With the approval of Java SE 7 and Java SE 8 JSRs last month, attention is now shifting towards the Java EE platform.  While functionality pegged for Java EE 7 was previewed at least as early as Devoxx, the filing of these JSRs marks the first, officially proposed, specifications for the next generation of the popular application server standard.  Let's take a quick look at the proposed new functionality.

Java Persistence API 2.1
The first of the new proposed specifications is JSR 338: Java Persistence API (JPA) 2.1. JPA is designed for use with both Java EE and Java SE and:

"deals with the way relational data is mapped to Java objects ("persistent entities"), the way that these objects are stored in a relational database so that they can be accessed at a later time, and the continued existence of an entity's state even after the application that uses it ends. In addition to simplifying the entity persistence model, the Java Persistence API standardizes object-relational mapping." (more about JPA)

JAX-RS 2.0
The second of the new Java specifications that have been proposed is JSR 339, otherwise known as JAX-RS 2.0. JAX-RS provides an API that enables the easy creation of web services using the Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture.  Key features proposed in the new JSR include a Client API, improved support for URIs, a Model-View-Controller architecture and much more!

More information
Official proposal for Java Persistence 2.1 (jcp.org)
Official proposal for JAX-RS 2.0 (jcp.org)
Kicking off Java EE 7 with 2 JSRs: JAX-RS 2.0 / JPA 2.1 (the Aquarium)