Prognosticating About Macworld Expo
The tech world has been speculating, and prognosticators have been prognosticating, about what new wizardry Steve Jobs will announce in his keynote address tomorrow morning at the 24th annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
Most expect a new ultra-light sub-notebook with some innovative bells and whistles that will likely spread to the rest of the MacBook and line which is due for an update. Many have speculated that a new devise along the lines of the old Newton tablet but sized more like a slightly enlarged iPhone would be introduced, but that seems premature given the current state of Apple’s touchscreen technology. Maybe next year.
Of course, it’s almost a forgone conclusion that Jobs will announce Apple’s new iTunes movie rental program and formally adopt the Blu-ray hi-def video standard which may drive the final nail into Toshiba’s HD-DVD format. Sorry Microsoft. Some predict something new to add sizzle to the iTV. And the new chipsets for the Mac Pro were announced last week at CES…
But the real buzz is emanating from the banners draping the halls on Mosconi Center that say, quite simply, “There’s something in the Air.” WiMax Mobile? Predictors are guessing wildly about what Jobs has behind the curtain but, if the past is any indication, he won’t let the cat out of the bag until tomorrow.
Doug
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Reader Comments (7)
The sub-notebook is my guess and with Flash memory and WiMax Mobile. And some updated software for the iPhone. I would love to see an upgrade from the current AT&T internet access which is horribly slow but I haven't heard much buzz about that.
i would love a mac but have to save a lot more $ to get one. i don't really do anything on my pc but email and surfing but i would love a macbook!! :)
What I want to see is a GPS in the iPhone. And 3G Internet connectivity. That would make my year!
What about the talked about Mac tablet? They have talked about that for a couple years.
3G iPhone? - Not going to happen. Jobs has already said it'll be towards the end of the year.
GPS? - Not going to happen. Too much impact on battery life.
MacBook tablet? - Not going to happen, ever. Period.
I think you are right about a 3G iPhone. Apple may not be ready to discuss this at Macworld, but its carrier partner AT&T Inc. has already revealed that a 3G iPhone is planned for 2008. I for one can hardly wait!
And while GPS would be nice, They will likely offer a software upgrade to include instant access to the new version of Google Maps that acts (kind of) like GPS. Of course, that will work must faster with 3D when that comes.
Look for iTV sales to jump with the iTunes movie rental. How cool to finally get to stream movie media from an iTunes rental to your TV. Obviously Apple has had this in mind from the getgo. Now it's falling into place.
I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow. But I know this much: Don't expect anything as big as last year. That is impossible to follow.