Official Macworld 2009 Prediction Thread

I think we'll have an announcement for Final Cut Studio 3 at MacWorld.

MacTouch FTW! NUFF SAID!

Don't forget new displays - 20" and 30" conforming to the new 24" design.

I think we will finally get a GPU accelerated Phenomenon with programmable effects shaders. This should come after the Snow Leopard release so yeah, it gives them something to show at NAB. Didn't they drop out of NAB last year though? I guess there's no point going if they had nothing to show so it could be different this year.

The MW event will probably have something financial for the stock people. I'm not sure about a Mac Pro, iMac and Mini release together. The Mac Pro may not come out until February or later due to the chips. The Mini and iMac have their upgrade path already simply with Nvidia chipset/chips and Penryn. Hopefully they both get a makeover. iMac looking like the Cinema display, Mini with minor changes, maybe all metal.

I still don't see a multi-touch device coming but I also don't see a reason not to bring one out. I jdon't really think it's important to have one right now but it will give them a big start on Windows 7, which is pushing multi-touch. It won't be a popular idea with some but I think they should replace the Macbook Air with one. Fewer people would be saying 'yeah but you can buy a faster Macbook for less'. It would be lighter and much easier to take travelling. It is pretty much impossible to stand in an airport with a laptop including the Air and type. A tablet can simply be held like a notepad.

Will people spill drinks on your keyboard on the plane? How can they if you have no keyboard? Imagine how thin that machine would be too.

Normally I would agree, but since Apple did not have a booth at NAB last year, I'm placing my bet on MacWorld (or a separate Apple Event for FCS3).

OK, here's my wishlist for Papa Steve (think Life Aquatic):

Tablet/Mac Touch:

- 10" screen
- Slim and light, obviously no optical drive
- Pop-out rest for standing and laying on a table
- Separate keyboard & mouse (wireless)
- Running full OS X
- Option for HSPA (turbo 3G)

Apple TV, Take 3 software update:

- iTunes, making it a stand-alone media server
- Safari
- Keyboard & mouse (wireless)
- External HDs (USB)
- App Store with apps & games (hey, it's X-mas)

Does the Apple TV have the CPU, memory etc to run all of the above smoothly?

Snow Leopard might be exiting for the geeks, but if there's no new end-user features, it can not be the centerpiece of MWSF. Apple needs to show off new products or features that can generate sales.

/Daniel

The AppleTV has a faster processor and a more powerful GPU than the original XBox.

Exchange support means that Macs will be useable in the office. Without it, you need to either use OWA Light for mail and calendar, or else convince the administrators to turn on IMAP support, and then use OWA for calendar.

Exchange support can make a big difference in the ability to use Macs at work. It can generate sales.

The items I see getting shown are:

• Mac mini - It will either be redesigned or replaced, but we will see it. I expect the DisplayPort will be standard size since it is a desktop model.
• Cinema Displays - People need something to connect their new Mac mini to so we should see 20", 24", and 30" models. If the 30" model is not there then it could be because it is too expensive, or Apple is bringing out a larger model when the Mac Pro is updated.
• iWork - Numbers will get split into modes, spreadsheet and database, so people can get their AppleWorks databases into Numbers, allowing them to finally ditch AppleWorks. Pages and Keynote will get their improvements mentioned, but unless they are "selling points", they will not get a demo.
• iLife - Chapter markers will either make their way into iMovie or iDVD will let you choose where, instead of how often, to insert them. iWeb should get support for projects.

The list seems kind of small, but Apple can fill in the time with the various reports like iPhone sales, store openings, App Store downloads, and just maybe, "Snow Leopard" (OpenCL, Grand Central, etc).

Cube Reborn. The ultimate Mid-tower. 2.66 i7 with 4870 GPU. I'm there. *Dreams.

Lemon Bon Bon.

Don't forget about the groundbreaking ipod "stick"!

This seems to be the most likely prediction. I think the 17" powerbook, 30" screen and new pro will be later, and if apple does have a tablet in the works I'm sure they'll into it at a special event. The mini will likely show up, and maybe newly designed iMacs to look like the new monitors from the front. That way, your new 20" or 24" iMac can have a second display that has the same lines as the computer itself, instead of a mix/match like I have now.

iLife, iWork and snow leopard will be used to showcase consumer software.

In other words, I see Macworld being more consumer oriented, with newer products, but nothing 100% completely new.

I will predict or wish:

Mac Pro redesigned case

Cinema Display 24", 30", larger than 30"? redesign like the new 24 but with option for non-glossy screens please!

Mac Mini redesigned. slimmer case.

AppleTV hardware and software update.

iLife and iWork apps.
maybe iPhone 32gig.

