A SteveNote Eve Frame of Mind

I've learned over the years that it's pointless to try to guess what Steve Jobs is going to announce at any given Macworld keynote address. I don't know how ThinkSecret manages to get 90% of its predictions correct, but my track record is somewhere hovering around 5% (and that's being a bit generous). The only think I do know is that whatever is announced will be impressive, even if it initially seems anti-climactic. Case in point: the latest iMac G5. When I was keeping up with the product announcements (via a live source feeding text information), I wasn't terribly impressed...until I saw the video stream later and saw just how much potential the Front Row software had.

Regardless, I woke up this morning in a "SteveNote Eve" frame of mind, so I thought I'd discuss some of the rumors that are floating around regarding Apple's forthcoming product announcements.

Intel laptops
I think it's been all but confirmed that the new Intel-powered Apple laptop will be announced tomorrow. And it would seem to follow that the Mac mini will also get the Intel treatment, since the mini is essentially a headless iBook in a small box. I have no doubt we'll see the first production Intel Macs at MacWorld Expo tomorrow; I'm just a bit anxious to see their specs. I just bought my first PowerBook last February, and I'd hate to think it's going to get blown away by a consumer model so soon.

iPod Shuffle revamp
It will be interesting to see what happens to the iPod shuffle. I haven't yet taken the iPod plunge yet, and the shuffle as it stands wouldn't be my first choice; let's see if Apple is paying attention to the post-nano low-end iPod crowd.

Front Row 2.0
I actually managed to get Front Row 1.0 installed on my PowerBook, and it's pretty darn sweet. Of course, since I don't keep much in the way of music or photos on my PowerBook, it's rather limited in functionality, but it is a great supplement to the Mac interface. I could definitely see myself using it quite a bit on a home-centered Mac.

Media Center Mac mini
A Mac mini + Front Row + AirPort combination seems to be a natural progression. The mini is diminutive enough to fit inconspicuously near a TV or entertainment center, but the main question in my mind is this: how will such a product will be positioned in the market? If the iPod is the portable multimedia device, what will the Mac mini be? If the iPod carries the content, then the mini will have to be the device that delivers that content, as well as relaying various other information (think regular computing). Will we see a Mac OS X interface redux in the form of a return to 640 x 480 resolution support (for those who aren't yet on the HD bandwagon)? I doubt it, but we'll see.

iLife '06 with iWeb
The thing that annoys me about the iLife line is the naming scheme: as soon as the current year is over, the product seems obsolete. Of course, that's also the brilliance of Apple's marketing, since iLife is typically priced reasonably enough that most people don't mind buying it year after year. If iWeb is included (and is compelling enough), this will be a no-brainer for me. Some of you may know that I tried to launch a few Mac communities back in 2004, but my limited technical knowledge doomed the projects from the outset. A product like iWeb may allow me to revisit those projects with renewed zeal.

.Mac enhancements
I haven't heard a whole lot on this front, aside from a huge increase in bandwidth limitations that is supposedly intended to be tied to a new streaming service. I would love to see PHP and mySQL support on .Mac, as well...since I'm paying for it anyway, it would be nice to have that flexibility. Of course, as indicated by the previous item, they would have to provide an easy way for me to work with those technologies if I am to take full advantage of them.

That's all I have time to post this morning; I may follow up with more thoughts a bit later (then again, I may not). I just thought it was kind of funny how I woke up this morning with the giddy anticipation that I used to feel as a kid on Christmas Eve. I wonder how many other Mac geeks feel the same way....