"MWSF": THE thread  

There will be 3 things:

Speed bumped G5's.

Newly designed monitors.

And the G5 Xserve.

This is why you are the insane elite member. Also, pass it over. I'll have some of what you're smoking.

PowerMac - will be "quietly" updated one week after the Expo

iMac - will be completely redesigned and sports a G5. The "one more thing" thing in the Steve's show.

PowerBook - Not a chance. Wait til April

eMac - no physical change. Will only have a slight speed increase to 1.25GHz G4 on the keynote day but it's a silent upgrade.

iPod and iTMS - Cheaper iPod and some iTMS related announcement for sure. But I am afraid Steve will talk about this Music sh!t for over an hour. If so I am going to fall in sleep

When was the last time he did a "one more thing" thing?

I better get my PowerBook update before June, education reasons, that's all.

Oddly enough, I have never smoked.

EDICT:

Think Secret reports the Keynote will concentrate on music. Look for the MiniPods and announcments of iTMS in several countries on line immediately. Hardware updates will be minimal and probably in the weeks after MWSF. iLife updates are probable as well. The new iMac looks like a Spring release with a G5 chip in my opinion.

I don't think Apple updates or introduces more then 1 or 2 new CPU's per MacWorld. 12 days and counting.

PowerMacs: Not yet, I'm sure with the recent addition of the dual 1.8 they are selling well. My guess is Feb/March

PowerBooks: WWDC for August delivery-back to school.

iBook: They're good, no updates

iMac: They're up. Maybe G5 time, if it wasn't for TS-i'd say big yes.

eMac: Quite upgrades sometime soon.

iPod: minpods and new iTunes with DJ mixing functions-http://www.apple-x.net/index.html

xServe: Boy, there up for the G5 but it just doesn't sound like an Expo thing. Maybe if they also release clustering software for use with all CPUs

Software updates: iLife and intro iWrite (please!).

They should make them released in time for graduations. Graduations!

Well, my sister just ordered a 1 GHz 14" iBook G4 with max memory, Airport Extreme Card, Bluetooth, and a carrying case, so that means the chances of them being updated just shot through the roof.

My wish:
Rev. B aluminum 15" Powerbooks, with possible price drop. I know the price cut is unlikely, but hey, I'm wishing here. I really want to get a 15" PB and I am waiting until after the big show.

Likely:
Some sort of iPod deal. Either low capacity, more affordable model or added features to current line.

iMac: Speed bumps, possible move to G5. But I think a redesign before G5. But we have been surprised before.

eMac: Due for speed bumps I think.

They won't do PowerBooks at MWSF. Those were updated four months ago and seem rather decent right now, so I see updates for them in late Feb at earliest.

They won't do PowerMacs at MWSF. Those will probably be updated in late January - or later.

They won't do Xserves at MWSF. Such upgrades will probably quietly happen around Feb, or, if the Xserves get different form factors due to the G5 change, there might be a press event again.

They won't do iBooks; those were updated recently. They'll probably talk about them briefly though.

iMacs are a possibility, and so are definitely eMacs. Where's the eBook, Apple? $699 low-end laptop, 12 inches, doesn't even have to be a G4, just make it real affordable and the perfect companion for students, network admins, etc.

iPod is quite a possibility; if the low-end iPod rumors are true, we may be seeing iPods placed around $99 - $149 and that'll make the iPod the real winner in the market, finally (numbers aren't everything).

iTunes? Oh yeah, they'll talk about it. Maybe new features; I would really love to see user ratings, user exchanges, etc. And work on the GUI a little; its flaws start bugging me now.

Keynote. Will see an upgrade, I'd say, to 1.5 or maybe 2.0 with some groundbreaking new features that make PowerPoint look so 20th century-ish (if it doesn't already look like it).

QuickTime 7? I think it's a bit too early; maybe NAB, or as late as QuickTime Live / WWDC 2004.

More productivity software. ME WANT... Will do more free marketing than I already do for Apple if they do that :P (err, three times "do" in a sentence can't be good )

And finally, iLife, of course. I already mentioned iTunes, which I see as being upgraded to 4.5 or 5.0 (I do realize that it just recently jumped to 4.1, 4.1.1 and 4.2; those were minor changes). iPhoto *needs* work, and iMovie could use some. I don't know iDVD, really.

Did I miss anything? Pro Apps -> NO upgrades at MWSFs.

That's what I hope for.

I hear that!

