With Apple's WWDC 2013 developer conference just around the corner, we're about to learn more details on the forthcoming iOS 7 update for the the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

The last major iOS 6 update for Apple's mobile devices was mostly hit, but there was a big Maps-shaped miss.

Lots of people were rightly angry about Apple ditching Google data, but beyond that mis-step there were things to like: a more useful Siri (App launching plus the recognition that a world exists outside of the USA), shared Photo Streams, handy Phone app controls such as 'send to voicemail', and major improvements to Mail, Safari, accessibility and the Camera app.

iOS 7 release date

it looks like the new operating system might be running a little behind schedule. John Gruber believes that iOS 7 is "running behind", with engineers being pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it.

We're expecting a September or October release date for iOS 7 in line with previous releases. We'll almost certainly see a reveal at WWDC. Apple has promised to give devs "an in-depth look at what's next in iOS and OS X", Mobile web traffickers such as Onswipe have already reported seeing iOS 7 pop up in their logs.

Find out what our TechRadar experts want to see from iOS 7 in the video below:

iOS 7 design

It seems that everything starts with a new Lock screen, where the glossy image and clock have been replaced by a stark black screen with supposed improved gesture controls. Even the security code pad has been altered, and instead of the familiar overlay, a new interface with round, black keys with white text has emerged.

It will be almost immediately apparent just how different everything looks as base apps like Calendar, Camera, Game Center and Safari will be pared down quite a bit from their current incarnations.

Longtime iPhone users may be in for a bit of a surprise, as the leak suggests iOS 7 will replace the vibrant look and feel of the phone with a more minimalist, monochromatic approach.

What else do we want to see in iOS 7?

The rest of this article explores a dozen of the features we're clamouring to see in iOS 7. (And by 'clamouring', we of course mean 'asking really nicely'. C'mon, Mr Cook - pretty please?)

1. Hide Apple apps

Pretty much everyone we know with an Apple device has a folder entitled 'Apple'. This isn't filled with must-have apps from the geniuses at Cupertino, but all the junk Apple installs that you can't get rid off. To be fair, what each individual considers junk is different, and these apps—Compass, Stocks, Voice Memos, Passbook, and so on—have their fans; but is it too much to ask for a switch in Settings that will hide those we don't use?

2. Better app management

Change for change's sake is rarely a good thing. Recognition is key to satisfying experiences with technology. That's why we're not yelling at Apple to change how iOS home screens work. What we would like to see is improvements to app management: more screens; by default saving app data on delete; and an alphabetical list of installed apps, perhaps accessible from Spotlight.

3. Change app defaults

We're pretty certain this request would be met with wide-eyes from Apple CEO Tim Cook, swiftly followed by a full twenty minutes of belly laughing, but we want the ability to use non-default apps for important things like email and calendaring. Apple's own apps would remain the defaults, but you should also be able to pick your own in Settings.

4. Provide a guest account

It's extremely unlikely that Apple's ever going to enable multiple user accounts on iOS devices—they are, after all, designed as extremely personal computers. What is perhaps more realistic is some kind of guest account you could switch to when handing your device over to someone for a short while; something similar already exists on the Mac in OS X.

5. Change Siri's voice

OS X is blessed with dozens of high-quality voices that witter away to you in various dulcet tones. By contrast, Siri is Siri. In the US, you get a slightly robotic woman; in the UK, Siri's that bloke who did The Weakest Link for a decade. It'd be great if you could choose the voice your device uses to speak. (Possible exception: Yoda voice.)

6. Provide App Store demos

Apps and games might be cheap, but that doesn't figure cheapskates into the equation. Too often, people are unwilling to risk 69p on the latest release, forcing devs into irritating freemium models or making them clutter up the App Store with 'lite' versions of their output. Apple should just allow demos: 24 hours from first launch and then you buy or the app won't run. Boom.

7. Power up 'Do Not Disturb'

Fed up of getting woken up in the middle of the night by the marketing efforts of [redacted, but quite possibly a well-known mobile network] or Game Center fanfares? Do Not Disturb is a great feature that enables you to time when your phone will quit bugging you. But you can define only a single schedule, and we want to see alternative options for weekends.

8. Make locking location-aware

Locking is a great thing on iOS devices, making it at least a little harder for some scallywag to get at your data if they pinch your shiny Apple joy. But it could be more intelligent, locking on a location-aware basis, and not when you're, say, happily sitting at home on the sofa.

9. Improve the lock screen

There's something to be said for Apple's minimalism regarding the iOS lock screen, and it's mostly that it's too minimal. We're not sure we want to see Android-style widgets sprayed everywhere, but a little more functionality wouldn't go amiss. For example, artwork from a currently playing song is displayed on the lock screen, but there are no controls for pausing or skipping to the next track, until you double-press Home, which isn't hugely discoverable. And beyond notifications, nothing else shows up there at all.

