Alright, we've had a ton of rumor reporting lately, but it's been hard for me to follow what we're supposed to get when. So I create this chart plotting dependencies.
We so far know that the event on Tuesday is the Verizon one, which will feature the CDMA iPhone, and that the Feb 3rd event will more then likely handle the iPad 2.
But that is not everything apple as in the pipeline...
iWork is overdue for an update. No one doesn't know this. But, even Apple agrees...
Keynote Remote 1.1 (Current as of Last Week)
Keynote Remote 1.2 (Current)
Look at the slideshow notes on the pedestal.
Look Closely.
1.1 has written "QB 2009"
1.2 has written "QB 2011"
The current Keynote Remote update was intended to launch alongside Keynote '11. Something happened.
We don't know much about iWork '11, aside from a possible Universal Binary iPhone port for Pages and Numbers, and that Keynote will support AirPlay.
Although, perhaps the key to iWork's delay is AirPlay. AirPlay is currently incapable of preforming non-AirTunes playback from anything aside from YouTube, and iPod/Videos on iOS devices, and thus far appears to have some glaring shortcomings in implementation. Thus Airplay needs an update on the iOS devices in order to be effective. The most likely candidate would be iOS 4.3.
Here's the sequence of events as I see them.
iWork '11 was completed in time to launch alongside iLife '11
Apple decides that iWork would make a better splash with the Mac App Store launch
Apple released iOS 4.2 GM in November.
A Sever bug was found shortly after
Apple then rushes to fix the bug and releases 4.2.1 in time for the promised 'November' launch date.
The critical bug in 4.2 offset Apple's plans for proper 4.3 roll out in January, in consequence Airplay proper was delayed, and with it iWork.
Because a critical component of iWork, AirPlay support was absent, The Mac App Store was forced to launch without iWork, but alongside the Keynote Remote update, and an iWork '11 reference.
The only thing I cannot guess, is weather the iOS 4.3 update will be tied to the Verizon event, or the Apple event. Although, I'm putting my money more to the Apple event. Beyond Airplay Proper, iOS 4.3 is also tied to 'The Daily', which supports a new subscription billing model. According to John Grubber, this will not be a quiet event.. The Daily is another curiously delayed product, originally slated for November, is now rumored for Mid January.
If that's the case, I cannot imagine Apple would permit Verizon to be tied to the thunder of a major feature. But then again, a major event where 'only' the same device we've had the past half year or so is now on a new network? While a major event to be sure, I cannot see them having much to talk about. (I mean, the iPhone CDMA is the same device as the GSM one as far as the consumer is concerned, Wireless technologies be damned) Perhaps a preview of iOS 4.3 to sweeten the event? It would align with 'The Daily''s mid Jan window.