MacWorld 2007

Well the keynote for MWSF 2007 is coming up on Tuesday and I thought it would be interesting to hear what people thought was coming out. Here are my predictions:

iPhone: Ok it won't be called iPhone, but I believe it will be announced on Tuesday. At this point even the staunchest nay sayers, like me, cannot deny that it is coming, it is just a matter of when.

iTV: I do not think this will be ready for sale, but I think they will officially announce it and give a ship date of sometime in Feburary. The surprise here? It will include a hard drive for DVR use. If this is the case, I will buy one asap, as long as it will record HD.

Cinema Displays: They are long overdue, and now that the iSight is no longer available, I think this is a certainty. New Cinema Displays that not only have integrated iSight, but come at a much more competitive price.

New .Mac: Rumors are that iDisk storage on .mac has already been up to 30 GB. .mac is horrible, and I think Apple will upgrade it to give enhanced interoperability with iPhone.

iTunes: More movie studios will come on board with iTunes. I think we may even see HD content, if not Tuesday, probably some time this year.

iLife and iWork: These are pretty much a given. Not much new except a spreadsheet in iWork.

Long shots:
New MacBook Pro: A 12" MBP. It is a real long shot, but I think there may be a market here.

True Video iPod: I kind of doubt it, but you never know.

Leopard: How great would it be for Leopard to be available for sale almost 3 weeks before Vista? I think of my long shots this is the most likely. Even though Apple has said not until the end of the quarter, I think it was misinformation.

Anyway, those are my predictions. What are yours?

 

You should join MacRumors

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=265273

 

I would love to see a 12"-14" mbp and an iphone too.

 

Whatever they decided to call the much-rumored mobile phone project, that's what feels more and more certain to be released soon. Probably something iPod-y as far as the name goes, and a similar look and feel - perhaps even announced as just another part of the iPod lineup, a natural evolution. 2-4 GB of flash memory for songs. I just hope it won't be some kind of US-centric thing, but the rumors support it being a phone that can be used with any network - though whether it's GSM (2G) or 3G-based is not as certain. My money is on GSM.

Touchscreen iPod, and/or "true" video iPod is probably the next step for the big iPods. Will it come now? It feels like a 6th generation is due, but if it will incorporate either of these features is anyone's guess. A bigger screen for video is definitely the most asked-for feature, I don't think Apple will ignore that.

iTV, more information will be released but maybe not for sale yet. A hard drive was already mentioned as included, wasn't it? Also some people think that it will be usable as an Airport base station, that would also be very interesting. Still, the exact intended/possible usage of this device is what people want to know at this point, then the real wait for its release can begin.

New Cinema Displays with built-in iSights are sure to come sometime, but not sure if now is the time. It would be about time though, so why not. I also wonder if there might not be a price cut or a smaller version, to provide a cheaper alternative that would be quite likely to sell well with Mac Minis etc. As things stand, I think most Mac Mini owners use a third-party monitor, and Apple are bound to have noticed this - and want to do something about it.

.Mac is not worth the money right now, hoping this will change - haven't thought of that as being a possible introduction at Macworld, you have a point there. More space is necessary, and considering how cheap storage is these days, I'm surprised more of the money subscribers pay isn't spent on it. I'd love a price cut on it also, but that depends on what is added. 30GB sounds like a lot, but it's within the realm of possibility, and that would make the current fee worth it to me at least, and I'm not one to readily pay for something like that so it might attract a lot more people than before.

More movie studios for iTunes, bound to happen. Possibly an announcement of movies/tv series going on sale in some non-US iTunes Stores, like the UK one at least. That is LONG overdue, the European and Asian markets are waiting for this. The problem is one of being in tune with local law as far as I know, and if it isn't announced now that will still be the problem. I think it was said that this year would be when it would spread to other iTunes Stores, but not sure where I saw that or if I just dreamt it.

iLife and iWork, the usual - this will happen, no doubt. Many people clamoring for a spreadsheet app to be included in iWork, that would indeed be a good idea... especially since iWork is so much cheaper than MS Office already, it could win over more people among regular consumers/students.

Leopard I think is not that far out a prediction to be released now, even though they have said end of Q1. But I can see them waiting a bit too, I don't think Apple is all that worried about Vista. Wondering what the mystery features will be, of the ones already announced I am looking forward the most to having virtual desktops built-in instead of having to use a third-party application. I've used virtual desktops for many years in Unix and Linux environments, it's about time OS X picked up on it. Time machine looks like a massive use of space, good for some people but I'm not that interested in it personally - yet. Boot Camp is supposed to be built into Leopard too, wonder if it changes name on release. One thing I do miss in OS X is a simple Paint-style application, like AppleWorks Paint for example. Maybe one will be included now.

