Macworld San Francisco 2006 Rumor Roundup

[MacRumors]

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With Macworld San Francisco (MWSF) quickly approaching, the Mac rumor scene has been buzzing with rumors and reports. As usual, MacRumors provides this Rumor Roundup as a summary of major rumors circulating around the Mac Web before the big event. In last year's roundup we discussed Flash Based iPods (-> iPod Shuffle), New Apple Apps (-> iWork), and a $499 Headless iMac (-> Mac mini) during the pre-show roundup.

Intel Macs

The big news this year was, of course, Apple's announcement that the Macintosh will be moving to Intel processors. Understandably all eyes are on this possibility at this year's Macworld, despite official promises that the first Intel Macs would be shipping by mid 2006.

Interestingly, the first rumors and speculation about the Intel Macs came from Intel's processor roadmap. Immediately following the announcement, MacCentral sources pointed to Intel's upcoming low-power dual core Yonah processor as the likely candidate for the first of the Intel Macs.

First actual hints at a timeframe came in November with an early report from Appleinsider that the first Intel Macs would be appearing "much sooner" than mid 2006.

There has since been a flurry of disjointed rumors about various Intel Mac models appearing in January -- Mac mini (Forbes), iMac (Appleinsider), iBook (ThinkSecret).

Amongst them, however, ThinkSecret appeared most confident with a report from "reliable sources" that Apple is planning on introducing both Intel iBooks and Mac minis at MWSF 2006.

The new iBook is expected to be a widescreen model with a 13.3" screen 1280x720 screen. This correlates with an earlier report from Appleinsider noting a similar 13" widescreen look to the upcoming iBooks. And indeed our Buyers Guide shows that the iBooks have had the longest lead time since their last update.

Meanwhile, the Mac mini is expected to evolve into a digital media hub with support for DVR, an iPod Dock as well as an updated Front Row media application. We've also received hints that Apple is planning on adopting Intel's Viiv platform which promises to help provide much this functionality.

iPod

With back to back releases of the iPod nano and the 5G iPod before the 2005 shopping season, there are few expectations for updated iPods in January.

Only the iPod shuffles are expected to be updated, but with few details on the changes.


iLife '06

Apple typically updates their iLife suite of applications each year at Macworld San Francisco. This year appears to be no different after a small mistake on Apple's website Thursday morning. Apple's site revealed links to iLife '06 as well as a new application called iWeb.

There's been very little information about upcoming iApps from Apple this rumor season, but Appleinsider claims that the new application will be a Web design application with "easy drag-and-drop capability for a variety of Web-optimized content and media types."

Other?

There has been surprisingly little buzz about brand new products from Apple. One potentially interesting rumor of an Airport Express for Video appeared in early October and was coupled to an accurate report of the 5G iPod. Though no further rumors about this product have since surfaced, it would fit in conveniently with a media center Mac mini.

Finally, Appleinsider also reported that Apple is planning new iPod "companion" products -- one of which will be an iPod Boombox unlike "anything Apple has released in the past".

Coverage

Apple will not be providing a live Quicktime stream of the event. Instead a replay will be posted following the keynote address. MacRumors.com will be providing live coverage if at all possible.

[puckhead193]

so wait... no G5 Powerbooks

[Riot_Mac]

Looking forward to it!! I just bought a PB thought.

[BlueRevolution]

yep. we're gonna see all of it at MWSF too I'm sure

[ibookowner2]

I cant wait any longer!!!

[runninmac]

Oh goodie! Sounds like a great year, I really would love one of the DVR Mac minis, but I just got my iBook... Ill just wait till Memron(). Im not sure how I feel about this "iWeb" but im sure Steve will blow us away with all the new product anouncements.

I cant wait to see what Mr. Ive has up his sleve in the industrial design department

[ibook30]

I hope to see new shuffles - but iLife 06 sounds very intriguing.
Hoping for a couple of surprises - like Christmas morning!

[javabear90]

My gut feeling (usually right) still thinks that an intel powerbook makes much more sense and is very probable over an intel iBook. I know many other's on MR agree with me. iBooks will absoloutly DESTROY powerbook sales if they release ibooks and not powerbooks.

[Lacero]

Just itching in my pants!

I'm really sore in my groin area from all the scratching I've been doing the past few days, anxiously anticipating MWSF.

