KEY POINTS:
The Macworld conference opens 'today' - well, the 5th January, technically - but because of the time difference, we don't get the news till Tuesday, our 6th. Which gives Mac Planet the jump on one juicy fact ... revealed at the end of this piece.
According to 2008 in review by Macworld magazine, the last 12 months have been among the most significant in the company's history, thanks to the iPhone 3G and record Mac sales leading to strong financial results.
But 2009 should be a very different market. TV Predictions.com reckons Internet TV - with ramifications for the Apple TV - will die in 2009, as internet-based program delivery takes a hit from the recession. I'm not convinced - I think if the price point is good, so will the uptake be - people will be going out less, after all.
So what will 2009 deliver, and more to the point, what will the Macworld conference deliver? It's the last Macworld show Apple intends to attend, so what will happen next year (2010)? If you're there, actually, IDG (which runs the show) wants your help to decide, having called a meeting 'Town Hall' style to discuss the future of the conference. The forum will be held on Wednesday, January 7th at 5pm Pacific Time in Moscone's Gateway Ballroom.
But what will Apple be releasing in its keynote presentation by Phil Schiller? And hey, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Mac, so expect a little misty-eyed commemoration, too.
iPhone
The BBC talks about the iPhone as the 'game changer' for the industry. There's no doubt Apple will continue to develop and refine this successful device category. No big changes are expected to the current iPhone 3G, but there was talk of an 'iPhone nano' way back in 2007: a smaller device with all the iPhone capabilities, slimmer to suit people who find the iPhone 3G a bit chunky.
Although the rumours have gained momentum recently, the more savvy pundits reckon it's not imminent, but may well come out later this year.
That tablet rumour
Apple may unveil an iPod touch with a much enlarged screen later this year. I'm a bit tired of this Mac tablet idea, to be honest. It has been doing the rounds for a long time. But Techcrunch, a fairly reliable entity, cites 'three independent sources close to Apple' and claims 'prototypes have been seen and handled by one of our sources' in a rumour referenced by MacUser UK.
Since prototypes have existed for years in Apple's labs, the existence of a working device doesn't mean anything will get released. But a great big iPod touch does seem pretty reasonable, doesn't it?
iMac
A new iMac has been the most consistent expectation, largely because the model is due a proper refresh. Rumours lately mentioned new cooling systems and a slightly redesigned chassis, but more interesting for users perhaps would be new Intel quad-core processors, doubling iMac processing power and putting them even closer to Mac Pro towers in performance. Of course, four-core processors would require more cooling.
Ars Technica posted a good rundown of iMac expectations.
New mini
This little Mac has confounded analysts for a long time now. They can't imagine why it still exists. Despite that, rumours have surfaced of a new mini presented in an aluminium case and more like a new unibody MacBook in performance.
This makes sense as a mini is, essentially, MacBook innards shoehorned into a cute little box. Wired magazine cites sources saying the Mac mini will ship with a SATA optical drive, which can be swapped out for a second SATA hard drive as a customisation option instead of an optical drive.
Presumably, like the new unibody MacBooks, it will also have a decent Nvidia graphics chip. Sounds good.
Apple TV/Time Machine
Despite talk of desktop TV foundering this year, and perhaps related to the Mac mini rumour, is an interesting one concerning a so-called Home Media Server, which would have similar dimensions to a Mac mini. 9to5Mac apparently heard about this back in August, describing it as like a beefed-up Time Capsule, (Apple's wireless hard drive backup system).
It would use the same ARM-based platform, have the same WiFi functionality and support Time Machine backups, but add new tricks like AFP file sharing and support for iTunes library and media sharing to other Apple devices, says Ars Technica.
AppleTell added that the software on Apple TV may become available for any Mac computer via a special download or separate box of software.
Snow Leopard
The new, more refined and smaller, leaner Mac OS is not expected to be released at Macworld tomorrow, but development continues apace. MacDailyNews has posted a video showing some features, if you're curious.
Steve Jobs
Is he sick, is he not? Apparently the Jobs culture enshrining a unified vision for the progress of Apple is in place in Cupertino. Let's hope this is true. Steve has worked miracles. If he takes more of a back seat from now on, he absolutely deserves it.
17-inch quad-core MacBook Pro
And here's one of my own - since Apple didn't revise the design of the 17-inch MacBook Pro when it released the unibody 15-inch versions, why not release a nice, new stonking quad-core version? Intel has the processor for it, fresh out of the lab.
Dead certs - and the scoop:
A new iMac will almost certainly be released, but a new version of Apple's cross-platform powerhouse software, FileMaker Pro, will be released and available from 5th January. It's already the 5th today in New Zealand. The database application's new version will be announced as FM v10 for Mac and Windows. It sports a new, easier-to-use interface, enhanced dynamic reporting, script triggers and more. I know this as I've had it for a month already, but I signed an agreement that I wouldn't mention it till the 5th January.
And that's today, in this part of the world.
For what actually happens at Macworld, read breaking news at my site mac.nz from 8am Tuesday 6th and check back here for some analysis later in the day.
- Mark Webster
PHOTO: The Mac mini may get more grunt and better graphics.
