Tablet/iPad: This one's been brewing for some time now: Throughout the past year, it's appeared in a number of different configurations, but most prominently as a touchscreen 10-inch tablet--ostensibly a giant iPod touch, a big entertainment device perfect for watching movies, surfing the Internet, and reading ebooks. Price guesses are being bandied about in the region of $500 to $700.
The rumors have been confirmed by a number of third-party overseas parts manufacturers in places like Taiwan, which anonymously let it be known it was supplying larger-than-iPhone touchscreens for Apple. A few have even hinted that a variety of sizes might be available, starting at 10-inches and going larger from there.
According to most sources (all of which are admittedly hazy at this point), the tablet isn't expected until next year, however; perhaps around the beginning of the year. Given Apple's tendency to make hardware available for purchase upon launch, it follows that we won't be seeing the iPad (or whatever it's called) this week.
Beatles Coming to iTunes: This is another one of those perennial favorites; the idea of EMI bringing the Beatles catalog to iTunes has existed for roughly as long as Apple has run a music service. The issues initially revolved around a legal challenge between Apple Computers and Apple Corp. The latter first filed a lawsuit against the former in 1978 over naming rights. In '81, Apple Computers paid Apple Corp. an undisclosed amount and agreed not to enter the music space.
Naturally, the nature of the agreement changed over the years--subtly, at first, with some music-centric innovations. In 2003, the company's musical ambitions were unquestionable with the launch of the iPod and iTunes in 2001. While things seemed to have settled down after a 2006 ruling in favor of Apple Computers, Beatles material has yet to be made available through the service (though all four band members have solo material in the store).
The date of the Apple event is significant to this rumor. First, Apple traditionally holds music events on Tuesdays--the day that new records are released. This week's event is being held on a Wednesday, 9/9/09: the same day the Beatles catalog is being reissued and the Liverpool quartet's version of Rock Band finally hits store shelves.
Related: Beatles members in attendance. Paul, Ringo, and assorted members of the extended Beatles family made appearances at Microsoft's E3 event earlier this year, in honor of Beatles Rock Band's impending release. Nothing says "mended fences" like a few high-profile handshakes and some air guitar poses.
iPods Get Cameras: Here's another rumor being backed up by some of those overseas parts manufacturers. Apple reportedly put in a big order for camera modules--an order too large for just iPhone parts. The cameras are rumored to be making their way into the latest version of the iPod touch and iPod nano. The rumors have also reportedly been confirmed by some leaked designs of camera-friendly iPod cases.
Interestingly, a related rumor circulating today has it that "bad parts" are causing a delay in the release of release of these units. No word on whether such a delay would keep Apple from mentioning them altogether during this week's event, in keeping with the company's policy of release products same day.
iTunes 9: A new version of iTunes? Sure, why not? Shiny new hardware deserves some new software, right? Word is that the latest version of the world's biggest music store is getting even more multimedia than before. Rumored this time out are Blu-ray support (the company's Macbook is seemingly one of the last holdouts in the PC industry) and integration with a number of popular services including Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm.
Ringtones for iTunes: This one would seemingly be a brief mention, at best. After all, creating custom ringtones on the iPhone isn't exactly rocket science, and Apple isn't exactly keen to let you sync your iTunes with other handsets. That said, people may well welcome anything that makes their lives a little bit simpler--even if it means paying a little bit extra. And besides, reasonably priced ringtones could easily prove a big business for Apple, given prominent placement in the store. Apple has reportedly already struck deals with number of labels to include snippets in iTunes.
Death of the iPod Classic: Apple has perhaps somewhat uncharacteristically continued to squeeze as much life as possible out the iPod Classic--the gloomy name it attached to a slightly redesigned 5G iPod after the release of the touch. If capacities on the iPod touch continue to go up (and there's really no reason to expect that they won't), the Classic may soon be laid to rest, and likely with little fanfare.
A Touchscreen Nano: Apple is just downright enamored with the touchscreen, and in a perfect world, we'd no doubt see one on every Apple product on the market (save for the shuffle, of course). With a touchscreen and a camera, the nano is well on its way toward becoming the iPod Touch Nano.
Cocktail: It's always Apple against the world, isn't it? The company may report on a new music format, Cocktail, which it developed upon hearing of CMX, a similar format being introduced by Sony, Warner, Universal, and EMI. Bothl formats incorporate a number of extras, including artwork, linear notes, lyrics, and videos. One of Jobs's main arguments in favor of legal downloads is the fact that getting music from a source such as iTunes ensures things like song titles and album covers will be intact--a definite crap shoot with things like BitTorrent. Cocktail would make that pot all the sweeter.
iPhone OS 3.1: Currently in beta, the latest version of the iPhone OS features a number of new features, including new video APIs, speed improvements, and--gasp--MMS enable by default. Why not add it to the list of announcements?
The Return of Steve Jobs: This one seems like a given. Jobs hasn't appeared onstage at an Apple event since this time last year, when he delivered a winking, "reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" address. Sadly, reports of a prolonged medical leave weren't exaggerated. In January the company handed the reins to Tim Cook, the company's acting CEO for six months. And much to the disappointment of many in the media, Jobs didn't make a return at the last Apple event.
In recent months, however, the CEO has been spotting around the company's Cupertino headquarters. An on-stage return of the turtlenecked embodiment of the Apple philosophy would help the company's stock see a nice little jump.-------------------------------------
Other than ipod with camera, there so many recent features iPod can offer and still counting.
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