Apple's iPhone OS event: What to expect

Just as the buzz over the iPad starts to drop to a mild roar, along comes Apple with another news event this morning - this time, to talk about iPhone OS 4.0.

There's been no shortage of wish lists for new iPhone OS features on the Internet since the company sent the first invitation to the event on Monday. Among the biggies:

• Multitasking: The ability to run third party apps simultaneously has been on the top of wish lists for some time now. The push notifications on the iPhone OS could really use some beefing up. Maybe allowing multitasking once and for all is one way to address them.
• WiFi syncing: I talked about this in a post earlier this week about the downfall of the iPad and am hoping that Apple will turn a corner on iPhone OS 4.0 in a way that frees the devices from that synchronization cord.
• A folder system: As the iPhone OS devices continue to get more complex, what with all of those apps and different things happening, users need a way to keep themselves better organized. The on-screen app organizer in iTunes was a good start - but something directly on the device and a system that allows users to separate games from productvity apps from reader, viewers and players would be a nice next step.

But the one rumor that's been getting the most buzz is news around integrated mobile ads. If you think about what else is happening in that space, the stars are somewhat aligned now for such an announcement. Consider the following:

• Apple already considers itself a mobile devices company, what with the iPod, iPhone, iPad and even laptop computers all being portable devices.
• Google's acquisition of Ad-Mob, which had also been on Apple's radar, is all but certain to face some regulatory scrutiny, given Google's presence in Internet advertising. That shifts the spotlight away from Apple, which ended up buying Quattro Wireless but has yet to show what it plans to do with it.
• Apple may be a mobile devices company but comparing it to Google and its potential to dominate the ad market if the Ad-Mob deal is approved makes it seems like a much smaller player. After all, the iPhone is not the market leader - though you'd never know it, given the publicity and coverage - and new competition is coming in the form of an Android push and the release of Windows Mobile 7 later this year. Likewise, the iPad market is a new category with competitors already on its heels, so it should also stay off the regulators' radar, as well.

Coming off the iPad release from just a few days ago, the blogosphere just didn't have the time to stir the speculation pot on what Apple may or may not have to say today. These are supposed to be sneak peeks but we don't even know if they're ready for prime time yet.

I'll be reporting live from the event later this morning. Check back for updates