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Apple iPod-focused Event Tomorrow
By Michael Lundberg | September 4, 2007
Well, tomorrow marks yet another Apple event at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. As usual, rumors on what may or may not be released are running rampant throughout the Apple community. Will there be a new iPod? A new iPhone? Let’s take a look at some of the more popular rumors, and take a stab at the probabilities for each.First off, I want to give a nod to several of the Apple rumor sites that routinely follow and the source of these rumors. They are:
- Apple Insider, http://www.appleinsider.com - currently my favor Apple rumor site
- Think Secret, http://www.thinksecret.com - used to be my favor Apple site, but it is no longer updated as frequently as Apple Insider.
- MacRumors, http://www.macrumors.com - updates are infrequent, but they still get the big scoops on things such as the iPod Nano spy photos.
- Apple Gazette, http://www.applegazette.com - a great site, that focuses on news rather than rumor and speculation.
Ok, now to the list of potential product releases. This list was created by reading the above sites as well as various other Apple news and rumor sites around the Net. What does tomorrow have in store for us?
A revised Widescreen Video iPod? - I think this has a fairly good chance of making an appearance in some shape or form. Many of the Apple fans that I’ve talked with tell me that this is numero uno on their want list. It would make sense that Apple would try to release this item after a sufficient time has passed since the iPhone release, but in plenty of time for Christmas. The Apple iPods continue to be a hot Christmas item and a Widescreen/full screen version of the iPod would likely be very successful for Apple. I give this a 90% of appearing.
A revised iPod Nano? - Spy pictures of a revised Apple iPod Nano were released last week by several Apple news sites, most notably MacRumors.com. At first glance, the pictures were widely debunked due to the dull colors and somewhat awkward short and squatty form factor. However, as soon as the pictures were published, Apples’ army of lawyers began issuing cease and desist orders. Was Apple issuing phantom cease and desist orders or were the fake pictures actually (gasp) real? We’ll see tomorrow. My bet is that they’re real. I give this an 85% chance of showing up.
The Beatles on iTunes? - It was widely reported in February of this year that Apple Inc., maker of the iPod, and Apple Corps, the Beatles’ music label, had finally come to an agreement, granting Apple Inc. rights to all trademarks related to Apple. It also had Apple Inc. licensing some of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for continued use. It was expected at the time that this would pave the way for the Beatles music catalog to finally be released on iTunes. Seven long months later, and The Beatles still haven’t made a digital appearance. However, Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s solo catalogs have appeared, leading us to believe that it’s not a matter of “if”, but “when” for the Beatles music catalog. The event invitation featured the phrase “The beat goes on.” This obviously alludes to the upcoming iPod releases, but the same phrase was used in The Beatles’ final press release after their split-up. I give this 85% chance of getting the Beatles’ entire music catalog online tomorrow.
iPhone ringtones? - One of the major complains of iPhone owners is the lack of customizable ringtones. Ringtones are commonplace in all modern cellphone and it makes no sense that Apple should hold out of owners of what is arguably the most advanced cell phone on the market. This is a no-brainer for Apple, assuming that they were able to get all the music companies to come to licensing terms. I give ringtones an 80% chance of showing up tomorrow.
A revised iPod shuffle? - Apple Insider reports that the iPod Shuffle, which received a major design revision approximately one year ago, is not scheduled to receive any addition redesigns this year. Yet, a Product (RED) version of the iPod Shuffle is a possibility. I think this would be easy enough for Apple, yet it seems that the Product (RED) campaign has lost some steam in the last year. I give this a 60% chance of appearing.
A revised iPhone “Nano”? - There have been many rumors of a quick update to the Apple iPhone. The rumors state that the newer iPhone will be based on a form factor smaller than the current iPhone. Rumors also point to fewer features such as no internet browsing and no full screen video. It would seem like an iPhone Nano would be a hard sell to the general public, especially since most modern cell phones can play mp3 and will undoubtedly be cheaper than an iPhone Nano. Will the public be willing to pay a premium for functionality that they can get from almost any existing cell phone and for far less? Plus, I don’t see this coming out so quickly after the original iPhone. I place the odds at 40% of seeing an iPhone Nano.
Well, that’s my predictions. We’ll see in a little more than 12 hours if I’m correct. Tune in to Engadget for live blogging from the Moscone West Center tomorrow at 12pm CST:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/05/steve-jobs-live-apples-the-beat-goes-on-special-event
