5 Apple rumors likely to come true

Apple's iOS operating system for the iPhone and iPad is need of an overhaul.

Though Apple (AAPL) has become world-renowned for its excellence in design, Google (GOOG) and Microsoft (MSFT) have embraced -- and in many ways surpassed -- Apple over the past year -- at least on the software front. Microsoft's flat, "live tile" approach and Google's home screen widgets are far more interactive than the series of apps with red notification numbers that Apple offers.

Jony Ive, Apple's hardware design guru, recently took over iOS after the Apple Maps debacle led to the ouster of iOS' chief Scott Forstall. Ive is known for a much more minimalistic approach to design.

Van Baker, mobility analyst at Gartner, said a complete redesign of iOS is "likely" when Apple announces its latest version of the software, iOS 7, at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on June 10.

"Given the new responsibility of Mr. Ive, I expect the redesign to be significant and focused more on simplifying and improving the experience than on whizzy new bells and whistles," said Charles Golvin, analyst at Forrester Research.

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