Gearing up for Apple's WWDC: Don't forget about the apps

There's always a lot of speculation leading up to Apple events - and this year's worldwide developer's conference, which kicks off Monday in San Francisco, is no exception. For some time now, the buzz around this year's WWDC has been around a larger screen iPod Touch (think Tablet PC) and an upgrade to Mac OS X.

Also see: WWDC: Don't count Jobs out yet

But it's clear by the banners being hung in and around Moscone Center that applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch - the one segment of the business that Apple loves to showcase - will play a big role at the WWDC.

The image says it all - look at those icons floating around on this banner. It's no surprise that iPhone apps and the app store would have a large presence at the WWDC - after all, it is a conference for developers.

Back in April, Apple announced the one-billionth application download - though the company has yet to break out the number of paid apps downloaded, compared to free apps.

Say what you will about Apple and its closed-wall approach to development and approval of apps. It still doesn't change the fact that Apple changed the game with these apps and sent competitors - from RIM to Google - into copycat mode. Both Blackberry and Android phones both now have apps for their devices.