12" MBP is something many have expressed a desire for, I think the time might have come now that the MBP has been around for a year and they've had time to perfect the concept, make it work in a smaller frame. No changes to existing MB/MBP models are to be expected though, Santa Rosa is coming in a few months though so come spring/summer there will be an update of them all. Maybe even at the same time, depending on supply - the lack of processors seems to have dictated the order of appearance of C2D Macs last year, if the supply is there I don't think Santa Rosa Macbooks will necessarily be announced later than Santa Rosa Macbook Pros. But that's a ways off anyway, so not that interesting at this point.

I do not foresee any real updates to any of the computers (besides the possibility of a 12" MBP), they're all up-to-date with current cpus and all that. One off-the-wall thing that I could see happening but don't think will happen is the introduction of another color for Macbooks - pink, most likely (I know there are third-party companies that offer this already).

The wishes for a Mac "tablet" are constantly recurring from some directions, and while I think it could be cool I don't think it will happen.

Wow, this turned into a rather lengthy little post on my general predictions, not just for Macworld 2007. But in general, I'm pretty much agreed with cashmonee, really

 

Normally only a few things are released at macworld, thus my money is on more info on leopard and iTV, and the release of either (but not both) a new ipod or iphone. Apple likes to be able to have the spotlight all year, and blowing too much now doesnt seem to be there style.

a



ps wish lists items for me which wont happen but anyway, I would love for apple to produce a desktop to slot in between the mac-mini and the macpro...maybe call it the 'Mac', it should have decent upgrade room esp for hdd space....to function as a home server and basic work station, for office and itunes etc....I know that there is the iMac, but it doesnt have the hdd space.

 

I wish Apple would make the same MacBook but with a Dedicated GPU. Yeah....like that'll ever happen.

 

ya, if they made the MacBook too usefull, less people would by the Pro. I would have considered the Macbook if three things existed..1) matte screen option. 2)expansion port/ pcmcia/express or something for the future..3)dedicated gpu, even an x1300-1400, and lastly.. a 15" version.. so I guess I need to get the Pro version afterall
and here's my prediction:

Macbook Pro 17" gets an HD-dvd burner

 

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ModBook

 

This will be interesting to see.

 

Yup, Underpantman is right. They need a desktop unit thats a more consumer version of the Mac Pro. I want something like the Mac Pro, but without Xeons and with the ability to use SLI. Not that I will probably ever get SLI. . .
Not that I don't like the iMacs and mac minis, they're cool and all. But Apple can open the window for those people who want to use OS X AND game in windows. The Mac Pros are simply too expensive for this.
Give us something between $1000-$2000 as a replacement for the g4 tower or something. PLEASE!
.Mac definently isn't worth its money now. If they could push the storage to even 10gb, then I would pay it. Perfect for backups of important data. While I keep 3 backups of data now... If I had a fire in my place, I would loose all of that.

 

I think it would be nice to see x1700's or 7700's in the MacBook Pro, which would probably only come with Santa Rosa early this summer.

 

This just looks like a Macbook modification made by a third-party company that will officially unveil its product at Macworld (other companies do come there too). It has nothing to do with Apple, judging from the way this is set up and the name above all (the company name is included in the name, big tip-off that it's not an Apple product).

But it does look interesting... I wonder if this has the blessing of Apple and as such is a sign that Apple will continue to stay away from the tablet market.

 

Huh. That ModBook looks interesting. But it's still not a real tablet pc. It's not convertable so thus, it would be difficult to write on the screen. It's not a huge deal anyway. They just replaced the screen with a digitizer screen.
But god... Apple is long overdue to come out with a true tablet. Either slate or convertable would be fine with me!

 

iphone. My boss was excited about an article in todays business section about Iphone and Cingular.. I'm guessing NYtimes. But I found this when i googled http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/technology/28phone.html?ex=1324962000&en=7fd245078a390743&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Will it be called the Iphone? hmmm

 

No it won't, since Linksys/Cisco owns the iPhone name and just released a product by that name.

