WWDC 2011 Predictions for Monday.

This year's WWDC keynote has been leaked by the most unexpected source -- Apple. Unlike any other year, this year Apple released a notice that gave a brief description of what topics would be discussed at the keynote. Listed topics included Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, iOS 5, and a new service known as iCloud. This is a bit of a surprise move, since iCloud is a new service that Apple is yet to release, and Apple NEVER gives prior notice to any new product or service before a media event. Interesting.

So we know that Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud will make up the bulk of the keynote. But what about the finer details? Here are my predictions of what to expect at this year's WWDC 2011 keynote.

• No new iPhone. - All indications are that a new iPhone is planned for a later release date than normal. Most likely August or September. This will be an exception to the past release cycle, but I think it will happen. The white iPhone 4 was just released, and I doubt that a new model will be released so soon afterwards. Plus, the current iPhone 4 is still selling exceptionally well. There is no business reason for Apple to release a new iPhone right now. And Releasing a new model in Fall would allow Apple to more evenly spread out the release of major new products throughout the year. I predict Fall.

• New notification system in iOS 5. - One area in mobile where Apple seems to be falling behind is in how iOS provides notifications. On the latest The Talk Show podcast, John Gruber made a good point when he pointed out that in iOS, there is no way to go back and review notifications once you clear them off of the screen. This seems like an area where Apple could use some improvement. And according to the latest information out of Cupertino, Apple has been picking up developers that specialize in notifications. Including one who is responsible for one of the most popular notifications systems in the jailbreak community. Even though these are recent hires, I do expect a new notification system in iOS 5. Maybe something closer to the system used in Palm's WebOS.

• iCloud. - This is a given, since Apple's notice has already declared this as a topic of discussion for WWDC. But what is this iCloud thing? How is it going to be implemented? What will it provide? And will it be a replacement for MobileMe or an add-on? I predict that iCloud will be a bit more than just music streaming from an Apple server. I expect iCloud to be the link that ties Mac OS X Lion & iOS 5 together for a more seamless experience. I'm hoping it will be similar to a Dropbox + iTunes music locker + cloud syncing service that reduces the need for cabled syncing and, more importantly, provides a system service that allows ANY app to save and sync documents, images, and videos between iOS devices and Macs. I feel Apple will be moving to tie their two major platforms together more closely. Similar to how Google syncs content via an Google account login on Android phones. But I expect iCloud to be much more than that. This is going to be a huge part of the keynote. I'm still torn about whether Apple will include any video streaming via iCloud for iTunes content, but music is a definite in my mind. And I'm mostly hoping for a better method of document syncing between their two platforms - OS X and iOS. Also, I do not expect iCloud to be a replacement for MobileMe. I think it will be an add-on feature to MobileMe. It may replace iDisk, Back to My Mac, and wireless syncing. But the name of the service as a whole will remain MobileMe. And there will be a charge for parts of the service, but I expect some features to be free with the purchase of a Mac or iOS device. How the pricing will be structured is up in the air, but I don't expect it to be more than the current MobileMe pricing structure. Expect a lot of time dedicated to iCloud come Monday.

• New Mac Pro hardware. - Although I do not expect to see new iPhone hardware, I do expect to see new Mac Pros announced at WWDC. Including Thunderport, custom order SSD options, and hopefully a new case design. Upgraded Mac Pros may not be mentioned during the keynote, but I do expect them to be available shortly afterwards.

• Lion available now for $29.99 via the Mac App Store. - I expect Lion to be available immediately or within this month. It appears that it's pretty much ready to roll out and I expect that Apple will want everyone to upgrade to Lion before the next iPhone and iOS 5 launches in August or September. So I expect Apple to stay with the same price as he Snow Leopard release in order to encourage everyone to upgrade. I also expect iCloud to be available at the same time.

• Tight integration for Twitter within iOS 5. - I tend to agree with the reports this week that Twitter will be a system wide service in iOS 5 which will allow easy posting and photo uploads to the service.

• Improved Mac App Store in Lion. - I expect an updated Mac App Store in Lion that will allow easier management of app updates, hopefully reducing the long list of apps in the updates section that have been previously purchased.

• iOS app demos from third-party developers. - As they've done before, I expect Apple to invite third-party developers up onstage to demo some of the cool apps that they have already developed for the new APIs in iOS 5. What those new APIs will provide is anyone's guess.

• Remote tracking and wiping of Macs running Lion via the iCloud/MobileMe service. - Just like the "Find My iPhone" feature in iOS, I expect this to be carried over to the Mac. Especially since the majority of Mac sales are for laptops. Loose your laptop at the airport? No worries now.

Well, there you have it.  My predictions for the WWDC 2011 keynote on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 PST (1:00 p.m. EST). I expect a long keynote with plenty to talk about. And a lot of demos of cool Lion and iOS 5 features. What do you think? did I forget something? Do you have a wildcard prediction to share?  Leave it in the comments.