Tickets for Apple's highly-anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2012 sold out in less than two hours after going live. The dates are set - June 11-15, San Francisco's Moscone Center is ready for visitors, and the conference is almost here. One question, however, crosses everyone's mind: what goodies will this year's conference bring?

While many believed that Apple would launch its next-generation iPhone, dubbed iPhone 5, at the WWDC in June, recent reports point to a fall release date, at a separate event. Instead, this year's conference is likely to feature some major hardware and software releases, but no iPhone yet. During this year's WWDC, Apple is expected to launch its latest iOS 6 mobile operating system, release Mac OS X Mountain Lion, and also to extend/refresh its MacBook Pro lineup.

Apple has used WWDC as a launch pad for iPhones in the past, but it is unlikely this will happen this year. The iPhone 3GS was announced at WWDC 2009 and the iPhone 4 at WWDC 2010, but Apple changed its launch cycle with the iPhone 4S. Apple launched its latest iPhone in October 2011, at a separate event - "Let's Talk iPhone." The Cupertino-based tech giant is expected to follow a similar pattern for the iPhone 5 and launch it during a separate event later this year. Consequently, this year's WWDC will likely be iPhone-less. There are, however, other exciting Apple products likely to be released in June:

New iOS 6 Announcement

The June conference is very likely to feature an iOS announcement, especially considering that Apple has not released anything big since the iPad 3's launch in March. This would also fall in line with previous release schedules, as Apple unveiled its iOS 5 developers version at the WWDC last year. The company released iOS 5 four months later, on Oct. 12, 2011, and the iPhone 4S two days after that, on Oct. 14, 2011.

Apple released the updated version iOS 5.1 along with the iPad 3 in March, but the new OS did not bring any game-changing features. In fact, the upgrade to iOS 5.1 mainly consisted of interface tweaks and bug fixes rather than revolutionary features.

MacBook Pro 2012

Apple has never any major overhaul to its MacBook Pro line since it launched in January 2006, and some major changes in design and functionality are somewhat overdue. According to some news sources, Apple is reportedly trying to bring its MacBook Pros and lightweight MacBook Airs to a closer level with the new upgrade. A new device is expected to come with Intel's Ivy Bridge chip, LTE support, Thunderbolt connector, Retina display, as well as improved battery capacity with "Power Management Technology."

Mountain Lion

Apple is expected to release its Mac OS X Mountain Lion during the event, and Apple's very own senior VP of worldwide marketing, Philip Schiller, hinted this was a sure thing. "We have a great WWDC planned this year and can't wait to share the latest news about iOS and OS X Mountain Lion with developers," said Schiller. With Mountain Lion, Apple plans to bring many iOS features to the Mac, as the new iOS platform "has created an entirely new industry with fantastic opportunities for developers across the country and across the world."

(reported by Alexandra Burlacu, edited by Dave Clark)