The Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) begins Monday — because E3’s over, and what would we do without another trade show?

OK, jokes aside, lots of people are making predictions for the show, which as you might assume by its name is more for developers than it is for the consumer. Nonetheless, there are likely to be some announcements that appeal to you if you’re an Apple fan, especially if you’re wanting to hear about the newest version of the operating system for Macintosh computers and the iPhone/iPod Touch.

While news reports suggest that CEO Steve Jobs is feeling better these days (he’s been on medical leave since earlier this year and is supposed to return this month sometime), Seb Janacek at ZDNet believes Jobs won’t address the crowd at WWDC. He also said there won’t be a Mac tablet computer announced. However, Janacek said he does believe that Apple executives will discuss new features for Mac OS 10.6, code-named Snow Leopard. We’ll likely get a release date for that and for the iPhone OS 3.0.

Of the two, the iPhone is probably the more anticipated. Supposedly Snow Leopard isn’t going to be all that exciting, but I also think it’s because there are lots of Windows folks who use the iPhone and iPod Touch. And the 3.0 software has so many new features, like cut and paste. Macworld’s Dan Moren discusses many more of the upcoming features in his preview.

Andrew Nusca at ZDNet posted this morning that Apple might announce a $99 or $149 iPhone at WWDC on Monday. Nusca said the analysts believe cutting the price point from its current $199 level by $50 would increase demand by 50 percent. A $100 price cut could mean a 100 percent upswing. Apple currently has 11 percent of smartphone sales worldwide, but that may change if they cut the price. Regardless of cost, Nusca said, analysts think a new version of the iPhone will be announced Monday.

I think WWDC be a solid event with interesting, though not earth-shattering, news. But Apple’s pretty good about pulling rabbits out of its hat. Has the company snuck something in that no one’s been expecting? We’ll find out next week!

Take a look at these articles for more:

How the iPhone Works
How the iPod Touch Works
How to Use Your iPhone as a Security Camera