Snow Leopard preview

that's it.

Spot ON!. Just 2 minor additions, Mac Pro with i7 processors, of course. iPhone with DiskMode so I can carry large files to/from office!. hate fumbling with 4GB, 8GB thumb drives. iPhone we carry everywhere and most people have nanos, so data cable not a problem. Again this simple feature is present in most other phones like SE handset ...

Built-in Exchange support is not the reason Macs are left out of big business, IMHO

There are plenty of apps out there that enable DiskMode for the iPhone

Or you can, um, get MS Office for the Mac.

My predictions:

Snow Leopard demo, but not too much. SL is supposed to be an evolution to Leopard, so maybe some technology details will be expanded on, demo the new Finder, application demos to show off the speed of Grand Central.

iMac updates. No case redesign, but the motherboard will use DDR3 and NVIDIA nForce chipset with 9600M GT graphics chip. Intel Core 2 Quad and Duo. Same screen sizes. No-brainer update.

Mac mini. Gets discontinued.

Mac TV upgraded.

The Mac. A cube Mac in the same vein as the PowerMac G4 Cube.

• 8x8x8 cube
• Big enough to house a full size optical drive
• 3.5" hard drive
• 7.6x7.6 motherboard
• 3 DIMM slots for triple channel DDR3
• Core i7 processor (2.6-3.2GHz)
• 1 PCIe 16x slot
• External power supply
• $799 for 2.66GHz - 3GB RAM - 250GB HDD - Radeon HD 2400
• $1299 for 2.93GHz - 3GB RAM - 320GB HDD - Radeon HD 2600
• $1999 for 3.2GHz - 3GB RAM - 500GB HDD - NVIDIA 8800GT

No Mac Pro updates at this time.

Put my name on the waiting list. Wait. Make that two.

Not that it really matters, but is that in alumin(i)um or acrylic? D__n it, you've got me salivating.

Edit: One more thing - a new 30" ACD to go with the above.

What's with the severely outdated graphics cards?

Replace Radeon 2400 with 3650

Replace Radeon HD 2600 with 4670

Replace NVIDIA 8800GT with 9800

Mac pro staring at $2500 dual 2.66GHz core i7 3650 6gb of ram 3 dimms

Don't see it happening. That size of computer has far too many uses and the price is very reasonable to people who don't need more power. If it makes money, they should keep it going.


I don't think 3.5" drives are needed. 7200 rpm 320GB 2.5" drives are fine - they are quieter, cooler and much smaller. We are moving to SSD in the near future, which are pretty much all 2.5" or 1.8" so there's no real need for big drives.

I agree with a single PCIe slot. I think that using Nvidia integrated by default with one slot and have an option for a dedicated GPU would work. If they can fit a dedicated card + an extra slot fair enough but in the interests of saving space, I say go with just one slot that gets filled with a dedicated GPU. This means less chance it won't simply be an addition that won't be used by most people.

I think people are still missing the point about Nvidia chips. None of the ATI GPUs support OpenCL. All of the Nvidia GPUs fully support CUDA. I think we'll be seeing an all-Nvidia lineup across the board, especially if the Snow Leopard release date is Q1. They'll want to show off the improvements in their best light and ATI chips aren't the best way.

Having a uniform lineup means they can support the models better and they might get better discounts.

Those GPUs are fairly old too as mentioned. I'd say Nvidia integrated on all low-end models with some 9x series options above that.

Minor issues; replace my suggested video cards with appropriate modern ones from NVIDIA.

@Marvin, i think 3.5" drives are important because they offer more value for less money. Some of these new 3.5" drives are very thin as they only have 1 or 2 platters.

Here are some guesses:

1, Mini replacement, extremely small device.
2, XMac type machine.
3. New Pro models possibly announced before MWSF. A simple update really.
4. More monitors.
5. IPod line expands with a Touch Maxi / Newton 2.
6. IPhone line expands with something much smaller and targeted at a different market than the smart phones. The Touch Maxi can also be had in an iPhone version.
7. NO Mac Touch tablet, I simply don't see the practicality of such a device.
8. iMacs of course with docking portals for the iPhones & IPods. In fact I expect integration of such a feature on a number of Apples new machines.

I'm suspecting a MWSF that is bigger than what we are normally use to. Such an event would shake up the user base at a time when something abnormal is needed. Like all turns of the New Year this stuff might not all come at MWSF but rather be spread out over the following weeks. My Guess is that we would see three families at the debut, that would be new iMacs, Monitors, and Touch Maxi.

Dave

My predictions for Macworld:

1) Mac mini updated, integrated Geforce 9300. Slightly updated design but no size change.

