What I want to see from Apple in 2013

2012 was a mixed year for Apple. They had several hugely successful product launches (iPhone 5, iPads 3 and 4, a load of well-received laptop and desktop updates, etc.) but also some embarrassing cock-ups (Maps being the biggest problem). It doesn't seem likely that the mistakes will bankrupt Apple any time soon (their cash pile has grown to $120bn - another 2012 success) but there seems to be an atmosphere emerging around the company that isn't entirely positive, suggesting they've got some work to do to retain their "cool", "innovative" and "it just works" reputation. Here's what I'd like to see:

Maps is by far the most elegant mapping and navigation app on the iPhone but it lacks data, detail and features. Mapping is difficult and requires integration of many disparate data sources but its also a key feature in modern smart phones and Apple have to get it right. In 2013 I want to see an improved points of interest database, massively extended Flyover coverage and a much more detailed set of maps. Street view would be a nice to have but that's clearly an enormous job.

iCloud is an absolutely fantastic service but it seems to be a bit unreliable for 3rd party applications and the user access points, like the website, are rather limited. Improved reliability, additional storage (5Gb is enough, just, to backup only a single device), easier access and lower cost would all be sensible improvements for 2013. Adding the features found in Dropbox would be a nice feature to have, although displacing Dropbox (whose integration with iOS apps is peerless) might now be a tough challenge.

Siri. Sometimes brilliant, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. It's a great tool in some situations but it simply isn't good enough to be relied upon daily and don't even think about demonstrating it to your Android-loving colleagues unless you've practiced your test phrases and you know exactly what they're going to do. More data, more features and improved accuracy are all expected in 2013.

Closer integration between Mac OS X and iOS would be nice, especially if an improved iCloud allowed for slick sharing of files between both operating systems and applications. The walled garden approach is great in many respects but having a few gates to allow data to move easily between applications would improve things no end.

None of this is new, of course. Apple are undoubtedly already working along these lines and it is in fact inconceivable that there aren't other, better, more exciting and further reaching improvements to these services, and others, scheduled to launch this year. The most important Apple feature remains "it just works" but at the moment it might be more accurate to say "most things just work, some are a bit flakey".

There's also little to criticise about the rate of hardware improvement, especially if, as rumoured, Apple have moved to a six-monthly refresh cycle (see iPad). 2013, I think, is all about the software and services