 

I wonder how many people will buy it and think it's a mac product. Infact, I wonder if that's what was in the paper. If I find the article I'll pass it along
edit: link
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/technology/08mobile.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin
I think this was it.. which isn't conclusive, but furthers the rumor of Macs new phone coupled with Cingular as a carrier. we shall see tomorrow perhaps, and be able to call it something that isn't already a trademarked name

 

If you are referring the Lynksys iPhone, don't worry. First, it is a WiFi VOIP phone. Second they have had the iPhone trademark since the mid-nineties, either before or right at the time when Apple started their "i" kick.

 

I think he meant the Modbook. "Mod"book... big giveaway don't you think?

 

?, no someone else mentioned the mod-book. I only brought up the iphone, which was anticipated and joked about, even spoofed on engadget.com (one button cell phone =P ). I only realized today when i googled it that it was already an owned trademark. But, it's only a guestimation that apple will release a product at CES..and I thought the NYtimes article was some interesting fuel to the fire

 

http://www.macrumorslive.com/
Up to date overview of Macworld LIVE
http://spansih.engadget.com/2007/01/09/live-from-macworld-2007-steve-jobs-keynote

 

What a buzzkill. The iPhone looked awesome, until they said the carrier and the price. Cingular in my area is terrible and 500-600 with a 2 year contract is way too much. Say hello to the Newton reincarnated.

Overall pretty disappointing. 2 products, none available today. AppleTV looks kinda cool, but not great or revolutionary, and the iPhone looks great but way overpriced.

 

I agree with you completely. Cingular is terrible in my area as well. I don't think I would pay $500 for a phone lol.

 

Disappointed at the price and availability (Europe late 2007... wanna bet that's just the UK/France/Germany or so too?), but very impressed with what the phone can do.

Wonder what the deal is with the iPhone name, since it's trademarked already...

iTV... sorry, AppleTV (terrible name compared to iTV, and Steve said it wrong himself several times) is sort of cool, but I would have hoped for it to be like an Airport Express - a built-in base station, instead of just a receiver.

All in all, too few products... and nothing about Macs. Didn't even mention Leopard. Ah well, developers conference in April then... Leopard, Santa Rosa etc.

 

Hah... appleTV not compatable with SD tvs. Fantastic. That counts me out.
Not sure if I would pay $300 for it anyway. Does it also have the ability to record stuff being streamed to it?

iPhone is neat, but way to expensive. I bet it will be very impressive to use. The touchscreen display is nice, and I bet it will have full PDA functionality. I wonder what actual software it can use.

Disapointing releases...

 

My question with the AppleTV is where all the HD content is coming from? The 40GB drive would hold 2 or 3 HD movies and only 5 or 6 DVD's. You could shrink them, but then you would notice that more on an HD TV. No HD on iTunes either. So what do I put on my HDTV? Apparently low res stuff that I can already get on my TV. All that for $300.

And the more I think about the iPhone, the more limited and overpriced it sounds. Take the storage for example. 4 or 8 gigs maybe enough for just music, but what about pictures, videos, etc? No where near enough. Plus no 3G on a phone of that price is really bad. Also, can it view documents or spreadsheets? People paying that kind of money for a smartphone want productivity, not the ability to look at pictures or videos.

I think Apple missed the mark on both of these, and I see neither being around for the long term.

 

I loved the iPhone, but that price! I expected close to $300, not $600. Cingular is very good in my area, and the only carrier that gets service inside the UW buildings, and I was planning on getting Cingular as my next carrier anyways, because Cingular gets all the good phones.
The whole touch screen video ipod thing works for me though. Take the iPhone, put a 30GB hard drive in it, take out all of the phone features (leave in the OSX and WiFi and stuff though), put a $350 price tag on it (less with student discount) and I will buy one.

 

Agreed. Very neat features yet WAY too expensive. Even after the "2-year contract discount"..$600???

I don't care much about the iTV..

I was expecting iLife updates even though I rarely use the apps...

What about the Mac Mini's, I think they're due for a CD to C2D bump while processor speed stays the same.

 

I think iTV is something of convenience. Being able to buy the movie from your Mac or PC, then watching it on your TV wirelessly. Maybe they plan on introducing HD Movies to the iTunes store. I would probably buy it if they did.

The new Airport Extreme is also nice with the N speeds, so maybe that does mean something. I think maybe with 10.4.9 the N will be unlocked in the Macs.

I really do like the iPhone, and am looking for a smartphone actually, and if it was unlockable and not with Cingular and was out already, I would buy it. I don't understand why Cingular is so bad here, one of their corporate headquarters is right in the middle of town and my friends with cingular always have almost zero service. I think I'll just buy the Palm Treo 700wx for now, and when Cingular changes to AT&T maybe they'll be better, though I doubt it, I can get the iPhone then.

