We have been hearing a lot about the possible launch of the streaming music service that Apple has been readying for quite some time now. Hence, all the excitement when the information trickled out little by little regarding major labels signing up for what was called an upcoming music streaming service. But, there really is more to that than just the excitement surrounding a new service.

It is pretty much a given that new versions of iOS and OS X are on the way. But, on the hardware side of things, it is still pretty much something akin to walking on a ground made of jelly! Whether we see the new iPhone or not is anyone’s guess. Whether we see an iPad update is also anyone’s guess. Whether the iPad Mini gets a Retina Update is also anyone’s guess. It is generally believed the MacBooks will get a processor update, Intel’s Haswell, but that is possibly more out of compulsion than anything else.

On the software side of things, we will surely be given a peek at the newer versions of the mobile and the desktop OSes, but it’ll still be some time before they actually get to reach your devices. Post Sir Jonny Ive taking charge, we have heard numerous reports about Apple CEO, Tim Cook, giving Sir Ive all the time he needs to set iOS right, exactly the way he wants it. The fact that the redesign is taking so long means two things – 1. There was a lot of housekeeping to do, before the process started, and 2. Sir Ive really wants to make his mark with the very first major build of iOS to be released after he took charge.

But, first things first, Apple may not really be able to call the service iRadio. That is because Vodafone already has a service by that name. (Check service here: www.iradio.ie/ishow/itest). We wonder how the copyright thing would work on that one.

Which is what makes the music streaming service the assured basket that Apple can attempt to keep some of its eggs in. We list three reasons why we believe the music streaming service is Apple’s best bet at a polished product this time around.

Google is doing it: Well, Google has already launched the All Access streaming service in the U.S., and worldwide roll-outs should not be far away. For the demographic of users that Apple wants to wean away from the likes of Pandora, it is critical to not let Google steal the lead. Even more critical – the All Access app for iOS is not too far away.

Not too many baskets to deal with: Sad to say, but it is a fact to a certain extent – Apple doesn’t have much else to show in the non-hardware area. Numerous delays with iOS 7 means it could be ready only for a peek at the most. The real deal, landing on your phones and iPads, could still be quite some distance away. Also, the Mac OSX 10.9 has witnessed an unusually high number of test builds, which means things are not going as smoothly as Apple would have hoped. Again, OSX could be showed off, with the real thing only arriving on Macs a few weeks down the line.

Developers need to feel loved: There have been murmurs of discontent from developers for quite some time now. First was the issue of in-app purchases, and who gets what cut from each sale. That was solved eventually, and Apple started iAds to support developers and their apps with in-app advertising. Now, with a streaming service, Apple can make another attempt to involve them in the entire process. For a service that is essentially targeting the complete demographic that use their iPhone, iPod or iPad for music, getting the developers involved would be a very good step. You could end up with apps that work with the service, apps that offer premium features and the in-app monetization that could help Apple’s service get a huge advantage over Google’s All Access and services like Pandora.

With WWDC just hours away, we wouldn’t have to wait too long for the suspense to be broken.