MacBook Air Refresh Could Replace iRadio at Apple's WWDC

Apple AAPL is gearing up for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, commonly known as WWDC. The event is scheduled to start on Monday, June 10 and will conclude on Friday, June 14. As an Apple event -- the first of the year, no less -- bloggers, analysts and investors are chomping at the bit for big news. Many are secretly hoping for fresh iDevices (a low-cost iPhone, perhaps?), but most are willing to settle for iOS revelations and a tease -- if not a formal announcement -- for the company's long-awaited streaming music service. According to 9to5Mac, consumers may have one slightly refreshed product to look forward to -- another MacBook Air. This upgrade is not expected to be massive; it may or may not include a faster form of Wi-Fi, and is very likely to include a new Haswell processor from Intel INTC. Beyond that, the 2013 MacBook Air is likely to be just as good as the 2012 model, which was just as good as its predecessor. The 13-inch model actually improved slightly last year since Apple doubled the default RAM from 2GB to 4GB and lowered the price by $100. Haswell chipsets could allow Apple to improve the battery life of the next Air, providing value to those who need a new Mac or may be willing to upgrade. For the rest of the world, however, the new MacBook Air is unlikely to send shockwaves through the industry, unlike its Pro sibling. Could another price cut be used to sweeten the deal? After Apple cut the price of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display by $200, anything is possible. Without any new products released in roughly nine months, Apple may have a difficult time next week. Even if the company does have something revolutionary to announce -- software or hardware -- it could be hard to persuade critics and satisfy those who have been salivating for something new. Apple could feasibly unveil a refreshed MacBook Air and its new radio service. However, the company typically prefers to stretch out its announcements and save each item for its own key event. In other cases, the company quietly releases new items without any formal announcements -- not even a press release. Whatever happens, investors can be sure that reporters will be eager to write about whatever Apple does (or fails to do) next week. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