 

I believe it depends on the location. Cingular is not 'bad' per say but in a huge college town like Gainesville (Go Gators!), Cingular is absolute crap. Dropped calls here and there, towers going down, etc. "Fewest dropped calls"? Many ex-Cingular customers have switched to T-Mobile. But outside of Gainesville may different.

I went from Cingular (before merging) to T-Mobile and haven't looked back. The only company I have not tried is Verizon.

I agree with you about "if the iPhone was unlocked" I would purchase it too but the price also matters. I would wait though, 8GB seems a bit small and a bit pricey. Maybe if it had 30GB flash for $600 and unlocked, I would highly consider.

 

Cingular does not use 3g, thats why it won't support it. I don't think Edge is as good as true 3g, but I don't know much about that. I'm hugely disapointed Verizon or Sprint isn't carrying them.
4 or 8 gigs is enough, remember, this isn't a true digital cam. It's only 2MP and probably highly compressed jpegs. So you're looking at MAYBE a few hundred KB per photo. I think I wonder if it really will do video though. Kinda like how the nano doesn't do video
But again, still way too expensive.

Yeah, I was thinking about the 40 gb hdd. For an HD only unit, this is no where near enough. I know dish networks HD DVR's use 250gb HDD and can only record around 20 hours of HD. Plus it's draft-n. I dunno if g can stream HD content.

 

you think if everyone complained to apple about the iphone price they would eventually lower it?..........

 

Actually, looking at apples site that has all the iphone info ( http://www.apple.com/iphone/ipod/)
It's not that bad. Sure, it's pricey... but think about what you get...
A sweet ass phone.
An ipod/mp3 replacement.
A PDA.
So thats already 500-600 right there, depending on the quality of each product. I dunno about you guys, but I spend over $100 on my phone and I'll be buying a 4 gig nano. If I were to buy a PDA, that would be another 300-400.
So it's not too bad. But it's cingular. Not a terrible company, but I'd rather be with Verizon or Sprint. Though I bet they would gouge your eyes out with the bills for the data service. Which is my other concern.
How will Cingular handle/charge for Edge service? I don't know if it's similar to Verizon/Sprints mobile web for phones, or if they would make you use a dataservice plan.

 

Cingular has exclusive rights to sell the iPhone until 2009.

 

iPhone.. who can believe they did it? Afterall it was trademarked..but apparently they bought the patent? I still can't watch the macworld video..too much demand! Iphone is definitely expensive, and will definitely have promotions to boost sales, but it's everything a mac addict and pda user could want(despite a hefty price tag) Now people can listen to music, fade music while answering a call, add them to their contacts list, scroll through voicemail, answer email, locate the nearest starbucks instantly with googlemaps(or call and order 4000 lattes to go)snap a 2mp picture of their foot, run mac osx(according to apple) and all that..with simplicity..no hard buttons, no stylus, no need for third party apps. clean and pure

 

I can access the video, but its laggy. Too many people, for sure.

I don't really "need" the iPhone. Its superior in design and functions and simplicity, but I'd rather Apple introduce a second product, as an iPod with the new features that Apple announced, with a similar design to the iPhone.

And, if they expect people to put videos in them, why is it only 4 and 8 GB?

 

Actually Cingular started rolling out their 3G network last year. Its only in a few states so far but is an easy match for CDMA networks 3G plus you can do voice traffic at the same time.

They have full streaming TV channels now and are really quite impressive and number of phones that support it.

 

Hrm, I didn't think they had a need for 3g since edge is it's competitor.

I just watched the keynote. Wow... the iPhone is very impressive. I know REALLY want one. Bad.

 

Its one of those things - GPRS is everywhere and very reliable but at about 28.8kbps; EDGE is in most coverage areas but at about 128kbps, and UMTS (3g) can easily hit 768kbs (all downstream of course).

Problem is, the faster the data, the more power gets sucked. In a 3G area you'll see about HALF the battery life as in an EDGE area (or you can limit the phone to EDGE and save power at the expense of speed).

The huge screen on the iPhone has already got to be a battery pig since you need it on to do anything, so maybe thats why Apple limited it to EDGE and plans on using heavily compressed video.

They gotta do better than 4 or 8gb though. Maybe an SD slot too as those can get up to another 8gb if you want to pay enough.