So, what are we going to see on Wednesday?
Wednesday is nearly here and in less than 48 hours (about 44 to be exact), Steve Jobs will be taking the stage at Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts to introduce some new products. Or at least, that's what we're presuming. When we take the history of Apple's September events and the music-themed invitation into consideration, it looks as if we're going to see some new iPods/media products. I thought it might be interesting to recap the rumours and give them a percentage of probability.
iPod Classic Discontinued - The iPod classic is probably the most simple iPod out of the four, but the main attraction is its large 160GB hard drive. However, since all the other iPods have much lower storage capacities, I can't see Apple discontinuing their "mega-pod." (10%)
iPod Classic Upgraded - Since the iPod classic is the simple one, it might be the stepchild when it comes to upgrades. However, Toshiba has shown off its 320GB 1.8-incher HDD so as the size develops in hard drives, maybe the iPod classic will too. There's probably a larger chance of some update, but not a significant one. (50%)
iPod Touch Upgraded with A4 Chip & Dual Cameras - Considering Apple's claim of shipping tens of millions FaceTime devices this year, a camera-equipped iPod touch is a given. As with the last three years, there's most likely going to see an update, possibly to the 1GHz A4 chip powering its iOS brothers. (95%)
iPod Touch Upgraded with Retina Display - Apple has marketed the iPod touch as the cheapest way to access the app store. $199/£152 is a fairly low price for a device with such capabilities. Adding a retina display would hike this price up and may be seen by critics as an unnecessary upgrade. Also, a retina display might be holding back to make it a good upgrade for next years' iPod touch. (40%)
iPod Touch Upgraded with 3G - Would Apple let a device (with a Skype app) canabalize a device 3 times its price (no commitment iPhone 4)? No! By adding 3G it would allow people to use the iPod touch as a phone with the capabilities of Skype and VoIP. However, adding 3G is just a MiFi away. (5%)
New Square, Touchscreen iPod Nano/Shuffle - This is an interesting subject. With the new cases being leaked, a square, touchscreen iPod is becoming more and more likely. We're just not that sure whether this will be a new Nano, a new Shuffle or a merge of them both. (65%)
iTV/Apple TV Take 3 - Although we haven't see any actual product leaks, there's many sources saying a new Apple TV is coming. And it probably is. iOS, apps and even FaceTime cameras have all been mentioned but this kind of device seems destined to have its own event like the iPad. It is a major new product being the fourth iOS device. There's always a chance, albeit a small one. (35% for Wednesday, 85% overall)
TV Rental Model - I've been seeing the appeal of movie rentals on iTunes recently, but don't really want to rent TV shows. If you want to catch up on TV, there's a lot of catchup services but if you want it on your iDevice via iTunes, chances are you want it for keeps. The rumours are that Apple will offer rentals at $0.99 a show although something like a "per season" model is probably more likely. (55%)
And there's probably a bunch more pumping out of the mill now but they're probably the biggest ones. Less than 44 hours until we can put an end to months of rumours. Remember to check the various live blogs at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST on Wednesday.
Connor Turnbull Aug 30, 2010 at 5:02 PM
Reader Comments (5)
People are going crazy and ranting on Apple so they can get a camera and 3G on a iPod Touch.
Its an ipod for Music. If you want 3G and a camera get a damn iPhone.
Exactly. I remember at the last September even, Phil Schiller emphasized that it is "no commitment" and a good gift. It would eliminate the idea of giving the iPod touch as a gift if they needed subscriptions.
Let's not forget iTunes 10... a major update is announced usually around this time of year.
Sure there'll be an iTunes update to support the new iPods, but I doubt there's much to warrant an update to 10. Of course, I may be wrong.
Personally I'd absolutely love iLife '11, been waiting to get the 13" MBP for this reason. I'm hopefull!