This Tuesday the Macworld Expo will turn a quarter of a century. Macworld 2008 saw the Mac Book Air showcased for the first time. Previous years brought us iPods, iPod Nanos and iPhones; all shown for the first time.
With no appearance from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the rumor mill has been churning out predictions about what’s to be announced this time around.
This year it’ll be Apple Vice President, Phil Schiller taking the stage for the final key note instead and the real question the apple fans have to ask themselves is will we get the same game-changing gadgets in 2009? Or, will MacWorld be more evolution than revolution?
So Apple-watchers, here’s a brief summary of predictions for Macworld 2009 (Some more likely than others).
This year’s top prediction, and naturally so, is an updated version of iLife studio; Apple’s video and music editing software that lets you manage all digital media on a mac.
An upgrade of the Mac Mini is also a pretty safe bet as it hasn’t been upgraded since August 2007. It’s that or their dropping it from their product line entirely. That’s not really likely as it’s been in Amazon’s list of top selling desk top computers for a while.
A new version of Apple TV is also pretty certain. It lets the user watch movies and music videos from their PCs and on their TV screens and stereo systems.
But the monster prediction, the one that just won’t go away, is that of a cut-price version of the iPhone. It makes perfect sense to capitalise on a product such as the iPhone that’s brought the company so much cash and publicity.
Whispers have been going around for a while. There’s even been talk from the supposed Chinese manufacturers who are already making the casing for the new versions. It’s handsets’s expected to be non-3G, the same height as the iPod nano but wider and thicker. If true this Apple cross-breed will really cement the brand as the ultimate consumer electronics retailer.
There’s also talk about Apple jumping on the netbook bandwagon by releasing their own light weight, easy to carry laptops. Convinced to do so by the increasing sales of their lower prices laptops.
So, the two ones to watch out for at Macworld 2009 are the Netbooks and the cut price iPhone nanos.
What do you think Steve Jobs’ “one more thing” will be in 2009?
Tell us your thoughts!
