Today was an exciting step for Apple, nothing revolutionary but more evolutionary. Apple took the award-winning iPhone 3G and took it to the next level, and also offered a preview of the next version of Mac OS X, Snow Leopard. The MacBook lineup also got a slight update. Want to find out more? Read the entire rundown after the break.

MacBook Pros

Phil took the stage and took the opportunity to start off the show with something small. The 13-inch MacBook now supports up to 8GB of RAM, and brings back the FireWire 800 port to the smaller system. The 13-inch is also called a MacBook Pro now, since it features the new unibody enclosure. The white plastic 13-inch MacBook however, still contains the MacBook name. Built-in to all MacBook Pros is an SD card slot, replacing the ExpressCard 34 slot on the 15- and 17-inch models. The three different sizes start at $1199, $1699, and $2499 respectively. These notebooks are available today at the Apple Store.

Snow Leopard

The next version of Mac OS X, Snow Leopard was previewed by the Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Bertrand Serlet. He joked about Windows 7 and Windows Vista, something he also did in 2007, ranting about it’s DLLs, the Registry, and of course, the infamous User Access Control, which he says became more complicated in 7. Snow Leopard doesn’t contain too many new features, but more new underlying technologies.

Finally the Finder has been rewritten in Cocoa, making it much snappier and as far as I can tell from the demos, Snow Leopard is a must-have for all Intel Macs. Exposé is onw built-in to to the Dock, and a completely new QuickTime Player was written specifically for Snow Leopard. One of my favorite new enhancements is faster Time Machine backups, something that has been bugging me since day one with 10.5. Leopard users, grab it this September for $29.

iPhone

Last but not least, the iPhone got to steal the stage for part of the presentation. Scott Forstall, SVP of iPhone Software was brought up onto stage to show features we previously saw in iPhone OS 3.0 at the event in March earlier this year. He then brought up app developers to showcase their new applications utilizing APIs built into the new operating system. One of the best moments was when Scott came out in a labcoat to participate in a science experiment for one of the applications from a company called Pasco. In the demo, the company wanted to showcase how the application could track an increase in air pressure on a balloon. Turns out in didn’t work – “That’s the last time I’m dressing up for an experiment,” Forstall said. iPhone OS 3.0 is free for iPhone customers, and $9.95 for iPod touch users, and will be available on June 17th.

Phil then built up the excitement, and introduced the iPhone 3G S. The “S” in the name stands for speed, and supports the new 7.2 Mbps HSDPA network that carriers will be rolling out soon. The new iPhone 3G S looks the same on the outside but now contains a new 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and video recording capabilities and a compass. Voice Control is a new feature that allows you to place calls and play songs through the power of your own voice. Plus, all of the features of the 3.0 software are included (Copy / Paste, Tethering, etc). The 3G S will be available on June 19th in 16GB and 32GB capacities for $199 and $299 respectively.

Update: It will cost $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB) for existing AT&T and iPhone 3G customers plus the normal $18 upgrade fee to upgrade to the iPhone 3G S. On the other hand, it costs $175 to cancel your current iPhone 3G line.

Safari 4

Safari 4 has been available as a public beta for quite a while, and now is finally going gamma, er… non-beta. The new release is up to 8 times faster at executing JavaScript, and 4 times faster than the latest version of Firefox in both iBench and SunSpider benchmarking tools.

If you’ve used the Safari 4 Beta, it includes the same great Cover Flow-style History panel, as well as the Top Sites display which tracks all of the websites you visit and compiles the most visited ones in a grid-like fashion. You can also do a search within your history, not only within the URL and metadata, but within the page as well. This is great because when I remember a web page mentally, I always remember what it looked like and I can now scan the pages I’ve visited quickly and easily.

Not a whole lot of new stuff, but this moves Apple towards becoming an even bigger player in the smartphone market, and building up their Mac market share.

Our live blog from earlier today is also available as a replay with pictures from the keynote address.

Updated 10:04PM PST Added iPhone 3G S upgrade and Safari 4 release information.

We’ll be live at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2009, where Apple is rumored to announce the next generation iPhone, and preview the next version of Mac OS X, Snow Leopard. Could we see a Steve Jobs cameo? Come back on Monday and find out.The live blog will begin at 9:30am Pacific time on June 8th.

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Main photo by Flickr user Sooyong Wang

A lot has happened in the rumor mill since we last posted our predictions last Monday. Here’s an update on what’s gone down since then including the latest iPhone rumors and news about Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Less than two days to go until Phil Schiller takes the stage on Monday.