2) Updated iMac- Core 2 Quad 65W processors, new GPUs. Looks the same, priced the same.

3) New iLife suite and some other software stuff.

4) Lots of 10.6 discussion, beta given to developers.

Post-Macworld (early February-ish):

1) 20" and 30" displays

2) New Mac Pros

Edit: and 3) 17" Macbook Pro

It's unreasonable to expect too much. A 90-minute speech can only cover 3-4 things.

With the slow state of the economy I think there will be a slow roll out of products. I expect Steve to talk about the improvements to snow leopard, sales records for the iphone and app store. I believe/hope that by summer a 10"tablet will arrive.

Well, this is Apple.

My predictions: Something completely new is going to be released or this might be an off year.

Hardware:
Mac Mini: One of five possibilities.
1) Still left to rot
2) dropped all together.
3) update of current design to Nvidia 9400M chipset and Penryn CPUs.
4) replacement with something small. Think desktop version of MBA
5) Replaced by something a bit bigger.

iMac:
Using custom "Pre-Penryn) CPUs. May be updated with 65w Quad cores (possibly custom using the mobile package) and either an Intel PM45 or Nvidia Geforce 9400m chipset and DDR3 memory. May also remain as is until Mobile Core i7s are released. Updating to Penryn would offer little that current model doesn't already have.

MacPro/ Core i7 Machine.
If released, this could be the major hardware focus of the keynote. Will come in one of two forms if it comes: either a small form factor machine like the Cube or as a lower end variant of the Mac Pro. If the later is the case, the dual-CPU variants of the Mac Pro will also be announced, but ship at a later date. Because x58 supports both SLI and Crossfire, support may be added to Mac OS X via Snow Leopard.

17" Macbook:
Not at Macworld, but will be coming sooner or later.

iPod/iPhone:
I honestly don't see much here beyond maybe some new content announcements. Perhaps something with AppleTV, but I find chances of that slim.

Software:
Snow Leopard: Released ahead of schedule.
Speculative additions: OpenGL 3.0 based on a faster implementation.
Game oriented version of xCode. Includes porting tools.
ZFS in client version.
New Thumbnail view in finder based on iTunes 8

Mac Apps store. It'll be here sooner or later.

iLife '09:
50/50. Depends if there's anything new they can do with it.
iPhoto: Multiple view options, increased camera compatibility, hopefully new editing tools.
iDVD: New themes or something.
iMovie: New dual mode option that combines that offers both the ease of use of the iMovie '08 with the better editing capabilities of iMovie HD. Increased compatibility with USB2.0 camcorders.
iWeb: Hopefully an option for more experienced uses to add their own code.
Garage band: updated somehow.

iWork.
Also 50/50 for same reason as above.
Hopefully export option is moved into save dialog in addition to any updates of the individual apps. Bundle option or inclusion of Bento into suite.

Let me add:

iPhone, software update

- Push Notification, IM app demo
- Turn-by-turn navigation, TomTom demo
- Tethering
- USB storage

/Daniel

Why not replace the 2400 with a 4-series card?

And the 9800GT and the 8800GT is the exact same card, with a name change. Radeon HD4850 will beat them handsomely for about the same price.

Hi all,

First mess!

1) New Mac Pro, undoubtedly.
2) New iMac quad core
3) A small update on Macbook, but I doubt
4) The new iLife + iWork
5) New ACD? Compatible with all mac I hope.
6) Snow Leapard?

ok move the to a 4XXX card but you can get 3650 for $50 or less and apple likes to put low end video card in some of there systems.

ok move to a higher end ati or nvidia card for base on the high end systems and BTO on there other systems.

I have the sneaking suspicion (or is it just my hope?) that a lot of hardware products in the pipeline require Snow Leopard and are delayed until it arrives.
This would also be in line with rumors that SL might appear as soon as Q1 2009, because Apple would really want to push this further up as so much new hardware depends on it.

Some examples:

- Resolution Independence
Did anyone notice that the new 15" MacBook Pro's LCD is 15.4", the old one was 15" straight. Now 15.4" is exactly the smallest size 1920x1200 LCD panels come in. Hmmm. So there is a real chance that 15" MacBook Pros could get full 1080p capable HD panels.
But of course, as was debated ad nauseam, pixels would be too small for most, so Resolution Independence would really be needed here.

- Grand Central and Open CL
Multi-core CPUs and Multi GPU machines are not really fully utilised today. So I can imagine that Apple might not feel pressured releasing Quadcore MacBook Pros or iMacs for that reason.
But once the OS fully supports them, and helps developers using multi-cores, then the floodgates can be opened. Like e.g. a 17" MacBook Pro with a Quadcore CPU option.

