Although Apple has been very secretive about what it has been working on leading up to its developer's conference - WWDC - which kicks off today, reports have leaked from sources in the company's development team.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the US computing giant will reveal a revamped version of its mobile operating system - iOS 7. Citing sources working on the OS, the report suggests Apple has given iOS 7 a new look and that developers will have the chance to interact with the software before its commercial release.
The sources said the revamped OS has moved away from Apple's real-life icon and app design, a look that was originally lobbied by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Let the music stream
Apple is also expected to announce its version of a music-streaming service. It will follow in the footsteps of its biggest rival, Google, which introduced a streaming music service at its own developers' conference last month.
For just $9.99 a month, the Google All Access service allows users to customise song selections from a wide range of genres, stream individual playlists, and tune into a radio-like stream that can be altered.
Commenting on the fight for supremacy between Apple and Google, World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says services like streaming music and music download subscriptions must eventually be offered on all platforms, on all devices, or user needs and expectations will not be met.
"The fact that Nokia has a highly competitive offering in this arena, and that you can get similar services by having specific apps on any phone, means it is not a game-changer or a dramatic differentiator," he says.
Next iPhone?
While the next iOS and streaming music service are said to be unveiled this week, it remains highly unlikely that Apple will announce any details of its next-generation iPhone.
Tech and Apple commentator, John Gruber, backed this up last week, saying that although Apple did announce new iPhone hardware for a few years at WWDC - for the 3G, 3GS and 4 - the schedule for the iPhone changed.
"So I think it's not so much that they wouldn't announce a new iPhone or iPad during the WWDC keynote, but simply that they don't yet have new iPhones or iPads to announce," he said.
Last week, new details and images of Apple's rumoured sub-$400 iPhone emerged.
Apple Insider reported that the images were posted on the Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, and punted and dissected by Apple.pro.
Earlier, DigiTimes reported that Apple plans to launch two new iPhones in the third quarter of the year. The report cites industry sources in Taiwan stating the computing giant has requested manufacturers in the supply channel to prepare for monthly production of 20 million devices.
Still innovating
Speaking at the D11 conference earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook dismissed claims that the company has stopped innovating.
When questioned about the company's game-changing capabilities, Cook said Apple is still going to do that. "We have some incredible plans that we have been working on for a while. The culture is all still there, and many of the people are still there. We have several more game-changers in us."
Cook spoke about some of the company's biggest products and touched on Apple TV, its mapping application and operating system upgrade, without divulging too much information.
While Cook was confident that Apple hasn't lost its magic touch, he didn't deny that he keeps a close eye on its strongest operating system competitor - Google's Android. "Do I look at it? Of course. I don't have my head stuck in the sand."
He added that success is not in the figures, but rather in the quality of products, and that while Android might make the most music players and tablets, it doesn't make the most phones.
Apple has been under increasing pressure, with industry experts questioning the manufacturer's lack of innovation following the death of Jobs.
In his preview of WWDC yesterday, Gruber also suggested that Apple has been lagging in the innovation department. "iOS-style computing is no longer novel and it has become the standard interaction model for personal computing. The primary problem Apple faced with the iPhone in 2007 was building familiarity with a new way of using computers. That problem has now been solved. It is time to solve new problems."
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