Apple today released a new version of iTunes for the Mac and Windows that brings compatibility for the newly-released iOS 6 developer beta. During the WWDC keynote earlier today Apple unveiled iOS 6 to the world, the first developer preview has been made available. You’ll need the new iTunes 10.6.3 before you can install iOS 6 on any of your devices.

There are some other bug fixes and improvements packed into iTunes 10.6.3, and everyone is encouraged to update now.

There have been concerns about the fate of the Mac Pro ever since Apple killed off the Xserve a year and a half ago. Although Apple didn’t say the Mac Pro was on the chopping block, the company did let it go without an update for quite some time. Although the Mac Pro didn’t get featured in today’s WWDC keynote like the MacBook lineup, which includes the new MacBook Pro, it did receive a long-needed update.

The biggest reaction to the Mac Pro’s update today is a sense of relief by many creative professionals and Mac-focused IT departments. The update proves that Apple isn’t signing the death warrant for its most powerful and most expandable Mac. That makes the updated specs a symbol of Apple’s commitment to high-end and high-performance systems in addition to being a major product update.

Apple introduced updated MacBook Air and Pro models alongside a totally new MacBook Pro design today at WWDC. Every time one of the laptops was addressed during the keynote, no mention was made of a 17-inch model. Apple only talked about updates for the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs/Pros.

Now Apple’s new MacBook Pro listings make no mention of the 17-inch model. It looks like the largest MacBook Pro has been axed once and for all.

Apple announced a lot of things from the stage at WWDC today, but there was nothing said about the future of the Mac Pro. Rumors speculated that Apple would be updating the two-year-old workhorse today, and the 2012 Mac Pro has just appeared on Apple’s website.

While the physical design of the machine has stayed the same, Apple has upgraded the Mac Pro’s specs: 3.06GHz Intel Xeon X5675 processors, new ATI Radeon HD graphic cards, four 3.5-inch drive bays for up to 8TB of storage, and 2 SuperDrives. A big disappointment is that Apple hasn’t added Thunderbolt I/O or USB 3.0 to the 2012 Mac Pro.

Mac gaming, long the red-headed-stepchild of the computer gaming scene, just stepped up its, well, game. Today’s World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco saw several announcements from Apple regarding gaming, including the fact that the hot new MacBook Pro will have Retina graphics capabilities.

When Game Center was announced for iOS 5, some folks were skeptical. They didn’t really see the value in Apple taking on the leader board scene with already established players like OpenFeint, Plus+, Crystal, Gameloft Live, and others.

Those very same people would surely have to eat their words when they heard today at the WWDC in San Francisco that Game Center has over 130 million people using it and those folks submit 5 billion scores every week.

And now? Game Center is coming to the Mac.

If you weren’t at WWDC today to see the video of Johnny Ive and Bob Mansfield introducing the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, don’t get sad, Apple’s already posted the video on their website. You can watch it right here.

Following Apple’s WWDC keynote today, a new AirPort Express has surfaced in Apple’s online store. The new router sports simultaneous dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, but oddly hasn’t been upgraded from USB 2.0 to 3.0.

The new AirPort Express costs $99, like the previous model.

Whether it’s for new products or routine maintenance, Apple’s online store goes down from time to time. Today, for example, the store went down ahead of Apple’s WWDC keynote that’s set to begin within the hour. When the store comes back online, expect new products, like updated MacBook Pros, to show up in Apple’s inventory.

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when the Apple online store goes down? Well, even Apple’s own engineers in Cupertino don’t know what new products are coming next.

Apple is set to launch its 2012 ‘Back to School’ promotion soon, according to the rumor mill this morning. With the purchase of a new iPad, educational customers will be eligible to receive a free $50 iTunes gift card. A new Mac purchase will come with a $100 gift card.

Apple’s WWDC keynote is starting in less than two hours, and the company is expected to unveil iOS 6 and new Mac hardware.