Hi WAMUGgers
Read it here http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/index.php?p=67&tag=nl.e539
or here: (Long extract)
Top 10 things Apple could announce at Macworld Expo
Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:45 am
It's that time of year again, time to dust off the crystal ball and
prognosticate about what Apple has in store for us at the big January
love-in at Moscone. Macworld Expo opens in San Francisco in less than
two weeks and predicting Expo announcements has become nothing short
of a sport. So before you lay your money down for that shiny new
computer, here are Jason the Greek's Vegas odds on Steve Jobs
announcements for The Big Dance.
10. Mac OS X 10.5. Leopard will be Apple's sixth major release of Mac
OS X. CEO Steve Jobs stated during his WWDC keynote speech on June 6,
2005 that "We intend to release Leopard at the end of 2006 or early
2007." Since it's less than a year after Tiger's release on April 29,
2005 it's not likely we'll see it at Macworld Expo. Look for a
Leopard preview at WWDC 2006 sometime in June. Odds:
100-1.
9. Intel PowerBook. The PowerBook everyone is waiting for will be
powered by a dual-core Intel "Yonah" processor and will feature a
built-in iSight camera. Apple has recruited a bunch of former Sony
VAIO engineers for the project and the PowerBook successor is rumored
to be 20-25 percent thinner. Hopefully it'll be the PowerBook nano
I've been dreaming of. Unfortunately, it's not likely as the pro
software (Final Cut, Creative Suite, etc.) isn't universal binary
yet. Rosetta emulation isn't fun folks. Odds: 50-1.
8. iWork '06. Apple's productivity suite will get upgrades to Pages
and Keynote with the possible addition of a modern Office-killing
spreadsheet application (rumored to be called "Numbers" or "Sheets").
If it reads and writes Excel files the Apple spreadsheet will be the
final nail is Microsoft Office's coffin. Microsoft will waste no time
in announcing the end of support for Office for the Mac if this
happens. It would be great if Apple also bundled FileMaker pro or a
spinoff application called iBase (like they did with Logic >
Garageband and Final Cut > iMovie). Apple should also make Pages
into more of a true word processor and move all the DTP features to a
separate application called iLayout - just to keep Quark and
AdobeMedia on their toes. Bonus points if Apple were to release pro
versions of Mail and iCal. Odds: 25-1.
7. iLife '06. iLife '06 will see updates to its core apps (iPhoto,
iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iTunes) and the addition of
PhotoBooth and Front Row that will work with all Macs. iBlog could be
acquired from Lifli Software and upgraded to publish to all major
blog platforms including Blogger, Movable Type and WordPress (in
addition to iDisk.) Apple could replace TiVO and your cable company's
DVR in one fell swoop with iDVR. Several new applications are being
bandied about as potential additions to the suite, including:
Animator, Site Builder and Podcaster. Odds: 10-1.
6. Bluetooth remote control. The new BT remote will work with Front
Row 2.0 on all Macs. A Radio Frequency (RF) remote is also possible,
but it will require a USB receiver for the Mac which is a buzz kill.
Odds: 5-1 on RF, 3-1 on BT.
5. Price Increases for iTunes. The iTunes Music Store will succumb to
pressure from the music labels and the decline in online music sales
and move its pricing model to a sliding scale. Less popular songs
will start as low as US$0.19 while new releases will jump to US$1.99.
A compromise by the labels will leave album prices at US$9.99 with
the possible addition of lyrics. Odds: 10-1.
4. AirPort Ultra. This is a new portable AirPort base station with
video. Bundled with a new application called AirTV you'll be able to
stream video to your TV - in High Definition. It'll be bigger than
the Express to accommodate the built-in HDMI connector and will sell
for US$199. The upgraded AirTunes 2.0 software will allow you to
stream any audio to it (not just iTunes), allow streaming to multiple
Ultras at once and simultaneous playthrough on the computer speakers.
Bonus: If you have an iSight camera or microphone it doubles as an
intercom system. Odds: 10-1
3. 1GB iPod nano. The iPod shuffle has been sold out for weeks and
Apple could release a larger 2GB version, but they're more likely to
euthanize the shuffle (like they did with the iPod mini) in favor of
a 1GB nano. For only US$159 (US$30 more than the 1GB shuffle) you get
a color screen and a dock connector. Apple will also add video
support to the nano line via a firmware upgrade to boost sales of TV
shows and video content. Odds: 3-2.
2. Intel Mac mini. It's no secret that Apple's moving into the living
room and the Mac mini is the perfect platform to do it with. Apple
could replace TiVO and your cable company's DVR in one fell swoop
with Apple-ized DVR software (see iLife '06). Apple will also add a
built-in iPod dock, a dual-layer DVD drive and Front Row 2.0 (see
iLife 06) to the Intel-based Mac mini, code-named Kaleidoscope. Odds:
Even money.
1. Widescreen Intel iBook. The first portable Intel Macs will be
iBooks based on Intel's new Yonah chipset featuring a new 65nm
process that's 70 percent smaller than the Centrino processor.
Dynamic Power Coordination will allow Yonah's two cores to be
controlled independently making it sip batteries slowly. The new
IBook (capital "I") will feature a dual-core Yonah processor in the
1.5 to 2.0GHz range with a 667MHz front side bus. The new IBooks will
ship in a single 13.3-inch widescreen (possibly High-Def)
configuration. Don't be surprised if this IBook is the first to ship
without a FireWire port.
Regards
Reg