10 Cut all iTunes ties

In recent years, Apple's made great leaps away from iTunes, and you can technically get away with never using the monstrous jukebox. However, there's still no way to easily get your existing music collection nor your photographs on to your device, and there should be. (Alas, with Apple wanting to push iTunes Match and the iTunes Store, there almost certainly never will be for the first of those.)

11. Make more icons dynamic

We're hesitant at arguing Apple's home screen icons should be more like Windows 8 tiles, but there's something to be said for dynamic updates when such things work well. With iOS, you get update badges and a live calendar. It'd be nice at the least if Apple made its own Clock and Weather icons dynamic.

12. Enable cross-platform installs

On a device, you now often see iOS-style banners on websites that when tapped take you right to the equivalent App Store app. But if you're browsing elsewhere, you have to email yourself a reminder and then install later. How good would it be if you were surfing on your PC, saw a great app and could install it across your devices without going near them, nor even to iTunes?

The HTC One has already been leaked in a fetching red hue, and fresh reports are now suggesting the Taiwanese firm will also release a blue version of the five-star smartphone.

According to sources (a little guy that lives in a blue world, probably) which have conversed with Pocket-Lint, the blue HTC One will be available in the coming months, joining the already-available black and silver finishes and the much rumoured red version.

There's no firm release date for either the blue or red HTC One handsets just yet, so we're going to have to sit tight and see what the Taiwanese firm reveals.

More Blips!

What not check out some more of our great blips, and how about a soundtrack to go with them?

• Spotify gets sociable with Discover feature
• What's inside the cube? Peter Molyneux's experiment finds a winner
• White Google Nexus 4 officially arrives, but nothing's changed

The next few months could turn out to be pretty busy as rumours start to circulate around several new smartphones which may break cover in that time.

Now we'll warn you that the latest news comes via Digitimes - the incredibly hit and miss Taiwanese website - so take what you read with a pinch of salt, but we could be in line for a pair of new iPhone handsets as well as an early release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

The site claims unnamed industry sources have revealed Apple is asking its factories in China to ramp up production on two new devices, thought to be the iPhone 5S and a budget iPhone model.

Fact or fiction?

These handsets may be unveiled as early as next month and the sources reckon Apple will start shipping its new iPhones at the end of June.

That's not all however, as the same insiders also think they've got the inside skinny on the next super-sized Samsung in the form of the Galaxy Note 3.

Early report suggested that the Note 3 would make its debut at IFA 2013 in September, but apparently the Korean firm may jump the gun with a July or August announcement.

No specs, features or further details were provided on any of the handsets in question, so we'll just have to bide our time and see if this latest leak is fact or fiction.

It looks like the Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy S4 Mega aren't the only devices expected to for a reveal next month - with the rumoured Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 and Galaxy Ace phone said to be joining the party.

The information comes from Russian website Hi-Tech Mail (translated over at GSMArena) which states that the Tab 3 10.1 will be available from June, and land running Android Jelly Bean 4.2.

The Tab 3 will apparently pack a 10.1-inch, 1280x800 resolution display, with a 1.6GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM doing the legwork, and 16GB or 32GB storage options, which is pretty much what we've previously heard.

So many Samsungs…

We've also previously been leaked the specs on the Samsung Galaxy Ace 3, which is pitching itself at the cheaper Android smartphone arena, and the new information matches details we've seen before.

It will apparently sport a 4-inch display with a 800 x 480 resolution, with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear camera and 4GB of storage memory.

According to the site, this will cost the equivalent of about £210 (about $315, AUS $330). Whether this means Europe will be getting either of these devices first is unclear, but we'll know all on June 20.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stills believes his Cupertino-based firm is on top in the smartphone and tablet war, even though Android commands a larger market share.

Cook opened up about Apple's competition during AllThingsD's annual conference, and he still firmly believes that it's still the number one player in the technology market.

"For us, winning has never been about building the most.

"Arguably, we make the best PC, but we don't make the most. Same with the MP3 player. However, with the tablet, we make the best and most. With phones we make the best, but not the most."

Those are some pretty bold claims and the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and Nokia Lumia 920 probably won't agree that the iPhone 5 is the best smartphone on the market.

iPad has "changed the game"

According to Cook, iPad users are far more engaged when it comes to tablet usage compared to Android based rivals.

"We look at usage: what customers are doing. A study said there were twice as many e-commerce transactions on iPad than on all Android devices combined during Black Friday last year.

"What the numbers suggest over and over again are that people are using our products more.

"My own iPad personal use is a significant percentage of my computing work. It has changed the game. I don't hear that from Android tablet users."

People love us!

But don't just take Cook's word for it, apparently Apple products are the most loved among consumers too.

"Customer satisfaction is sort of the report card no matter the business: iPad and iPhone have the highest customer satisfaction in tablets and phones.

"We want customers of all ages… we try to appeal to everyone."

Although once again, those are actually Cook's words, and he's probably got reason to be a little bit biased towards his own company - and he needs to do some defending as critics claim the firm is starting to go in the opposite direction in its post-Jobs era.