Surprises: Although Apple is notorious for playing its cards close to its chest, with Jobs out of the picture there seem to be lowered expectations and fewer rumors about any out-in-left-field surprises at WWDC.

Gottheil, however, had one he thought Apple might spring. "I think there's a good chance they'll rev the iPod Touch along with the iPhone," he said.

Even though Apple traditionally announces new iPods in September? And as a group? "Yes, I think they've decided to associate it more with the iPhone line than the iPods," Gottheil answered. "It's easier to tell the story of both at the same time, since they're so similar. In fact, I think they probably regret the original positioning of the Touch."

The WWDC keynote kicks off Monday, June 8, at 1 p.m. ET, with Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, in the presentations.

Editor's note: Computerworld 's Seth Weintraub will liveblog this year's WWDC keynote on June 8.