MacWorld Rumor Mill and Predictions

Warning: This post may only be suitable for Mac nerds only. PC users, read at your own risk.

The Annual Macworld Expo happens next week and the rumor mills are going wild with anticipation. 

Here’s a roundup of the rumors I’ve seen: 

• iPhone Nano release
• MacMini update
• iMac update
• Snow Leopard release
• iWork turns into a suite of online applications (Cloud Computing)
• Netbooks (some sort of small form-factor, cheap selling price notebook)
• Tablet Computer
• Home Media Server/Time Capsule/Apple TV 

As for what I think might really happen:

1. Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) will be released and will ship by end of January (not immediately, because Apple like to have release events at the Apple Retail Stores for Mac OSX releases; I’ll guess January 30th as the actual release date).
2. iMac Updates with faster processors and the Nvidia graphics chips.
3. MacMini update. I think these will look different. Not sure how they will mirror the new look of the MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and MacBook Airs, but they will start to mirror them in some way…They will also be a greater focus on using the MacMini as a media center. Perhaps it will replace the AppleTV by essentially having the AppleTV built into it.  Or bundled. Somehow, someway, this thing moves from the office to the living room. The folks at apple are smarter than me, so I’m sure they’ll figure it out. 
4. I like the iWork rumor. Not sure how plausible, but it strikes me as a strong potential, although, the current version of iWork ’08 is not that old. I think in order to do this, apple would just bundle it as a part of MobileMe, and give an iPhone/iPod touch firmware update that includes access to iDisk files and 3 new apps for Pages, Keynote and Numbers.
5. iPhone Nano release. I just feel like there is enough evidence to support that this is an imminent product. I think it will be a good move for Apple as well, despite so many who think it doesn’t make sense. I think making it smaller will help Apple jump further into the female market for smart phones, and media phones. (now they just need to work a deal out with Adobe to get the flash player on the iPhone and we can all be happy.
6. AppleTV update. Could be imminent. Should be imminent. Somehow correlates to the MacMini update. More Streaming Video direct from the web, Hulu and others….

Things that won’t happen:

• Tablet: I believe apple has something in the works, but it’s too early to see it come to fruition. Maybe later in the year. 
• Netbooks: I just don’t see apple jumping in to the stripped-down, cheap notebook market. That’s not how they roll. If you want a piece of crap that connects to the internet, but doesn’t do much else, don’t buy a mac. You probably would be happier with something else. 

Well, we’ll see how I do next week when Phil Schiller takes the stage to give the MacWorld Keynote on Tuesday, January 6th. 

Finally, on the fact that Steve Jobs will not give the keynote:

I really think this is a strategic move by Apple to stick it to the media and the stock analysts who throw Apple’s stock price in a tizzy every time Steve Jobs gets a cold. I think Apple wants to take Steve out of the picture, then show the depth of executive leadership at the same time as they roll out new products. That way, we all see that Jobs is not there, but innovation continues. That’s all I think it is.