Apple confirms September 9th special event: "Let's Rock"

[AppleInsider]

Apple has formally issued invitations for a special event that will take place on September 9th -- one week from today -- to usher in a new family of iPod digital music players.

The invites, one of which was obtained by ArsTechnica, feature the iconic iPod silouette along with the tagline "Let's Rock."

Apple has scheduled the event to take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco at 10:00 a.m. local time next Tuesday.

The invites confirm reports of a September 9th event originally waged by Digg founder Kevin Rose. The appearance and wording of the digital documents also suggest the event will be music focused and not serve as a forum for new Mac notebooks, as was recently suggested by AppleInsider, which will come later.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[PG4G]

Yes!!!

[probably]

<premature head explosion>

[BradMacPro]

While the web has seen clues to a tall screen iPod nano, maybe the introduction is the long awaited introduction to the Apple Music Store of The Beatles collection that was said to finalizing when rumors of that last surfaced.

Coming just a couple days before the 11th, the sad anniversary, the iPod and iPhone users of the world would have something to celebrate.

[Go Banana]

Happy to see its earlier this month rather than later.

[HyteProsector]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple do four things all with one motion.

1: Release an iPod nano touch

2: Call this new device the "iPod nano"

3: Drop the word "touch" on their touch nanos, in turn highlighting the product transition of apples portable line up to touch. (This concept to be extended track pad on the new macbooks and macbook pros.) iPod with the click wheel would still hold the suffix: "Classic"

4: Bone that company that made the case for the "false" iPod nano, because of how much info they've leaked in the past.

Don't get me wrong, I love to find out the latest on Apple products just as much as anyone else, but I wouldn't be surprised if Apple dicked this company over due to breaching of confidentiality agreements in the past.

[bigmc6000]

Fingers crossed for AlumiMB's. Well - then again maybe not. My bank account would be much better off if they don't give me what I want! hahah

I wonder if they'll try the iPod Touch "Pro" with a massive screen (relatively speaking, something like 4.5 - 5"), GPS with downloadable maps (I know that's basically a pipe dream) in 16, 32 and 64 GB sizes?

[dreyfus2]

As much as I appreciate new iPods (not really interested, as I do not need an iPhone and an iPod) ... but we are 9 months into the year and really no substantial Mac news except for the MBA (and gestures on the MBP, if that can be considered substantial) so far. Any Mac developments would be highly desirable - no matter if a 30" iMac, the famous midi desktop, a tablet or at least a laptop makeover.

Of course, the MP3 player business is calming down and this might be the last year with some moderate growth potential during the holidays. They have to do it.

Well, maybe we Germans will at least finally get some movies or some decent international TV shows (and some back-catalog classics)... the catalog so far is severely limited.

[calguy]

Well, is anybody going to ask? Is Steve going to "one more thing" and show us some new MacBooks and MBP? Yea, then it will be a party and something to dance to!

[solipsism]

I know it doesn't mean much, but this focus on the iPod causes doubt about new notebook cases. Surely there will be a bump in processor, etc., but this apparent Intel delay of Montevina may be pushing things back. My Mac is 9 months old, it's time for a refresh!

[MrShow]

Please Please MBP update!!

[BRussell]

I doubt an invitation looking like that will involve laptops. And if it's just a speed bump, it will just appear in a press release rather than an event.

But is anyone else thinking subscription service?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by BRussell

I doubt an invitation looking like that will involve laptops. And if it's just a speed bump, it will just appear in a press release rather than an event.

But is anyone else thinking subscription service?

Both of these are looking more likely.

[Brett8]

Originally Posted by BradMacPro

While the web has seen clues to a tall screen iPod nano, maybe the introduction is the long awaited introduction to the Apple Music Store of The Beatles collection that was said to finalizing when rumors of that last surfaced.

Coming just a couple days before the 11th, the sad anniversary, the iPod and iPhone users of the world would have something to celebrate.

Yeah. Because I read this announcement and think... Beatles. Full disclosure, I want the Beatles added to iTunes too. But personally I think you're projecting.

This announcement will be about Apple products.

Looking at the design clues they've given us on the invitation I think there is going to be something changing with the iPod interface again. Maybe this will be the last time we see this type of screen while music is playing? Perhaps all the iPods (with touch capability added) will now look and behave more like the the iPhone and touch? People certainly seem to love it.

We'll have to wait and see!

[Animal Farm]

Waiting on a new MBP is starting to feel Sisyphean...

[sandau]

Beatles: could care less if I ever heard another beatles song again in my life. After 30 years it can be binned forever, imho. Or at least put away to appreciate in 20 more. I can't listen to the same thing all the time, it's boring.

New iPod: cool, but could care less, i have the ultimate iPod: iPhone.

