Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off today in San Jose, Calif., one of several events throughout the year at which the company announces its latest hotness. CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs will get the ball rolling with his keynote speech, and the buzz on the virtual street is that he's bringing a big crate of Apple goodness to share, freshly plucked from the orchards at Cupertino. Let's take a quick look at what he'll likely be chatting up today.

A new iPhone
The only surprise here would be if Jobs didn't announce a next-gen iPhone. Rumor has it that this model will add a forward-facing camera for online chatting/video, a higher-res display screen, and a significantly faster processor with improved battery life. Apple will also likely pull the wrapping off of the new iPhone OS 4.0, announced earlier in the year, which will add a bevy of new features, with multitasking first and foremost. A new iPhone with a new OS should certainly help Apple keep pace with Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) wildly popular Android-based smartphones, if not boost it ahead in sales, and help retain its market share in the battle for smartphone dominance.

Safari 5 and HTML 5
Jobs may talk about a new version of Safari, Apple's Internet browser, highlighting its speed improvements, some added bells and whistles -- and, as a dig at Big G, possibly a switch from Google to Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Bing as the default search engine option. In connection with that, Jobs will probably showcase Safari's enhanced HTML 5 video support, taking yet another swing at the battered punching-bag that is Adobe's (Nasdaq: ADBE) Flash video plug-in.

Apple and AT&T: BFF ... or not?
What we probably won't see is any announcement from Apple about an additional carrier for the iPhone, namely Verizon (NYSE: VZ). If that did happen, it would certainly be the biggest surprise, given the widely believed expiration date of 2012 for the exclusive contract twixt Apple and AT&T (NYSE: T). It's not beyond the pale, however, given AT&T's recent data plan changes and rumbles that Ma Bell may be moving up upgrade eligibility dates for current subscribers in order to keep them from straying over Verizon's way.  

Those are the key items among the many we'll likely see on Jobs' beloved mini-Jumbotron. Maybe something about Apple TV on the iPad, or making Mobile Me free? What do you think? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts and ideas about what's going to come out of Apple's big hype machine today.