Every year it’s the same thing. WORST.KEYNOTE.EVAR! WHERE IS ITABLET! STEVE SHOULD BUY ME A PONY! PC World wrote a laundry list of things that they wanted to see but didn’t get to see at WWDC and, like a 16-year-old whose boyfriend is supposed to hug her and kiss her and stay with her at the mall all weekend and respond to all of her texts immediately if not sooner, they get pissy when they don’t get what they want. A pox on them, I say.

What were they looking for? An iPhone Nano. An iTablet. An FM transmitter. First, it takes a while to make good hardware. We know there will be a tablet. No confirmation on a Nano. But an FM transmitter? You bought an iPhone. You think Apple wants to knock out all the car adapter manufacturers in one fell swoop? Hell, the iPhone is one of the few phones that has a whole constellation of accessories. Almost every WinMo phone needs FM out, not Cupertino’s darling.

But the biggest gripe is flash support. TUAW puts it best:

Adobe needs to get Flash working properly on the Mac first. If my MacBook Pro’s 2.6 GHz processor pegs at 80% while watching lo-res YouTube videos, what chance does the iPhone’s far slower processor have? And if the Flash plugin crashes the full Safari browser so often that Apple has gone out of their way to sandbox browser plugins in Snow Leopard, how much of a rush should Apple be in to do the same thing on a platform whose small size and relatively low processing power necessitates more streamlined software? Yes, let’s have Apple dive into Flash support for the iPhone right away, and see what it gets you: one hour of battery life, flashing banner ads all over the place for you to accidentally click when you’re just trying to scroll the page, and Mobile Safari crashing every five minutes.

Eg-freaking-zactly. Come on, people. What does Flash add to the user experience? Flash games, perhaps, but show me one time it’s been more valuable than a stand-alone, Internet-enabled application. You really need in-line YouTube watching? No.

We saw photos of the TomTom accessory for the iPhone yesterday but now we have video of it. This is basically a little dock with a USB cable and a GPS booster. Not a huge deal but this could feasibly mean the end of standalone GPS devices, which is kind of important. What think you?

Would you replace a standalone GPS device with something like this? Do you already use something like this – maybe a BB or a WinMo phone tethered to the dashboard?

The OS should now run faster thanks to a 50% bump in CPU speed; it now runs at 600MHz. The system memory has doubled to 256MB as well.

Apple didn’t forget about the camera – well, sortof. The iPhone 3G S did get an upgrade in that department too, but it’s only with a 3MP camera. It does finally support auto-focus, but it’s still not up to par with other flagship smartphones. Plus, this iPhone can now shoot video at 30 FPS with auto lighting and auto focus.

The new hardware will come in both 16GB and 32GB options with black and white models available in both sizes. These options will be available in July for $199/$299 respectively. Battery life has improved as well and Apple is claiming that the iPhone 3G S will go 15- to 20% longer on a charge. But no, the battery still isn’t usre replaceable.

The new hardware is welcomed, but the 3.0 software has also been updated with a new feature set. You can now tether – yes, tether – the iPhone via USB or Bluetooth to either a PC or Mac on 22 carriers worldwide; sorry, AT&T isn’t one of them. Speaking of AT&T, MMS will be available sometime this summer through an update. Or so they say.

But at least users can now rent and buy movies right from the iPhone. That’s a win, right.

Anyway, a new feature that most will love is the Find My iPhone. It’s a service for MobileMe subs that, well, finds your lost iPhone and displays its location on a map. It could be a great way to keep track of your spouse too. When activated, you can message your iPhone with a number to call and it will sound a tone even if the phone is on silent. Or you can remotely erase all of the data on the phone.

All these software updates also apply to older iPhones as long as they are loaded with the 3.0 software pack available worldwide on June 17, 2009.

Apple has kept the price point of the current options. So the 16GB will run $199 with the 32GB fetching $299; both are on-contract prices of course. Phil Schiller didn’t mention if current iPhone owners in an AT&T contract will be able to upgrade without penalty, so expect the official word from the carrier soon. AT&T did just that last year when the iPhone 3G was announced.