Subscription: exciting, I could use this, ESPECIALLY on my Apple TV.

I think this might be a push for the App Store to the smaller iPods. I hope it also extends to Apple TV.

[crees!]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I know it doesn't mean much, but this focus on the iPod causes doubt about new notebook cases. Surely there will be a bump in processor, etc., but this apparent Intel delay of Montevina may be pushing things back. My Mac is 9 months old, it's time for a refresh!

9 months old! Mine's 5 years young.

[calguy]

Originally Posted by crees!

9 months old! Mine's 5 years young.

My MB is around 2 years now and I will wait for the BIG change with the MBP... here's hoping that with the redo of the case, they will have room for an option for the Blu-ray. Maybe, they will put that option first with the Mac Pro only, but I can still hope.

[macapptraining]

looking forward to the event. i personally would like to see the click wheel disappear. we'll see if apple puts the spark back into the ipod. a little disappointed that there will probably be no sign of new macbooks or macbook pros at this event. it may be better anyway to split the new product launches into different events. also, due to the back to school promotion apple would have to take back a few week old computers and ipods in exchange for the new ones. this way, they just have to swap the ipods and no computers.

[crees!]

Originally Posted by calguy

My MB is aroud 2 years now and I will wait for the BIG change with the MBP... here's hoping that with the redo of the case, they will have room for an option for the Blu-ray. Maybe, they will put that option first with the Mac Pro only, but I can still hope.

It's hard when you need an Intel machine for iPhone development and you're saving for a wedding. You really don't win that argument. Unless you can develop fast enough and make cash to use toward the wedding. Then, you might win but that'll be based on performance.

[Flounder]

Anyone thinking this will be anything other than iPods and music business related needs to take off the blinders.

Apple does not announce that many things all at once. Their special announcements are always focused.

Do not hold out hope for laptops. You will only be disappointed. It is 100% not going to happen on September 9th.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by macapptraining

also, due to the back to school promotion apple would have to take back a few week old computers and ipods in exchange for the new ones. this way, they just have to swap the ipods and no computers.

I think that the return policy is 14 days for everything but the iPhone, so it would only be 2 weeks, but they have had these events right before the end of the BtS promotion before. I think they they have excluded the new merchandise from the promotion.

[Leonard]

Originally Posted by MrShow

Please Please MBP update!!

Not likely. Apple will keep this event restricted to iPods and iTunes.

MBP and MB updates will likely be coming later this month or next.

[calguy]

Originally Posted by Flounder

Anyone thinking this will be anything other than iPods and music business related needs to take off the blinders.

Apple does not announce that many things all at once. Their special announcements are always focused.

Do not hold out hope for laptops. You will only be disappointed. It is 100% not going to happen on September 9th.

My blinders are off and that's how my extra vision can see something on the horizon. Of course, that horizon will be at the distance of Mac World. Ok, I will wait till then. without the cigar.

[Olternaut]

Before some of you idiots raise your hopes up unnecessarily please note that this event is only about ipods according to the source from the article. Suggestions are that Apple will instead hold a seperate event in October to focus on macbooks.
Geezus people, click on a link and read it for yourselves you lazy bunch of good fer nuthins!

[wizard69]

Originally Posted by solipsism

. My Mac is 9 months old, it's time for a refresh!

I fell so sorry for you that you can't even manage a year out of your hardware.

In any event what gets me excited isn't the iPods per say but rather the OS. That's right folks iPhone OS 2.1.0 can be far away which means (hopefully) bug fixed and stability. We might even get new features. Let's hope that the update isn't more than a couple of weeks beyond this date.

With Apple targetting the low end I do hope that they create a feature filled Touch at the high end. More flash of course but more features certainly especially I/O. I wouldn't get upset to see a larger wide screen variant either.

[paxman]

Originally Posted by Animal Farm

Waiting on a new MBP is starting to feel Sisyphean...

Nicely Thesaurusized if somewhat inappropriate usage

[iDave]

Originally Posted by macapptraining

i personally would like to see the click wheel disappear.

You wouldn't if you were blind. The click wheel is the best interface ever for playing music. You don't even have to look at it. I hate the iTouch interface when all I want to do is start up the music, or adjust the volume, or skip a song, etc., etc.

[philiporeilly]

Originally Posted by iDave

You wouldn't if you were blind. The click wheel is the best interface ever for playing music. You don't even have to look at it. I hate the iTouch interface when all I want to do is start up the music, or adjust the volume, or skip a song, etc., etc.

Agreed. I love my iPhone but still prefer to use my iPod Classic to listen to music. It is so much easier to use the click wheel than leaving the screen on constantly or having to take it out of standby just to change a track.

A solution that would please everyone is having iPhones and iPod Touches support the €50 Apple FM receiver I bought. That would allow me to use the click wheel AND have a touch interface!