- More RAM in MacBook Pros
We know the nVidia chipset in MacBooks can accept 8GB of RAM. The Mac OS unfortunately not.
I can imagine that the new 17" MacBook Pro was intended to be released with an 8GB option - but Apple realised they needed to fix the OS Kernel for supporting two 4GB sticks.
I wouldn't be surprised if that improvement is part of Snow Leopard and one of the reasons the 17" was delayed.

- Blu-Ray
The age old request. Again, too many things must change along for this to work. Snow Leopard will likely include all these fixes.
And perhaps from then on we can finally have BTO options for Blu-Ray drives in Mac Pros and MacBook Pros (assuming the next 17" MBP can still take 12.5mm drives, or a 9.5mm Blu-Ray drive is available then).


I am still wondering what the problems were that caused the last minute cancellation of the 17" unibody MacBook Pro. But it seems a lot of the issues really require Snow Leopard and would probably be too hacky to fix in Leopard - just for the 17" MBP. So perhaps Apple simply delayed the 17" MBP until Snow Leopard.

Anyone know the real story why the 17" unibody MBP was not introduced?

Same could apply to the new iMacs.


I wouldn't be surprised if Macworld 2009 would be about Snow Leopard - and any new products introduced will not be available until SL ships.

All the Macbook Pros are 15.4" The last couple of the revisions of the Powerbook G4 were 15.2" and 15" before that.

I would say this:

1. Holiday sales review, state of the Mac, iPhone, and possibly iPod.

2. iTunes Plus! announcement

3. AppleTV Take 3

4. New MacPros with new 20" and 30" displays

One more thing....

1. New iMacs with desktop parts inside instead laptop parts. (i.e. Non-Xeon Quad Core option)

Maybe some things released, but not in the keynote are iLife '09 and iWork '09 updates. iLife is pretty much complete IMO. Also 17" MacBook Pros released using the new unibody enclosure...again not in the keynote.

Other unlikely items are (but not out of the question):

1. iPhone update of some sort (but I think the iPhone is set for a while)

2. Snow Leopard update (possibly a demo and a ship date)

3. Something totally off the wall (Hmmm...what could it be????)

In no particular order:

iPhone: Cut & Paste, disk mode, larger capacity, video recording, better camera, flash, much more 3G coverage, IR support for using as a smart remote control

iWeb: tables, more control for user coded stuff, quick publishing to something other that .mac, counters/stats

iMac: this one is actually for displays and iMacs, but I would like them to match styles so that they look the same; also support for 3 displays

TV: here's my big one. I would really like Apple to bring a full computer to my tv. Let's get the AppleTV and the MacMini merged into a real, kick @ss media center. With it, I need a wireless mouse that isn't a mouse - something that I can control with one hand - a small scroll ball on the end of a stick. Of course, it needs a big drive, Blu-Ray, networking, connectivity with my other Macs, DVR functionality with at least 2 HD tuners, guide, on-screen display of anything that I want to display during shows, ie, stocks, incoming email preview, caller id, weather, iChat, splitscreen functionality. It would also be nice if this device would make movie theatre popcorn on demand.

Tablet pc? Ideally, it'd be 8 inches, somewhat similar to a portable dvd player with a slightly shrunk keyboard that could be displayed on a glass trackpad. Said device would have the ability to snap on an extra battery, hard drive, or Blu-Ray drive on the bottom of it, much like a portable dvd player can do. Networked, of course, to share media from my other Macs. Video/Audio out to any tv or media device to use in a hotel, or even at home or in a vehicle. iChat support via a built-in camera. GPS support. 3G/data support.

Car audio deck: I'd like full iPod-like functionality in my car/vehicle. I'd really like to pull in to my garage and have the data sync. I'd also like to be able to pull up to a wi-fi spot and use the device for Internet. 3G support would be cool too (especially if I had 3G near me). Maybe my "tablet pc" could be used in the vehicle thru a dock.... GPS support.

I agree with those two posts. That would keep me happy.

Lemon Bon Bon.

is there any advantage of combining the apple tv, and mini
put a dvd player in the apple tv
or some company needs to make a dvd player that mimics the apple tv like some have done for the mini with harddrives....where is SJ on adding value to the apple tv?

with the competition from netflix, now blockbuster, the apple tv (which i would like to have) still doens't make sense ....yet, we need more compelling abilities and rental flexibility.....i would like to be able to rent for unlimited or say 3-5 views for say 3days

apple tv needs to get close to what renting a dvd from netflix is now+ dvr
.

will we hear any hints of iphone changes like video conferencing and other enhancements