Not all of us can spare the time (or have the interest) to watch the full 90 minute Macworld 2008 Keynote by Steve Jobs. Luckily, Mahalo Daily has compressed the entire thing down to 60 seconds. It’s surprisingly accurate.
Of course, if you do want to watch the entire thing, Apple has made it available here.
I’ll be posting my impressions on what was announced as soon as I can get to it.
We’re only a couple of days from the Macworld 2008 keynote so I thought it was about time to post my predictions. After all, what’s Macworld without predictions?
As we all know by now, the banners that went up over at Moscone Center read, “There’s something in the air”. Like most people, the first thing I asked myself when I saw this was, what’s in the air?
Now, this might sound kind of crazy, but the first thing that jumped into my mind was, “Spring is in the air” (ya, I know, it’s still Winter). And, what happens in spring… people get out and do things. In other words, they become more mobile. Follow me so far? I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but that banner could mean that this keynote will be all about mobility. I do have one other interpretation that I’ll cover later in the post.
Banner interpretations aside, here’s my predictions…
Ultra-portable Macbook (mini?)
Like everyone else, I’m pretty confident that Apple will be releasing a sub-notebook computer. Laptops account for most of Apple’s computer sales, and I think they’ll be doing everything they can to continue that trend. It’s also entirely possible that this new machine will have an optional docking station, suggested by the patent recently awarded to Apple.
Many people seem to think that this new Macbook Mini will be 13 inches wide, but ultra thin. I personally think that’s just too big. I’m betting that it will be somewhere between 8 and 10 inches wide. I would doubt it would be bigger unless Apple plans on discontinuing the Macbook.
Macbook
Originally I wasn’t convinced that Apple would be doing anything to the Macbook. But, I was reading a prediction on another site (I can’t remember which one) that talked about the Macbook being incased in Aluminum. That actually makes total sense. After all, Apple seems to be purging white plastic from their lineup. The iMac recently went through this transformation, as did the iPod, iPod shuffle, and iPod nano. I think it’s entirely possible that Apple will apply this new look to the Macbook as well. I would also like to see them give the Macbook the new backlit LED displays, like the ones being used in the 15″ Macbook Pros, but I’m not sure if that will happen. Another point in favor of this prediction is aluminum cases are better on the environment than molded plastic, and Apple has been trying to become more environmentally responsible.
On a quick side note, I think it’s a bit ironic that Apple still uses the iconic white iPod in it’s advertising, even though Apple no longer sells a white iPod.
Macbook Pro
I think we’ll be seeing new Macbook Pros as well, mostly because the current design has been around for quite some time now. I think one of the biggest changes will be in the keyboard. Apple has made their Macbook and standalone keyboard use very similar keys and there’s no reason for them not to transition the Macbook Pro to this same style as well. I also think there’s an outside chance that Apple will introduce a new 20″ model.
iTunes Movie Rentals
I think most people are in agreement that this will happen. As with TV shows and movies for purchase it will be a handful of studios to start, adding more later.
iPhone
Native iPhone applications! This is a no-brainer. Apple announced back in October that an iPhone / iPod Touch SDK (Software Development Kit) would be available in February 2008. I’m sure Steve will demo a few of the new apps created by 3rd party developers who were hand picked to get a preview release of the new SDK.
iPhone software update adding lots of new features, including access to the new iTunes movie rental service.
16GB iPhone. I personally think they’ve had 16GB iPhones sitting in boxes since the day they announced the price drop and elimination of the 4GB model. At the last minute they decided not to introduce the 16GB model, as they knew they would be crucified (more than they were) for putting out a new model just 2 months after product introduction.
No 3G. I don’t think Apple will introduce a 3G iPhone until later this year, at the earliest.
Apple TV
I think we’ll see a major upgrade to the Apple TV. Or, it may get dropped all together. My other interpretation of the banners hanging at Moscone relate to this, so I’ll address it later in this post. If the Apple TV does get upgraded, I’m not sure if it will reach a true DVR status, but it will definitely be able to interact directly with the iTunes store (and new rental service) without requiring a computer or iTunes (but it will still pull from those if available).
Leopard 10.5.2
Not much to say about this. Mostly bug fixes and slight enhancements. But, I think it will finally allow Time Machine backups to Airport attached storage (probably with a software update for the Airport base station as well).
Displays
I don’t think they’ll be anything radically different, but they will incorporate a built-in iSight. I think it’s also possible that Apple will begin offering an option for the glossy display, since according to Steve Jobs, everybody loves those. I would like to see them get the new backlit LED technology, but everything I’ve heard says that’s still too expensive for larger screens.
One more thing…
So, I mentioned that I had another interpretation for, “There’s something in the air”. TV is in the air… as in the broadcast signal. My breakout prediction is that Apple drops the Apple TV in favor of, well… an Apple TV… I mean a real TV. The kind you watch.
