It’s Only an Apple Event but I like it – My Predictions

So, we’re just hours away from Apple’s “It’s only music but we like it” special event. I’m not really that excited about it – but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised. In some ways these Apple events are a little boring because we know what we’ll be getting, new iPods. I think it’s pretty much a given that we’ll get a new iPod Touch with power to rival the iPhone 3GS, and I’m assuming the camera rumours will be true. I’m highly sceptical that we’ll get a camera on the iPod Nano though, and even more sceptical that the nano will go Touch-screen. Many people are expecting an end to the classic line, but I’m not. It’s too soon. Flash prices have not yet come down enough to sell a reasonably priced 128MB iPod Touch, so I think the classic will stay, it just won’t get any serious revamping. I’m not in the market for a new iPod – I have my iPhone, so what I’m more interested in is the other stuff we may or may not get.

Lets just get it out of the way up-front. Yes, I want my Apple tablet again, yes I want it every time, and no, I don’t expect to get it this time either. I’m starting to believe the rumours that there are in fact two tablets in the works, one, a big iPod Touch, the other a computer running regular OS X. I definitely don’t think the later will make an appearance later today, but the former just might, but like I said, I’m just not expecting it.

What I am expecting is a new version of iTunes. With SnowLeopard out Apple want everyone to move away from apps built around the old Carbon API, and to move towards 64bit Cocoa. iTunes as it stands is a Carbon app, so sooner or later it just has to change, so why not now? It seems like the perfect time to me, and it would mean Apple had no more Carbon apps. It’s a bit hard for Apple to start expecting others to stop using Carbon if iTunes, one of their own flag-ship products, still uses Carbon! I like iTunes, but it’s starting to feel old. I’d really love it if we got tag support at the very least. I love tagging my Photos, and I’d like to be able to do the same with my music. Blue-Ray support would of course also be nice, but to be honest, I personally don’t give a monkeys about it. As for the rumoured social networking stuff – I could care even less. I just want a nice new modern and snappy iTunes.

It’s also pretty much a given that we’ll get to hear about Apple’s new “cocktail” service which is supposed to be some mad new way to make people buy albums and getting extras with it. I’m not really an album person, so again, I don’t care, but what ever they do will probably have a serious effect on expectations for digital albums in the future.

I also really hope we get the Beatles, not because I want to buy their music, but because I want to stop hearing the endless reports of rumours that the Beatles are coming to iTunes soon – get on with it already!

Finally, the big question will be whether or not we see Steve, and if we do, how he looks. No matter what happens, Steve is going to detract from what ever Apple announce – unless it’s REALLY spectacular. If he does the presentation but looks thin that will be the big story, if he doesn’t do it, then speculation about why will be the big story, and if he does it and he looks well, then THAT will be the big story. No matter what happens, the press will be all about Steve tomorrow. Personally, I’d love to see him up on that stage in a few hours, but I won’t be too upset if I see Phil instead.

What ever happens, lets hope Apple put on a good show for us!