Predictions About “Let’s Rock”

As most Apple-watchers remember, Apple’s Third Quarter 2008 Financial Conference Call on July 21, 2008 was the time when Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer suggested that a “product transition” would shake up the industry. Ever since then, the Apple sites have been filled with predictions and wish-lists. And, finally, in a matter of hours, we will know what Apple has up its sleeve — or at least what it has up its sleeve that it is willing to reveal at this point. Oppenheimer talked about a product pipeline in which they were very confident. What will be revealed?

There’s been talk of a totally revamped iPod line, with solid state drives replacing the old hard drives. Speculations of an iPod touch price drop have also been widespread. Lehman Brothers indicated that, since the iPhone “could cannibalize” the iPod market segment, the line had to be overhauled in a major way in order for it to stay relevant. Given the name of the event and the icon on the banner decorating the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where the event will take place, it does seem likely that the iPod will play a large role. But does a revamp of the iPod line really warrant all the security and secrecy? Or is this “one more thing” that we might expect?

The Silicon Insider hopes that the announcement will include something spectacular in regard to Apple TV. Lots of people hope for something good to happen to Apple TV so that it finally finds its rightful place in the Apple lineup of products.

Neo, blogging on macnn.com writes, “Well, it’s evidently that time of year again: Welcome to Apple’s Crazy Circus. It’s rolling into a town near you with clowns, high trapeze artists and daring acts. Get your bag of popcorn and get ready for the Really Big Show. Man - can Steve Jobs make the media jump on cue or what? I mean honestly, who does it better than he? That’s right: Nobody.”

Neo reminds us that Steve Jobs has given assurances that the “Mac still mattered”, and suggests that updates to the Mac line-up should be in the offing. But Neo also throws a pile of other ideas out there, based on some of the patents Apple has applied for. There are hundreds of Apple patents published each year — so sifting through them for those which might actually be at the center of a new product is a huge task.

Based on Apple’s Patent 20040224638, Neo suggests that a MacBook with an Integrated iPod might be in the offing. “This is a very unique application that could actually hold some value. As the patent graphic suggests, Apple could integrate an all-touch surface iPod that could double as a MacBook trackpad. This would certainly appeal to students and assist Apple in future back to school marketing. On the other hand, the integrated iPod could be designed to be removed from its built-in dock and used as a wireless mouse with extra storage capacity for those who are true road warriors. This could easily be on most business traveler’s wish list and make for a great gift idea year round….”

What about a Notebook-Tablet? Industrial design sketches have shown up on several websites, and Neo offers a few on the macnn.com site, too. “To prove that the MacBook Tablet concept is to be taken seriously, Apple released secondary patents that same day which presented us with new touch relevant applications. The new touch applications covered the repurposing of Apple’s iLife suite. Their patent figures illustrated new touch interactions with iMovie, iPhoto and iTunes. Apple’s patent figures were also distinctly shown to be in an aspect ratio that would strongly suggest that the applications were first being designed for a notebook/tablet. Patent 20080165161 was one of three patents covering this concept.” As we’ve said before, this is a product that many have expected Apple to develop. There is room in the lineup for a subnotebook-tablet, especially with touch technology. The name “iMac Touch” is bandied about for this product.

And what about a Duo Dock? Neo thinks it would be a good idea. “For many of us, this is an idea that makes a whole lot of sense. Think of it: You could retain your MacBook for your on-the-go lifestyle while having the convenience of connecting to an iMac docking station for those times when you just need to have a larger display - without cluttering up your desk. It doesn’t get any better than that. And, when you think about it, the iMac docking station may already have its notebook companion in place today. Think of Apple’s MacBook Air. All of the complaints about missing drives and features would be moot within the context of such a system. The latter point isn’t from the patent of course, but it sure has its merits. With [Macbook?] notebooks being Apple’s number one best selling computer, the addition of an iMac Dock would only build on that strength.”
In a matter of hours, Steve Jobs will take the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and we will all hear about the real products being revamped, launched and lauded. We’ll be listening, and keeping you up to date here. But in the meantime, you should get yourself a Keynote Bingo card, make up a list of your own predictions and join the fun.

Preparations Underway for Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event on Tuesday, September 9

It won’t be long now before Steve Jobs takes the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California, to host the special press event titled “Let’s Rock“. The activities will begin at 10 a.m. San Francisco, California, time.

