What Will Apple Release This Time?

It's that time again when Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes to the stage at San Francisco's Moscone center for the annual Macworld Expo and Conference keynote address. It is here that Jobs reveals what new products Apple will release, and the state of the Macintosh operating system.

For me, making these predictions is fun, as I'm always anticipating what the folks down in Cupertino will pull from their sleeves.

But also, it gives me an opportunity to make out my wish list to Apple. Yes, I'm beginning to sound like a broken record in this regard, but I have the hope that Steve and company will eventually hear my cries. Eventually. So, here goes on the wish list:

1. Lower the Prices, Steve!: No doubt Apple wants to make a profit- after all, Steve and the kids have to eat and dress, too (though the jeans and black turtleneck bit, Stevie...a bit long in the tooth...). But if Apple wants a larger share of the computer market- and likely larger profits- it has to lower the prices on their more popular products, like the MacBook and the iMac. To be frank, I'd love to see the price on the professional video editing suite Final Cut Studio 2 slashed by at least $300. If Sony can sell Vegas Pro 8 for $600, Then Apple can do this for under $1000- $900, or even $1000 is good.
2. Make the keyboard and mouse standard in the Mac mini: The BYOKM (bring your own keyboard and mouse) bit's okay. But some of us Mac-heads are on budgets. It won't cost much- if anything- to include the keyboard and mouse to the budget Mac desktop.
3. Apple and NBC- Can't we all get along?: Apple and NBC need to kiss and make up. Again, I know you CEOs and top management have to eat, too, but we don't need to lose body parts just to download our favorite programs. $1.99 is, well, okay. But if the prices drop to, say, $1.29, or even 99 cents per download, more people will flock to those sites. The more people, the more money. The more money made...see where this conversation's going? And while I'm on the price slashing bit (again), perhaps Apple could now drop the song downloading price down to 49 cents, or even 25 cents per download. That's not too much to ask. Again, the lower the price, the more people...
4. I know that this is wishful thing, but I'd love to see Apple start placing Intel Inside stickers on their computers. Don't be ashamed to flaunt it, baby!

That's just some of the things I'd love to see from Apple. Now, let's touch base on predictions.

For years now, every seer-wannabe (yours truly included) makes predictions on what Apple will release at Macworld. Not every prediction is right (hell, I should know!), but on some, we're right on the money. So here's what I think Apple will give us today:

1. A Tablet Mac: Sorry, Apple, but a company called Axiotron (http://axiotron.com/ ) was first out of the gate with the world's first tablet Mac. But Apple will likely release its' own- that is if it doesn't buy the Axiotron company first just to get Axiotron's ModBook.
2. The iPhone will get third party software- and even allow AT&T users to switch to other carriers: I know that this is possibly the worst kept secret, but come February, Apple will allow third parties to add software and widgets to the iPhone. After all, Apple will do the same for a newly upgraded iPod touch, speaking of which...
3. Updated versions of the MacBook and MacBook Pro: Those two speedsters have been getting faster and stronger at each turn. Apple will continue to place faster Intel Core 2 Duo chips inside, and the top-of the-line MacBook Pro may even be the first to get the Core 2 Quad chips. We may even see a redesign of sorts.
4. Perhaps Steve will announce the next generation of the Mac OS- perhaps even the name...or even Mac OS 11. Interesting.

I'll be back later today to talk about the releases. Until then, enjoy the keynote address- which is at 9 this morning (Pacific time, 12 Eastern).

(C)2008 by The DWA Organisation (Darren W. Alexander). All Rights Reserved.