, and though 9to5 Mac has previously heard some interesting things about a rackable Mac Pro server, we don't really know what features Apple might add besides (likely) Thunderbolt ports and updated specs. It would be the first revamp to the line in two years.

Both 9to5 and MacRumors have also reported that Apple is pulling the Mac Pro from stores in advance of WWDC. Nearly all of roughly 100 stores that MacRumors surveyed had no standard entry-level models in stock; they were reported to be coming back either June 8th to 9th or June 12th to 13th (the WWDC keynote takes place June 11th.) If Apple is indeed updating the Mac Pro and the previous rumor about four Mac lines being revamped is correct, that means that the Mac Mini will be left out this time around.

It's been a while since Apple's WWDC keynotes have focused on Mac hardware — recent years have been primarily dedicated to iOS, the iPhone, and (to a lesser extent) OS X. However, if a 9to5Mac report is to believed, that's going to change this year. The latest rumor claims that nearly the entire Mac lineup will be turned over, with the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac lines receiving updates; the report also claims that either the Mac Pro or Mac Mini line will be updated, though it's not yet certain which computer will see updates.

The biggest bit of new info is probably surrounding the MacBook Air — the word is that both the 11-inch and 13-inch computers will be upgraded to retina displays, though in this context, it's not clear what exactly that resolution will be. We've heard lately that Sharp's working on new display technology with extremely high resolutions, including a 13.5-inch screen with a 3840 x 2160 resolution, so a MacBook Air with a retina display isn't an impossibility. 9to5Mac also reiterated its earlier rumor regarding a new 15-inch MacBook Pro with a retina display, USB 3.0, and a thinner profile.

Earlier this week, Tim Cook told users to "stay tuned" for deeper Facebook integration into iOS, and now TechCrunch is reporting that we can expect to see that integration for the first time when iOS 6 is introduced at WWDC next week. This has been a long time coming — both iOS 4 and Apple's much-maligned Ping music / social network service both were hinted to have Facebook integration in early versions, only to have the final product released without it. It's not entirely clearly yet exactly how this integration will look in its final form, but we expect that the Twitter / iOS integration that came in iOS 5 is probably a good indication — sharing photos, web links, locations, and other such content will likely be a lot easier if this integration comes to pass. This isn't a done deal yet, and won't be until Tim Cook makes it official, but all signs point to Twitter no longer being Apple's social network of choice.

Earlier this month reports surfaced that Apple was preparing an updated Maps app for iOS 6, which would include a focus on 3D. And while we still don't know for sure what the company is up to, BGR is adding some fuel to the fire with some new images and details, reportedly for the new version of the app. It's hard to gather much from the low-quality images, but the new Maps will reportedly feature a redesigned interface, which will include a new navigation bar and a silver color scheme to replace the familiar blue. The 3D option will apparently be accessed by peeling back the actual map to access the menu, much like in the current version of Maps. The site also claims that the updated app will be launching sometime this summer. Of course, this is all speculation for now — and while it seems likely that iOS 6 is in the works, chances are we won't hear anything official until at least June 11th when the Worldwide Developers Conference 2012 kicks off.

WWDC 2012 is only a few weeks away, and as such, all manner of Apple software rumors are starting to make the rounds. Today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that iCloud will gain some new features, most notably a way to share galleries of photos with other iCloud users. These photos would be open to comments by other iCloud users you share with and would be separate sets outside of a user's standard Photo Stream, which currently stores the last 1,000 photos you've shot with your iOS device or added via your computer. The WSJ's source also corroborated a rumor from last week that the web interface for iCloud would sync reminders and notes from iOS.

The inclusion of notes and reminders in iCloud is a no-brainer, but the revamped photo sharing features would mark a bit of a change of pace for Apple. MobileMe, Apple's cloud solution prior to iCloud, is being shut down in a few weeks — and with it goes the Gallery feature, which let users upload, manage, and share photo galleries. Even if it's real, it remains to be seen if this new photo-sharing feature will be more or less robust than the MobileMe solution it would replace. Still, it seems Apple might have realized that users want a bit more flexibility and sharing with their photo service than iCloud currently offers.