Apple expected to reveal digital radio, changes to software at developers conference

Apple is expected to reveal a digital radio service and changes to the software behind iPhones and iPads as its annual conference for software developers gets underway today.

The iPhone maker had not revealed what it would  unveil at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The major announcements are expected to come during today's keynote presentation. The company, last year, announced at the event, its own mapping service, better integration with social networks as also improvements to virtual assistant Siri.

Announcements were also made about thinner MacBooks featuring high-resolution screens. The conference would run up to Friday.

The company is expected to unveil a simplified look on iPhones and iPads and if the speculation were correct, it would be the most radical design change since the iPhone made its debut in 2007, showing consumers that phones could do more than make calls and exchange messages.

The event this week comes at an important time for Apple, with the company's stock price down amid concerns that another breakthrough product was not imminent.

Although according to CEO Tim Cook people should not expect new products until the fall, Apple was likely to preview how future products would function as it unveiled new services and features.

According to commentators, though Apple Inc would not be revealing a new iPhone or iPad, anticipation for the event had been running high since chief executive officer Tim Cook, made changes that saw head industrial designer Jonathan Ive charged with the look and feel of Apple's software.

Commentators point out that the period since the iPad mini's debut in October marked one of Apple's longest product gaps in over a decade, coinciding with a 37-per cent share slide from a record set the previous month. The redesign of the software behind the devices that generate over 70 per cent of Apple's sales comes as a first step toward renewing consumers' interest, according to some analysts.

With smartphones increasingly looking alike as regards physical and technological features, device makers were looking to software design and services to pitch their appeal to prospective customers, according to industry watchers.