Analysts: Apple thrives on surprises

CUPERTINO, Calif., June 5 (UPI) -- U.S. technical giant Apple Inc. has a not-so-easy task of surprising its audience at the Worldwide Developers Conference next week, industry analysts said.

Riding on the success of the iPhone, Apple shares have nearly doubled in value in the past six months, The New York Times reported Friday.

With 37 million iPhones sold, "if they continue to have an aura were their products are seen as defining the marketplace they are going to be fine," Barclays Capital analyst Benjamin Reitzes said.

Apple has said developers will be able to charge fees for features incorporated into iPhone applications. It will also reveal features of its new Macintosh operating system, the Times said.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Michael Abramsky said there was a "high probability Apple will announce one or more phones at the conference."

But independent developers are counting on "cool new devices," said Bart Decrem, chief executive officer of Tapulous, a company that makes iPhone games.

Some developers are focused on the chance of setting up companies that can thrive using the iPhone as its delivery device.

More cool devices "means our market gets bigger," said Bart Decrem, the chief executive of Tapulous, a company in Palo Alto, Calif., that makes musical games for the iPhone.