[Ronbo]

Oh well. The writing was already on the wall, but I too was hoping for the laptop revision earlier rather than later. New iPods? It's funny... I used to get a new iPod every other revision, but since I got my iPhone, there seems less of a point. By locking me into a 2 year contract, I think they substantially slow my purchase cycle.

Maybe they'll show me something that'll bring me to the checkout counter anyway. We'll see. I always enjoy the sight of new products from Apple, even when I'm not the target.

I just want my new MacBook Pro by the time ZBrush 3 arrives for the Mac

[MyopiaRocks]

Originally Posted by paxman

Nicely Thesaurusized if somewhat inappropriate usage

My wait for a new mbp is starting to feel quixotic?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by wizard69

I fell so sorry for you that you can't even manage a year out of your hardware.

I can, but I prefer not to.

[wobegon]

I love how whenever Apple gives out music-themed invites to a press event, people gravitate to "must be the Beatles". It's so comical how we have all the individual albums from each member, but we just can't get them all together.

If Apple Inc. can get Apple Records to release those albums, I think Jobs would want to make a statement to the other major labels in doing so. How? Put them up in open iTunes Plus AACs.

Anyway, back to iPod announcements, many guesses have already been made and are likely to happen: lower prices, bumped up storage, perhaps some tapering of the iPod touch's edges (to match the iPhone 3G and MacBook Air), and perhaps the retiring of the iPod classic.

One feature I haven't really heard floated, but which would be low cost and useful: the iPhone's same 2MP camera for the iPod touch. I'd like a better camera, but Apple most definitely wants people buying their far more profitable iPhone, thus they don't want to make the iPod touch overly enticing. Using the same 2MP camera would eliminate that and not only would it allow iPod touch users to take snap shots (and maybe video if Apple will open up that functionality) it would also serve as a barcode scanner, allowing Apple to use the iPod touch as a point-of-service device in Apple retail stores with custom software made using their Cocoa Touch SDK.

Obviously they couldn't deploy this immediately - they still have to get a credit card swipe reader that connects via the touch's dock connector - but this would offer faster checkouts and in the future, they could even sell the iPod touch bundled with a clip-on credit card reader and a simple checkout application to other retail stores, entering yet another enterprise and putting mobile OS X in front of hundreds of employees.

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by iDave

The click wheel is the best interface ever for playing music. You don't even have to look at it. I hate the iTouch interface when all I want to do is start up the music, or adjust the volume, or skip a song, etc., etc.

QFT. This is exactly right. The iPod scroll wheel is perfection for music. For listening to things while you multitask. I listen to audio books. I can reach down and rewind, skip forward, skip backward, adjust volume, all without looking at the device.

The iPhone touch interface is perfect for manipulating what you're attending to visually. It's nice for watching movies and such. But it requires more work than the scroll wheel for music and audio-book tasks.

Furthermore, the scroll wheen allows much finer-grained control when you want to go forward or rewind. I can move the play-cursor to the exact second I want in a movie, audiobook, or song on my iPod. I cannot achieve the same control with the iPhone in a movie. (Anyone who can much have TINY fingers).

[calguy]

Originally Posted by MyopiaRocks

My wait for a new mbp is starting to feel quixotic?

That's so supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by macapptraining

looking forward to the event. i personally would like to see the click wheel disappear. we'll see if apple puts the spark back into the ipod. a little disappointed that there will probably be no sign of new macbooks or macbook pros at this event. it may be better anyway to split the new product launches into different events. also, due to the back to school promotion apple would have to take back a few week old computers and ipods in exchange for the new ones. this way, they just have to swap the ipods and no computers.

I'd like to see the click wheel disappear only if there are tactile clues that aid in non-visual manipulation of the iPod. The ability to physically interface with the iPod without paying too much attention to it is important, which is something that is a net negative on the iPhone for me personally.

[xt500n]

despite design and interface diskussions I find it much more interesting
if the new ipod touch will have a new pa semi chip inside....
so we will know the direction of iphone development and apple will be save from
cheap knock offs

[brlawyer]

Originally Posted by calguy

Well, is anybody going to ask? Is Steve going to "one more thing" and show us some new MacBooks and MBP? Yea, then it will be a party and something to dance to!

The "one more thing" is gonna be the last nail in MS's coffin for the dud called Zune...GO APPLE! TORA! TORA! TORA!

[paxman]

Originally Posted by MyopiaRocks

My wait for a new mbp is starting to feel quixotic?

yeah, and not a little phantasmagoric

[kari.patila]

This really sucks. I need to order a MBP now, not in a month, so I have no choice but to get one. I've already pushed the purchase date too far. It's either that or not working until the new ones are released.