Updated iPhone 3.0 beta software shipped to developers late Tuesday and included in the code was a prerelease copy of the next version of iTunes (8.2). Clues buried in the new iTunes prerelease software suggest that Apple's media player will support Blu-ray disc playback.

Not much else was remarkable about the iPhone 3.0 update, but the additional iTunes 8.2 support for Blu-ray was a surprise. Proof of Blu-ray support can be found in the About iTunes help window in the pre-release version of iTunes 8.2. A copyright notice now includes a mention of Blu-ray media, hinting that the final release will likely play high-def discs. This could also mean that Apple plans to introduce Blu-ray drives into its computer lineup, although the company has previously dismissed this technology.

Apple Blu-ray Dreams

In the past, Steve Jobs has called Blu-ray a "bag of hurt" when referring to its licensing terms. While Apple hasn't yet formally announced any Blu-ray hardware, one could speculate that at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, some sort of high-def hardware announcement could occur as well.

On the iPhone OS front, developers are reporting minor changes. One noteworthy change is that beta users cannot synchronize Apple Notes with iTunes anymore, as OSX 10.5.7 is required. This leads me to believe that Apple is also set to release a new update for its Mac operating system (currently at 10.5.6) to better accommodate all the changes and updates coming with the iPhone 3.0 software.

WWDC Conference Sells Out

Meanwhile, all this hype about new iPhone hardware, touch tablets and now Blu-ray has driven a sell-out of WWDC ‘09 tickets. This is the second time tickets sold out in WWDC history; the first time was last year. During this conference, June 8 to 12, Apple is expected to introduce a final version of the iPhone 3.0 software and the next Mac OSX iteration, Snow Leopard.

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