Leonis is spot on, small eMac bumps and a belayed G5 silent update later, and maybe just maybe a One More Thing iMac G5. Small iBook bump most likely because they suck. I'm guessing no XServe. That will have a separate event or something, it's not consumer.

oh man, a One More Thing iMac G5 would be awesome.
Didn't Steve one time do a "One More Thing..well, actually, one more SMALL thing" ?

mwsf will be geared towards the average, dumb user (windows users). i doubt announcing new xserves is gonna help apple win marketshare. mini ipods, faster g5's, and perhaps new imac's would surely do the trick though.

Are you all forgeting just how close this event is to the 20th anniversary of the Mac? They're going to do something special. Thought I doubt it but pray for it, G5 CUBE!!!!! Even if I already have my G5 I just love those lil' cubes.....then again maybe not.

who knows how this Apple compares to the apple when the "20th Anniversary Mac came out" with a sticker price of something like 7000 smackers or more... it was horrible..aint no point as I see it.

Actually it was $10,000 and a dude in a tux came arrived in a limo to your house to set it up. No joke.

But I don't think Apple needs to break the bank on some crazy machine for a 20th anniversary mac. Just throw a single 2.0GHz G5 into a cool enclosure (cube, pyramid, sphere, etc). Also include a Bose soundsystem again, and no monitor. Sell it for like $2500-3000. It would be a collectors item, so only make like 5000 of them.

could it be a floating orb?

because things that float, and are orbs, they kick serious ass

If their 20th anniversary 'mac' were a G5 in an all in one aluminum flat computer, much like their other, I would be plenty happy. The TAM was stylish and simple, just like the current G5. This is a style I respect.

-walloo.

It seems odd that so much product was released this fall. Apple could have held off a short time on some of those updates and gotten more press for them at MWSF. In light of all the R&D Apple has been doing the last couple of years I have to think this will be a good MW. I'm thinking they got these out the door to make room for the exciting stuff. I'll be there up front to watch, whatever it is.

Alright-- here's what I'm hoping for:

2.0 GHz single proc G5-- $1500
2.2 GHz single proc G5-- $1800
2.2 GHz dual proc G5-- $2500
2.4 GHz dual proc G5-- $3000

... or something like that. maybe the price points for the 2.2GHz machines could be messed with to close that gap a bit. I'd be all over that $1500 G5 like a cheap suit.

I'm going with Think Secret. New iPods, iLife but nothing else except for a new xserve, maybe. No new desktops at all.

I hope they upgrade the middle Powermac G5 to at least dual 2.2 GHz and a Radeon 9800 XT. That would be lovely, I've been saving for that one. And fieldor (my not so little brother) wouldn't be happy if I didn't get it.

Amen.

Normally, a quiet mid-Jan speed bump for the Powermacs would be logical. However, Steve raised the bar somewhat with the 'fastest PC in the world' schtik and the column inches generated were 'shock and awe'. I can't believe he would not want a 2.6MP bake-off with Xeon's (easy) and Athlon 64's (borderline). I cannot believe that he would not also like to mention the 500-600k Powermacs being sold in the last quarter.

If the iMac gets a G5, even at the low end of today's speeds, then there is absolutely noting holding the eMac at 1.25 Ghz, and Apple would be better off using the 1.4 Ghz chips. Though that is my opinion, and it is probably wrong in the eyes of Apple's marketing dept.

Like your reading my mind. I suspect that when the G5 updates come they will be substantial. I would not be surprised if the 2.6GHz MP ended up in the middle of the pack. The ability to market the G5's as the fastest desktop PC's is a huge advantage. Since the i686 world is not standing still Apple will need to have a significant upgrade available soon to maintain the ability to say we have the fastest personal computer going. It just isn't Steve the company needs the attention that the claims bring to its lines.

What I really wonderign about is what improvements the .9 mircon device brings to the table. This is one subject I see little in the way of discussions on. I do hope that at a minimal they doubled the cache size on the rev'ed 970. Of course any other tweaks would be welcomed also. It would not look to good for Apple and IBM if they come out with a new 970 that offers very little in the way of extensions to the current design. I mean sure speed an power improvements are a good thing, but it is just as good to demonstrate that the team is moving forward with other improvements. You know just an indication that we are not going to repeat the days of Motorola.


Dave

From what I've read, the 74X7 is good for 1-4 to 1.6 Ghz when run at 1.6 volts. It's also a drop in replacement for all current 7455s. So I think we'll see an approximate 25% speed bump on the eMac, iMac and G4 tower.

We'll also see a $100 price drop on the low-end G5, $150 on the mid-range, and $200 on the high end. Why: the G5 was priced to tap pent-up demand...with initial demand satisfied, a minor price drop is in order.