The Moscone West convention center is now covered in app icons, hinting to an iPhone-heavy conference. As far as I can see from photos posted on Flickr by Adam Jackson, there is only one “Mac” banner promoting the next version of OS X called Snow Leopard on the ground level of the center.

iPhone

Two significant rumors have noted that new iPhone models have been seen in certain cell phone and retail store inventory systems. Tweakers.net is reporting that T-Mobile in Germany is listing five new models, in both 16 and 32GB capacities. AppleInsider is also reporting that iPhone distributor Carphone Warehouse is showing four new iPhone models, dubbed V3, in the same 16 and 32GB capacities.

Rumors have been pointing to a new iPhone at WWDC 2009 for a long period of time, so you can almost put money that Apple will be unveiling the new line on Monday.

Naming conventions for the new iPhone have varied over time, examples include: iPhone V3, iPhone Video, and simply just iPhone.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard

We haven’t seen any breakthrough features for the next version of the OS X operating system yet, but we’re hoping Apple will unveil some new unreleased features at WWDC. Previously, developer builds of 10.5 did not have the same features that builds internally at Apple did, and uncovered features such as Stacks and the new Finder at WWDC in 2008.

Apple stated last year that they would focus on performance and 64-bit compatibility, thereby supporting up to 16TB of memory.

“We have delivered more than a thousand new features to OS X in just seven years and Snow Leopard lays the foundation for thousands more,” said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “In our continued effort to deliver the best user experience, we hit the pause button on new features to focus on perfecting the world’s most advanced operating system.”

Final Cut Studio Updates

This year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas came and went without a single update from Apple on Final Cut Studio. We’re hoping that the new versions of Final Cut and Motion will tie into the new technologies of Snow Leopard, adding performance boosts in rendering and editing large video files. AppleInsider has more on the updates.

Steve Jobs

While it would be true that we’re going out on a limb here, a Steve Jobs appearance at WWDC would be surprising to say the least. The Wall Street Journal has an article that states Jobs is on schedule to return to Apple later this month. They are also reporting that Apple is readying a media event to coexist with his return.

Live Coverage

Just as a reminder, we’ll be live in attendance at the WWDC keynote on Monday, and providing live coverage right here on ConnectReviews. Sign up for an email reminder below, or bookmark this page.

Earlier this year at Macworld 2009, we only got one of our predictions correct in an underwhelming keynote by Phil Schiller. Let’s hope that Jobs’ traditional sidekick will bring Apple fanboys an exciting keynote this time ’round. We’ll be live blogging the WWDC 2009 keynote address on June 8th at 10am Pacific time, but before that all begins, here are our (hopefully true) predictions for this year’s developers conference.

1. 3rd Generation iPhone – This one is pretty much true at this point, at least we hope. The rumor mill is going crazy, and will continue to do so right up until Phil hits the stage. The 3rd generation iPhone is rumored to have a compass, video recording capabilities, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. In addition, the new phone will support AT&T’s new 7.2 mbps 3G network for faster download speeds. Also, expect to see the 16GB capacity to drop down in price to $199 replacing the 8GB model and a new 32GB capacity being introduced. The phone will be announced, but not available for another month due to FCC approval.

2. Mac OS X Snow Leopard – Bertrand Serlet gave a peek at Snow Leopard at last year’s WWDC, and since Leopard came out over two years ago, release is imminent. While 10.6 won’t have too many new features, instead focusing on performance and underlying code, it will host a significant upgrade in speed for Intel users.

3. iPhone 3.0 Software Update – The latest version of Apple’s iPhone OS will be released for both the iPhone and iPod touch, letting existing users utilize the latest and greatest features such as MMS and Copy & Paste. Version 3.0 will come preloaded on the new iPhone when it ships in July.

4. 3G MacBook Air – Apple’s thinnest notebook would be perfect with built-in 3G wireless capability, connecting to the AT&T 3G network and allowing for a true wireless mobile experience. The only downside of this would be signing a two-year contract.

5. Mediapad – Since not too many rumors have been floating around relating to a larger-screen Mediapad, this one doesn’t have much chance of turning out to be true. The supposed device would feature a larger 6-10″ screen, and run a larger-scale version of the new 3.0 software for watching media and browsing the web.

5. Steve Jobs Surprise Appearance – Jobs has been recently spotted at the Apple campus, so his return from medical leave must be approaching and could be seen on stage with Schiller. I wouldn’t get your hopes up though.

Don’t forget we will be in attendance at the WWDC 2009 keynote, and live blogging it in it’s entirety. Join us on June 8th at 10am Pacific time. Sign up for an email reminder below.

Main photo by Flickr user Aaron Tait.