[Macworld.com]

Apple's pre-Expo announcement that "the first 30 years were just the beginning" invites speculation about what it plans to announce next week. Rob Griffiths is happy to oblige. [more]

[OM_user]

Quote:

---

Im just hoping the reality will match the newly-raised expectations.

---

That one line pretty much sums up my own thoughts around this statement of Apple's. Like others, I've been a little disappointed in the past with Apple raising hype to absurd levels, only to release cool, but somewhat obvious products. There are times when what Steve and Co. think is earth shattering, most of us take as just 'evolutionary' in the world of computing updates.
If I had to guess, I'd say at least some of this hype will be around the as of yet unannounced "top secret" features of Leopard. I have no clue what they could be, but my hope is they will truly blow us, and just as importantly, Vista, out of the water. I want Apple to make the upcoming Vista hype, however limp it might turn out to be, truly dead in the water. Whatver is coming, we won't have to wait too long to know about it now, at least the parts that will be known at MWSF.

[Schneb]

I think we are going to see a complete refacing of Apple's Web Site that will reflect the new look of Leopard. Gone will be bubble buttons (finally). I see a tablet with lighter, yet durable structure. A phone that will charge only for usage, breaking the monthly cost to sub-$10. I see a nano-sized iPod that looks exactly like todays iPod, only turn it over, and the back is a widescreen for movie watching. Finally, I see the following offerings...
http://www.mediamax....e/ijukebox.html
http://www.mediamax....c/Apple/crs.jpg
Of course, one can dream. sigh...

[jldinsdale]

I see... butting my head against the wall for deciding not to go to MWSF this year.

[Force9]

What everybody is missing is that Apple's mobile phones will use webkit (Safari) as a web browser. Nothing new in that, Nokia has several models that use webkit already. What Apple will primarily use webkit for i Widget support. Imagine running almost any widget on your phone. Anyone who has tried to surf using a web browser on a mobile phone will love the widgets experience:
Local weather - boom!
Next train departure time - boom!
Latest headlines - boom!
Calculator - boom!
World time - boom!
Sudoko - boom!
Jabber and iChat support is obvious.
Here is praying for 3G support in Europe.

[heyjp]

Hey,
I think Rob's prognostication is basically correct, except that the 4 biggees are a little bit more of a big deal and harbinger of the future than he has claimed. Look at these 4 devices:
- iTV
- iPhone
- video iPod
- tablet Mac
What cuts across all 4 of these is a "Mac OS XLite". A light weight, more embedded version of Mac OSX which could start showing up in a lot of new Apple devices in the future.
- OEM products for the car
- products for the living room
- mobile products
I think those 4 products are firm rooted (obvious many would say) from the first 30 years, yet are a pretty big departure in their own right.
Looking forward to Jan 9! What time is the keynote? 9 or 10 am Pacific?
Jim

[macFanDave]

It seems that such a headline suggests that "it" is more than an incremental update of OS X or any Mac or iPod product. I even think that the iPhone and iTV are both reasonably logical progressions in Apple technology. Therefore, this suggests a major leap.
I'm guessing that it is an electric car.

Pure guess. I have no knowledge of such a product, so if it exists, I was just lucky. I also want one.

[imalex]

They've been working on an actual Time Machine.
The demo at the last WWDC was just a smoke screen. And the reason Steve looked a bit thin and tired at that keynote was because he'd been testing the prototype perhaps one too many times.
Yup. That's what that "total-eclipse-of-the-sun-by-an-Apple-logo" graphic is all about. It's the door to Mac-in-Time.
A.

[Downing]

I'm pretty jazzed about the Expo, but I'm trying to keep my expectations down to a reasonable level--especially since I'm not all that interested in an iPhone and/or iTV.
So if I had written this article, I would have entitled it "Not reading too much between Apple's lines." /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[MacTel]

Quote:

---

That one line pretty much sums up my own thoughts around this statement of Apple's. Like others, I've been a little disappointed in the past with Apple raising hype to absurd levels, only to release cool, but somewhat obvious products.

---

Yep, those special events aren't so special anymore and the "one more thing" bit has lost its edge.
The headline on their website indicates that something major is to be announced. If it is just that they found a legit name for their iTV product then the next 30 years are going to be a bit rough.
We're all looking for at least one of the much rumored products to show-up. Anything less is just "ho-hum, well that's nice". /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[darkelf]

obviously, "it" is an apple-branded, dynamically stable, electrically powered, two-wheeled upright human transporter. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
i think i'd kill for an apple smartphone, with handwriting recognition instead of those stupid tiny keypads.

[schoonerman]

There won't be an iPhone; there could be a phone from Apple.
(Unless, of course, Apple's hypothetical deal with Linksys to acquire the trademark to iPhone included Linksys having to announce their line of iPhones to throw us off.)
As for the rest: it's less than 168 hours off. I'll wait.

[geraldfilm]

Jobs will have Sir Paul McCartney on stage with him to announce the fact that apple and apple will have the entire Beatles catalogue available on itunes. Probably we will also have a "Beatles" branded ipod which would be a neat way to sell more junk to that age group we know Apple is popular with. So there.

[Slenver]

I think I have it /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
The idea of a 30th anniversary Mac is appealing. It fits the vague claims about the next generation and summarising what they've achieved so far - and they did do it for the 20th anniversary.
But a laptop isn't different enough, and there aren't really any emerging technologies to show off with with no cost worries as there were with the LCD panel and slimline TAM.
So.... a new form factor. What are people currently buying in their droves now that they're affordable? Big LCD TVs. So why not a large TV with built-in Mac? It's been rumoured regularly but never got any further than that. And there's nothing stopping it at all - it'd be easy in fact and it's amazing that nobody's done it yet.
There are no size worries - how many laptops could you fit into the back of a big TV? Add an extra inch of depth to even a 32" TV and you've got... well, lots of extra cubic inches. No problem fitting the guts of something even quite powerful, but there'd be no need for that - it's a consumer machine. An iMac already has the circuitry ready - 2.33 Core 2 Duo and decent graphics card would be fine. At least a 500gb drive with bigger or multiple options too. Lots of video remember.
Apple already have the software in Front Row to start from and have the remote ready too.
One big, slimline sexy case, a new big TV in a range of sizes with built-in everything you need to run your music, video, photos, internet access on. At least a picture-in-picture to browse while you watch you, maybe even a usable split-screen. A resolution of 1920x1200 which is becoming commonplace anyway would be fine.
Price could be no limit if they're following the TAM model but there's no real reason for a vast cost for the this and with their current acceptance into consumer goods with the iPod this should easy to shift (oh, an iPod dock of course....)
Price of a good TV + half the cost of an iMac (no screen or case to worry about). Sell like hot cakes /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Only thing is why the iTV then? Hmmm...