Expect the lines to start forming now ’cause the new iPhone 3G S will be available on June 19, 2009 in the States with the rest of the world getting on July 9, 2009. The iPhone 3G gets its $99 price starting today though.

Update: Remember how last year AT&T let current iPhone owners upgrade without penalty. Yeah, not going to happen this time around.

From the iPhone product page down in the fine print:

Requires new two-year AT&T wireless service contract, sold separately to qualified customers; credit check required; must be 18 or older. For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).

The OS should now run faster thanks to a 50% bump in CPU speed; it now runs at 600MHz. The system memory has doubled to 256MB as well.

Apple didn’t forget about the camera – well, sortof. The iPhone 3G S did get an upgrade in that department too, but it’s only with a 3MP camera. It does finally support auto-focus, but it’s still not up to par with other flagship smartphones. Plus, this iPhone can now shoot video at 30 FPS with auto lighting and auto focus.

The new hardware will come in both 16GB and 32GB options with black and white models available in both sizes. These options will be available in July for $199/$299 respectively. Battery life has improved as well and Apple is claiming that the iPhone 3G S will go 15- to 20% longer on a charge. But no, the battery still isn’t usre replaceable.

The new hardware is welcomed, but the 3.0 software has also been updated with a new feature set. You can now tether – yes, tether – the iPhone via USB or Bluetooth to either a PC or Mac on 22 carriers worldwide; sorry, AT&T isn’t one of them. Speaking of AT&T, MMS will be available sometime this summer through an update. Or so they say.

But at least users can now rent and buy movies right from the iPhone. That’s a win, right.

Anyway, a new feature that most will love is the Find My iPhone. It’s a service for MobileMe subs that, well, finds your lost iPhone and displays its location on a map. It could be a great way to keep track of your spouse too. When activated, you can message your iPhone with a number to call and it will sound a tone even if the phone is on silent. Or you can remotely erase all of the data on the phone.

All these software updates also apply to older iPhones as long as they are loaded with the 3.0 software pack available worldwide on June 17, 2009.

Apple has kept the price point of the current options. So the 16GB will run $199 with the 32GB fetching $299; both are on-contract prices of course. Phil Schiller didn’t mention if current iPhone owners in an AT&T contract will be able to upgrade without penalty, so expect the official word from the carrier soon. AT&T did just that last year when the iPhone 3G was announced.

Expect the lines to start forming now ’cause the new iPhone 3G S will be available on June 19, 2009 in the States with the rest of the world getting on July 9, 2009. The iPhone 3G gets its $99 price starting today though.

Update: Remember how last year AT&T let current iPhone owners upgrade without penalty. Yeah, not going to happen this time around.

From the iPhone product page down in the fine print:

Requires new two-year AT&T wireless service contract, sold separately to qualified customers; credit check required; must be 18 or older. For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB).

Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer, went on medical leave in January, and some investors had expressed doubt about the company’s statements that he would return this summer, the report said.

WWDC is next week and the Internet gods are saying that there is a new iPhone coming. This screenshot from UK’s Carphone Warehouse hints that they might be right and the new iPhone will come in 16GB and 32GB flavors, with a white model available for both options.

The large UK retailer is an official iPhone reseller that might have access to this previledge info. Plus, this might mean that the iPhone V3 could see a mult-country launch soon.

Anyway, hold tight fanboys. Monday is just around the corner. Pre what?

The better performance comes from the updated Core 2 Duo CPU that now runs at 2.13GHz paired with 800MHz DDR2 memory. The only place that the unibody MacBook soundly beat the white model was in Quake 4 frame rates. So if you’re willing to forgo the multi-touch trackpad, slightly thinner aluminum casing and don’t plan on gaming, you can save $300 and get a faster machine with the white MacBook. Sounds like a no-brainer to us.

FYI, Apple will probably update the unibody MacBooks next week at WWDC or shortly there afterwards.