You won't see any G4 tower updates, they already *downgraded* them from 1.4GHz to 1.2GHz (by way of deleting the MacOS X only G4 towers, and reinstating the previous dual boot models).

This all sounds too boring for words.....

A speed bump here, an upgrade there... maybe a price drop over there... com'on people, Big Steve doesn't go into his wardrobe of 10,000 black shorts just to announce minor things like that...javascript:smilie('')

What about something really big?? Another business application to go with Keynote... have seen rumours about a word processor type application.... what about a completely new piece of hardware... why have we just see a plethora of software upgrades and updates??

Am I the only one who thinks the new miniature iPods will be called the: iPodlet?

Edit: It sorta has a nice ring to it. Personally, I like it! m.

MWSF will feature lots of talk about the iTMS and the iPod, but no $99 iPod of any type. Perhaps a slight price reduction across the board and bundling the base and wired remote with the low end, but that's it.

The iMac is needing an update to the G5, and with it a new case design. But seeing as the 17" iMac is currently the best selling Mac at the Apple store it's upgrade may be pushed to the back burner.

The Power Mac has done extremely well this quarter, but sales are dropping of in anticipation of rumored 90nm G5's at faster speeds. If these are ready we will see them at MWSF. The low end will be a the last single processor Power Mac, probably at 2 GHz.

The Powerbook needs to differentiate itself from the iBook, but I doubt if the heat problems for the G5 in a small case are solved yet. An entirely new mobo is needed for the G5 for both the iMac and Powerbook. This is where the R&D is going right now.

To be price competitive Apple has to go for economies of scale, so I think that we will see the basic mobo for the Powerbook appear in the G5 iMac first. This will allow a small form factor that is not so heat sensitive.

With larger fans and hard drives (3.5") than we will see in the Powerbook. It makes perfect sense to design a mobo that can be used in both products. What better way to test out the design than by putting a variant out by the thousands in the iMac first?

I would love to think that they will have this ready by MWSF, and hope springs eternal from my optimism that they will, but the need to boost the Power Mac to keep it on track for 3 GHz next Summer will make this more likely for MWSF than the G5 iMac. If not then, when?

A completely new iMac will be a rather big deal, I see it as tied into the Super Bowl Ad, they will want a "Big Bang" for this new iMac and the Super Bowl dovetails nicely with the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh. So in short, I see the G5 iMac as being the 20th anniversary Macintosh, introduced at the Super Bowl.

G5 Powerbook? I see it announced along with the 3GHz Power Macs sometime next Summer.

But seeing as the 17" iMac is currently the best selling Mac at the Apple store...

I hope this is a joke

No. Super Bowl add is most likely to be a Pepsi-Apple joint ad, or Apple advertising the iPod and the iTMS as part of a revolution in the commercial music industry.

See for yourself at the Apple Store, number 5 best seller (with a bullet). The bullet might be applied now that Christmas sales are over, but still a pretty good seller.

That's the conventional wisdom, and most likely true, but I don't think there would be any problem running a second ad unveiling the third generation iMac.

Personally I'd like to see the "1984" ad run one more time, this time with a G5 iMac as the punch line.

You miss the distinction between the 74X7 and the 7455. The original 1.4 G4 towers were over-pumped 7455s. Apple probably paid an arm and a leg for these chips. On the other hand, a run of the mill 74X7 shouldn't have any problem running at 1.4/1.6 Ghz. The fact that the low power version is already doing 1.33 in the Powerbook makes that clear. If Apple had too, and thank god it doesn't, I'm willing to bet select 74x7s could hit 1.8 Ghz (i.e., @30% better than the old 1.4 Ghz 7455s.)

The above, coupled with the fact that, there's no redesign costs involved in dropping the 74X7 wherever you see a 7455, and the fact that the 74X7s smaller size should translate into lower costs, suggests the we'll see it replace the 7455 in all areas in the short-term.

They'll bump up the PowerMac line. Jobs will mention it because it will have the option of having up to a quad processor configuration.

The iMac will sport 1.6Ghz and 1.8Ghz G5s and a radeon 9600 as standard in the 1.8Ghz model.

Pewrbooks will receive an upgrade to 1.4Ghz - G5 processors.

iTMS Europe will open. iPod update, with cheaper models and a more expensive iPod with a colour screen.

For the grand finale Jobs will announce that Apple has created a time machine and will in two weeks time have shipped enough units to sell G5 Powermacs, Powerbooks, and iMacs in 1997. This boosting Apple's shares considerably, they will "now" have 100% of the professional market, from 3d, to music etc. Microsoft will not has Windows XP professional, as no 'professionals' will buy it. They'll all be on 10.3.2, introduced in 1998.