Thanks for the round-up, but I fear it has made my itching worse!

[azzurri000]

i like the recap!

[runninmac]

Originally Posted by Lacero

Just itching in my pants!

I'm really sore in my groin area from all the scratching I've been doing the past few days, anxiously anticipating MWSF.

Oh I know! I may have to be "sick" and stay home from all the itching just to watch this all unfold! I really really hope a site has live coverage. It would be a downer if they didnt

Edit:1,000 post...

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Originally Posted by azzurri000

i like the recap!

...what an insightful response....

What about iWork 06? I'm hoping for a replacement for Excel like all of us, although hopefully they refine Pages' purpose to be less Publisher-like and more World-like.

[kalisphoenix]

Powerbook next --

*gets sacked*

[azzurri000]

Originally Posted by AvSRoCkCO1067

...what an insightful response....

What about iWork 06? I'm hoping for a replacement for Excel like all of us, although hopefully they refine Pages' purpose to be less Publisher-like and more World-like.

I try.

I love the design of the current powerbook (don't own one, though.) I hope they don't change it too much.

[MacIke]

I wondering about iWork.... will there be a new update? How about numbers? That is what I want though I have been using pages for close to six months and Keynote since it was first released.

[sorryiwasdreami]

Originally Posted by AvSRoCkCO1067

...what an insightful response....

I like the recap, too.

[BlueRevolution]

if I skipped school for MWSF I'd wake up around noon, go straight to the Apple site and spend 2 hours looking at every page (including the "bundled software" page that is the same for every line). then I'd go watch the keynote. then I'll go to MR and read all my fellow Mac lovers' complaints about what they didn't get.

sounds like a good plan actually

edit: wait, no. stupid first day of the new term.

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Originally Posted by sorryiwasdreami

I like the recap, too.

...jeez I was kidding! lol! Maybe I shoulda put a face next to it....

[MacIke]

Well All I know is I fortold on the day after the big WWDC announce that Apple will have the iNtel based processors in computers by MacWorld. It will be nice to see that I was right way back when.

In any case my money is on iBooks and PowerBooks. Or if one is before the other the other will follow quickly. Becasue the one will eat into the sales of the other.

It is not like the iMac v. PowerMac. Those can released seperatly and far apart.

[jacinto45]

The big thing that everyone seems to be forgetting is this AppleInsider report from mid-December:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1412

One such product described to AppleInsider is an iPod boombox "unlike anything seen in boombox world" and strikingly different from "anything Apple has released in the past."

This was posted on MR ( http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2005/...12210230.shtml ), but no one's really heard anything about it since the AI report. And AppleInsider isn't some crock site; they're usually quite accurate. We should anticipate the possibility of something crazy thing like this.

[amateurmacfreak]

So... my predictions:

Media center Intel Mac Minis
Intel iBooks, widescreen
Some udpate on iPod shuffle, though not sure what.

Ok, bland, I know. Just giving my opinion.

[Dr. Dastardly]

What would be killer would be some odds on the side of the rumors. Like iLife '06 10/10, Powerbook G5 -8276654/10.

Get some Vegas style action in here baby!

[amateurmacfreak]

Originally Posted by jacinto45

The big thing that everyone seems to be forgetting is this AppleInsider report from mid-December:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1412

One such product described to AppleInsider is an iPod boombox "unlike anything seen in boombox world" and strikingly different from "anything Apple has released in the past."

This was posted on MR ( http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2005/...12210230.shtml ), but no one's really heard anything about it since the AI report. And AppleInsider isn't some crock site; they're usually quite accurate. We should anticipate the possibility of something crazy thing like this.

Hm. That's really interesting to me.... and interesting MR wouldn't list it in the part titled, "Other?" It's hard for me to imagine something like that to be so revolutionary.... a boombox? A portable boombox? Great for on the go? That sounds a bit odd to me, but I bet something like that will happen... I just don't know exactly what it will be like. Or if it will be awesome or not.
On, second thought.... I really don't know what to make of that.

[atari1356]

Will be interesting to see which of these rumors are true... I have some amazon.com gift card money saved - possibly for an updated iPod Shuffle.

[amateurmacfreak]

Originally Posted by AvSRoCkCO1067

...jeez I was kidding! lol! Maybe I shoulda put a face next to it....

well, what's so wrong with the recap??