Blogs are a-buzz with speculation, leaked product sketches, and now with photos of the flurry of activities already underway at the Yerba Buena Center, where Apple staffers, TV crews and a large number of security guards are very busy.

The iPod poster, showing the iconic iTunes dancer, now hangs over the Center’s facade. Security is everywhere. Guards stand at every single one of the center’s doors, which makes one wonder: is this only an iPod refresher event? Or does Apple have something entirely new up its sleeve? A carefully guarded TV truck with a large satellite is already stationed at the center. San Francisco police are staked there as well.

Leander Kahney, of cultofmac.com offers us a series of photos that show the heightened activities around the center, and writes, “Though Apple has held special events at the Yerba Buena center before, the preparations for Tuesday’s event seem more elaborate than just a new iPod nano would warrant.”

For those interested in what has become a tradition: the Keynote Bingo game, be sure to check out cultofmac for a bingo card and information on how to play along during Jobs speech.

To see the photos, see this page.

And don’t forget to check back with us for news and reviews of the event as it unfolds, as well as for access to new products as they become available.

Will There Be An Apple “Special Event” This September To Announce A Product Launch?

Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray predicts that it is just a matter of time before plans for a special event are revealed next month in order to introduce a new line of iPods and Mac notebooks. Katie Marsal of AppleInsider writes, “The Cupertino-based company has used a September gathering to launch new iPods for the past three years, Munster advised clients in a research report Wednesday, adding that Apple shares have risen about 4 percent on average from the week before those events to the week after. Historically, shares have risen more than 47 percent between the week before those events to the four months after, he said.”_

Among the changes Munster predicts is a capacity increase for iPod shuffle and iPod nano. He also expects to see a product redesign on the iPod touch and a new, lower price which puts it more in line with the iPhone.

The most exciting prediction, however, is the anticipated “complete overhaul” of the Mac line of notebooks, including what Munster believes will be a new industrial design for both the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Another hoped for change? A return to the lower price point of the MacBook.

“We note that the MacBook has had the same design since its launch over two years ago, and the MacBook Pro has had essentially the same design since its launch over 2.5 years ago, which was very similar in design to the PowerBook G4 released over 5.5 years ago,” Munster told clients. “To compare, the long-running iMac G5 design lasted three years.”

There was also a discussion about how Munster believes Apple will expand its multi-touch technology on the Mac in the future. Gestures recently added to both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are only the beginning of the company’s exploration of the possibilities for multi-touch functions on the Mac.

“Currently, these gestures require the same touch-sensing technology used in the iPhone, but they use a traditional looking trackpad,” the analyst told clients. “Eventually, we expect Apple to change the trackpad to backlit color screens for a more dynamic user interface on the Mac.” Munster expects that, ultimately, Apple will introduce a full touch-screen MacBook, but not for several years, since the technology needs time to fully mature.

The Long-Awaited Keynote

Standing before an enthusiastic overflow crowd at this week’s MacExpo in San Francisco, California, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, delivered his long-anticipated keynote address. Wearing his signature jeans and dark-coloured turtleneck, Jobs played the role of SuperCool California Tech King as only he can, and clearly enjoyed every minute. Smiling at the crowd’s enthusiastic welcome, he began, “We’ve got some great stuff for you. There’s clearly something in the air today,” echoing the banner message that has puzzled and excited Apple-watchers for the last several days.

Jobs began by talking about the year which has just passed, “An extraordinary year for Apple,”he said. A slide show presented a retrospective: New iMac, iPods, iPhone, Leopard…and then a message to the Apple customer. A large-font “Thank you” spread across the slide screen.

Then, moving on to what the crowd had been waiting for, Jobs told everyone, “There are four things to talk about today.” The first — Leopard. It’s the most successful release of a Mac OS X ever, well received by developers and the general public alike. And now, there will be an improvement to the process involved in using Time Machine. Jobs introduced Time Capsule, the new backup appliance which is a full AirPort Extreme base station and hard drive (more on this product in tomorrow’s blogs!) which offers 802.11n networking and a server grade hard drive so that you can backup all the Macs on your network or in your home to one Time Capsule without the need for wires or cables.

The second thing Jobs talked about was the iPhone. It is exactly the 200th day since iPhone went on sale, and Apple has sold 4 million iPhones, which Jobs said is, on average, 20,000 iPhones a day. He assured the crowd that the Software Development Kit is on schedule, and will arrive in late February. “But we wanted to give everyone something today too,” Jobs said. He listed some wonderful new features: Maps with location; Webclips; customized home screens; SMS multiple people at once; videos now support chapters, subtitles, languages; music now supports lyrics. (More details about the iPhone upgrades in a blog tomorrow!)