Before you call me crazy, consider one thing… by February 17th, 2009 all US TV stations will cease to broadcast analog TV signals in favor of digital TV (DTV). 2008 and 2009 are going to be huge years for TV sales. Apple, along with most computer makers, have been tryng for years to get from your office into your living room. It makes a lot of sense for Apple to capitalize on this surge in TV sales to break into the market. The current version of the Apple TV was just a stepping stone… a way to test the market. Now they’re ready to bring out the real thing.
It goes without saying that the new Apple TV will have full access to the iTunes store, and its new movie rental service, in addition to broadcast television.
Think this sounds crazy? Netflix, the king of online DVD rentals, would disagree. They are basically trying to do the same thing. They’re in talks with TV manufactures to incorporate their movie on demand service directly into TVs.
Now, Apple could follow the Netflix model and try to get TV manufacturers to connect to iTunes, but we all know how Apple likes to control the hardware too, so I personally think it makes total sense for them to make their own TV.
Well, those are my predictions. We’ll see on Tuesday what really comes out. Unfortunately I have a meeting Tuesday morning, so won’t know until later that morning how close I was.
I’m not sure how long they’ve been doing this, but I just noticed that Apple offers one to one training at their retail stores.
The program costs $99 per year. For that price you can book one personal training session per week for the entire year.
It actually looks like a pretty good program for anyone new to the Mac, or for people who want to go beyond the basics. They will work at your speed, and offer training on everything from getting started to using Apple’s pro-level apps.
One of my News Years Resolutions is to keep in more regular contact with friends. One way I decided to do that was to stay logged into a chat client. It’s not for meaningful discussions, but just for the occasional, Hi there kind of thing.
I’m using Google Talk, via iChat. The big problem I’ve had so far is the connection continually gets dropped, and I can’t figure out why. I can’t seem to stay logged in more than about 1/2 hour.
Has anyone else had this problem with Google Talk / iChat?
I’ve never used iPhoto to make one of Apple’s Calenders, but I have made a book. I was pretty pleased with the quality. I may be taking advantage of this offer to do another.
Apple has just patented a new docking station with an integrated display. The idea would be to leave this iMac-looking device on your desktop connected to all of your peripherals, and then you can just slide your laptop in/out without needing to fuss with 10 different cables. It’s very reminiscent of the old Powerbook Duo.
It may be a little clunky for today’s Macbooks, but it would be a perfect fit for that ultra-portable Mac that they’re rumored to announce at Macworld in a couple weeks.
If you haven’t already seen it, Apple has posted a very cute Christmas commercial in the classic stop-motion style of Rankin/Bass children’s movies, like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.
On a side-note, I actually really miss those movies. It doesn’t seem like they play them on TV anymore. The other day I saw Rudolph listed in the on-screen guide and I switched over to it, only to find it was a crappy remake using really cheesy 3D. I was so disappointed.
Yesterday I mentioned the website, MacSanta, which offers 20% discounts on Mac software during the month of December. I don’t normally talk about the same service two days in a row, but one of the apps featured today really cought my eye. It’s called, Remote Buddy.
Remote Buddy tremendously enhances the capabilities of your Apple Remote. Here’s a blurb from their site:
“Remote Buddy turns the remote control in your hands into a key to your entire system. No matter, whether you want to control applications and presentations, browse and playback your music and video collection, watch TV with EyeTV, browse the web or your filesystem, make the globe turn in Google™ Earth, enter a text, move the mouse, play games or maybe just change the brightness of your screen - you can do this all with Remote Buddy! And so much more!”
One thing that isn’t mentioned in that blurb, is the fact that Remote Buddy now comes with a component called, Remote Buddy’s AJAX Remote, which allows you to use your iPhone or iPod Touch to control your Mac.
I haven’t really had the time to play with Remote Buddy yet, but it looks totally cool!
Remote Buddy normally runs 19.99 € (about $29 US). Today only you can use the coupon code from MacSanta to get 20% off. If you miss the sale today, you can still get 10% off until December 24th by using the coupon code listed in MacSanta’s Extended Deals section.
Apple has found a defect in the new ultra-compact USB power adapter that ships with 3G iPhones. They're offering free exchanges starting 10/10/2008. LINK
Macworld San Francisco 2009 will be held on January 5th-9th. You can get free Exhibit-Only passes when registering if you use promo code, MKA31884, before 9/26/2008.
Yay! Adobe released Lightroom 2 this morning. I'm a big fan of Lightroom and this version offers some welcome enhancements. An upgrade will cost you $99. Regular price is still $299.
If you want a guided tour, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) has produced a whole series of videos outlining the new features. You can see them here.