WWDC 2009 is next week but don’t let that stop you from opining on the majesty of the upcoming iPhone 3G II Jr. ++. We know for a fact that you’ll have background tasks running in 3.0 and we’ve confirmed the luminous Apple logo (!!) but did you know you’ll be able to record videos, use Nike+iPod services, and download movies? What a treat!

The big image shows just about everything the world currently knows about this thing so feast your eyes and prepare for the most important day of the year – iPhone day.

Maybe I’m just getting old but this is pretty much BFD for me right now. A compass? What am I, Mark Trail?

We at CG love the Pre and I find it hard to believe that this will be a dog – but we have been wrong. Palm could fall into the traps that the other iPhone-alikes fell into: wonky OSes over slow UIs that turn a great experience into a good one. Here’s hoping we’re wrong.

The second reason reeks of hubris, albeit of the well-deserved variety. As we’ve seen, Palm is pretty proud of their work, as they should be. They went from zero to hero overnight and they owned CES 2009. So why not take on the biggest kid on the block? By launching two days before anything Apple is launching, they could own the news cycle. There is no concrete proof that Apple is doing anything but launching a new iPhone OS at WWDC – since Steve left it’s gotten infinitesimally easier to grab leaks out of Cupertino than it once was, which isn’t saying much. However, with something as big as new iPhone hardware you’d assume some strange Chinese site would have something on it. However: bupkus. So maybe Palm is planning to own that week.

The third and final possibility is the least likely one: Sprint ham-handed this launch for Palm and essentially ignored all outside factors and just wanted to get something out on a nice Saturday – note that they’re launching on a Saturday in order to ensure long lines and plenty of ink – in June. Carriers know how to sell commodity handsets but this is the first time Sprint has ever gotten a Handset of Desire (TM) akin to the iPhone. Maybe they just don’t know how to throw a party?

Whichever it is, the Palm Pre better be as amazing as I think it will be or else I’m totally getting rid of the Palm V I’m using now and buying an iPaq.

Fun fact: Did you know that Apple is really run by a spiritual energy field so bright and blinding that Apple engineers have to wear special “sensory suits” in order to enter the special lead-lined conference room in Cupertino where they present their new ideas to the “the one whose name is the death of stars and the giver of life to all that lives?”

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference to Kick Off with Keynote Address on Monday, June 8

CUPERTINO, California—May 13, 2009—Apple® will kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. A team of Apple executives, led by Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the keynote. WWDC will offer in-depth sessions on both iPhone™ OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and Mac OS® X Snow Leopard™, an even more powerful and refined version of the world’s best desktop operating system and the foundation for future Mac® innovation.

“Last June, we gave developers an early look at the powerful new technologies that form the underpinnings of Mac OS X Snow Leopard,” said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “At WWDC, we will be giving our developers a final Developer Preview release so they can see the incredible progress we’ve made on Snow Leopard and work with us as we move toward its final release.”

Snow Leopard and Mac technical sessions will showcase hundreds of refinements to the operating system and dive deep into its new technologies including a 64-bit architecture, QuickTime® X, next-generation multicore and GPU processor support, and amazing new accessibility technologies. iPhone OS 3.0 technical sessions will cover introductory and advanced concepts to help developers get the most out of the iPhone OS 3.0 SDK and over 1,000 new APIs available for iPhone OS 3.0.

WWDC also offers attendees the unique opportunity to work side-by-side with Apple engineers to solve code-level issues, gain insight into development techniques and get expert advice on interface design.

Other activities at Apple’s WWDC 2009 include:

* more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers on a wide range of technology-specific topics for developing, deploying and integrating iPhone OS 3.0 and Mac OS X technologies;
* over 1,000 Apple engineers presenting the latest in Apple technologies and providing one-to-one direction in hands-on labs; and
* the opportunity to connect with thousands of fellow iPhone and Mac developers from around the world.

Visit the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2009 website for registration and more details at WWDC.