Of course, the iPod Touch has the same software. Apple has decided to add five apps to the Touch: Mail, Maps, Stocks, Notes and Weather.

Number three is about iTunes, where Apple sold their 4 billionth song recently. And on Christmas Day they set a new record and sold 20 million songs in one day! Although this won’t currently matter to customers in the UK, Apple iTunes has also sold 120 million TV shows and 7 million movies. Jobs admitted that the number for movie sales didn’t meet their expectations, and for that reason, they searched for a better way to deliver what the customer wanted: iTunes Movie Rentals. This had been anticipated. The surprise announcement, however, was that Apple somehow managed to win every major movie studio’s participation: Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, New Line, Lions Gate, Fox, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, and Sony. The films can be downloaded onto PCs, Macs, iPods, iPhones and the new Apple TV2. The Apple TV2 is available as an upgrade to all owners of the original Apple TV. The new version of this product has an entirely new user interface, HD and Dolby Digital Sound. You can use Apple TV2 to download movies from iTunes without the need of a computer, and view them on your TV screen. But it also syncs to your computer, iPhone and iPod. And of course, it has a remote.

An important aside for European customers: Jobs says that he is “dying” to bring this interconnectivity and movie rental service to all customers internationally who have iTunes capability. So, we should stay tuned and keep our fingers crossed.

Jobs finally reached the fourth item on his list, and everyone waited expectantly. They knew this was the big one, and Jobs has a flair for showmanship. On stage there sat an office envelope — a plain manilla tie-flap which Jobs picked up, and from it he removed…

The MacBook Air. Jobs told the crowd, “It’s the world’s thinnest notebook.” It’s also easily one of the most beautiful. Sleek, slim, silver….and stunning. Wafer thin, it boasts a full-size backlit keyboard, a fullsize 13.3″ widescreen display. With a built-in iSight Camera, the MacBook Air comes loaded with Leopard OS X and iLife and has multi-touch gesture support. 2 GB of memory, a 1.8″, 80GB standard hard-drive, and an optional 64 GB solid state disk. And one of the most astonishing features: a Core 2 Duo chip on the board, 1.6 GHz standard with a 1.8 GHz option, produced by Intel at Apple’s urging to be 60% smaller. Paul Otellini of Intel walked onstage to show the “best microprocessor” — described as “the width of a dime, the thickness of a nickel” — and handed it to Jobs as a souvenir.

The MacBook Air also has a MagSafe connector, a flip-down I/O door behind which there is a USB2, a Micro-DVI and a headphone jack. It has built-in 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 and EDR.

Jobs assured the audience that the MacBook Air is also environmentally friendly. Its aluminum case is fully recyclable. It has the first mercury-free display and arsenic-free glass. The circuit boards are BFR and PVC free. Retail packaging is 56% less volume than MacBook packaging.

And with this, Steve Jobs wrapped up his Keynote Speech for 2008, thanking the audience for coming and reviewing everything that has been presented in the last two weeks: the MacPro, Time Capsule, iPhone software update and iPod Touch update, iTunes Movie Rentals, a thoroughly reinvented Apple TV and the astonishing MacBook Air. In parting, he assured the crowd: There are 50 weeks left to go in the year, and this is just the beginning.

Free Pro Series Training in London, March 26

Modern creative professionals are confronted with an enormous variety of media possibilities, and this Apple Pro Series training is aimed at helping to clear away confusion and teaching proficiency in a variety of artforms.

Join Apple experts and other modern creative professionals for a Pro Series event in London to be held on March 26. The event is free, but registration is required, since spaces are limited. Some of the Pro Series training will cover web design, 3D motion graphics, broadcasting, podcasting, and more. These experts offer hands-on masterclasses and teach session on technical issues; the goal is to help you creative astonishing, powerful content, bringing your work from concept through to completion. The workshops last one hour each and are focused on photography, video and audio production. You can opt for a guided tour of Aperture, Final Cut Studio or Soundtrack Pro.

The sessions are not only for beginners, either. Practicing artists are frequently involved in this training, and also in turn train others — which helps to further enhance their own creative activities.

Register now for this free Pro Series event and find out how Apple offers powerful, intuitive solutions to your creative desires.