Apple released iTunes version 8.2 this week. The main purpose of this new version is to support the iPhone OS 3.0 which has been available to developers for a while, but is expected to be released to all iPhone users later this month. A new minor upgrade to QuickTime was also released to work with iTunes 8.2.
Next week is the Apple WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in San Francisco. The conference kicks off on Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific with Phillip Schiller’s keynote address. Schiller is Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. It is almost certain that anything Apple has to announce for the week will be announced at this keynote.
Apple doesn’t usually stream audio or video of these events anymore, but MacMost will be reporting up-to-the-minute news at MacMost.com that morning.
It looks very likely that there will be a new iPhone handset as well as the new OS this month. Reports point to iPhone stock running low and plenty of mentions of a new device coming this month. Rumors mention an improved camera with video capability, more memory size choices and an built-in compass.
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With new information about the Zune HD coming this fall from Microsoft, it is obvious that the new device is targeting the iPod Touch. But will it measure up? Not likely.
While the Zune HD will feature a touch screen and Touch-like interface, it really won’t be too different from existing Zunes. If Microsoft believes that the success of the iPod Touch has to do with the touch screen, they are mistaken. It has to do with apps. Plain and simple.
The iPod Touch is a device for someone that wants an iPhone, but without the phone. And the app store is the reason this demand exists. Microsoft will surely not have an app store, at least not when this new Zune is released. And even when they do get around to creating one, it will be more like the Xbox marketplace than the app store.
What’s the difference? Well, if you own an Xbox you know that the marketplace has tons of games and video content. But what goes there is strictly controlled by Microsoft and they only let a few things through, about one game per week the last time I checked.
Contrast that to the app store that has dozens, if not hundreds of apps added each day. There are tons of junk apps, but also lots of innovative ones. Many apps are created by individuals with no budget. Things like that don’t find their way into the Xbox marketplace.
So for those that want a cooler, newer Zune, the new Zune HD will be welcome. But don’t think it will compete with the iPod Touch.
Apple announced their 2009 back-to-school promotion, which gets students and teachers up to $100 off a new Mac plus a sizable rebate off a new iPod if purchased at the same time. Buying an iPod Touch would get you $229 back, while smaller rebates are given for Nanos and Shuffles. There were rumors of an iPhone rebate as well, but nothing along those lines has been announced.
The white MacBook has new specifications starting this week, including modest bumps in processor and memory speed and hard drive size. The price is still $999 in the U.S., although Apple increased the price slightly in the U.K.
News from various sources points to Steve Jobs’ return to Apple happening as planned. He is reported as being in good health and energetic. We may see him return to his normal role as CEO of Apple by the end of June.
With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference coming up in a few weeks, rumors seem to be centered around new iPhone hardware. The WWDC should include lots of information about the iPhone OS 3.0 release, as promised by Apple in June, and also Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which is known to be in advanced stages. So the rumor mill has to pick juicer speculation, and a new iPhone seems to be the target. Rumors range from simply having slightly better specs to including things like a video-capable camera, compass and a faster processor.
The release of the iPhone OS 3.0 should bring a whole new set of third-party apps that take advantage of new OS features like the ability for apps to use push notification and communicate with external devices. There are also rumors that the iPod Touch may be getting an upgrade and will finally get a camera to match the iPhone.
What could be a more important story to Apple’s bottom line is that Walmart is planning to create Apple sections in its stores. This will be part of an effort by Walmart to expand its electronics section to fill the gap now that Circuit City is gone. It will make it easier for people far away from Apple stores to get iPhones and iPods, and they may eventually sells Macs there as well.
Apple released a major update to Mac OS X Leopard this week with 10.5.7. It is now available to all Leopard users via Software Update. While weighing in at between 200 and 600MB, the update really only features bug fixes, optimizations, and support for new hardware. There are no major new features. Even so, almost every area of Mac OS X and many Apple-made applications were affected by the update.
Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard, got one step closer to release this week as well, with Apple announcing to developers that its API is now complete, allowing developers to finish updates and new software for Snow Leopard without fear that it will change much before release. Apple is expected to show off a near-completed Snow Leopard at the World Wide Developers Conference in June. Speculation is for a public release of Mac OS X 10.6 perhaps in August.
Apple also seems to be taking steps to reduce its iPhone inventory by allowing sales of the iPhone 3G on its Web site as well as in stores. Rumors point to new iPhone hardware, though perhaps just a modest update in specifications, this summer.
Lots of rumors floating around about Apple purchasing Electronic Arts or perhaps coming out with a game console of some sort. So what if they did? What would it be like?
Well, first of all, lets differentiate between console and handheld. Apple already has a great handheld gaming device: the iPod Touch (and iPhone, too, of course). The only problem with it is the price. $229 for a Touch places it way above the $130 Nintendo DS Lite. But if you factor in the iPod and video capabilities of the Touch, it probably has more bang for the buck.
So what about a console — a device to hook into your TV and use game controllers?
Apple has something that looks like a console already — the Apple TV. But it isn’t. It just plays music and video.
But wait a minute, it does have a wireless bluetooth remote. And it does have some advanced graphics stuff in it to enable it to play back video. A Nvidia GeForce 7300 last time I checked. And it has a hard drive. And it is connected to the Internet. And you can purchase things on it. It is even high definition, which is better than we can say of the Wii.
The Apple TV has inside what it would take to me a game console, though a processor, memory and GPU boost wouldn’t hurt in a new version.
So what would it take, really, to make the Apple TV into a gaming console? Well, a software update that allowed you to purchase and run games. And a new “remote” that was a game controller.
But what about the games? Well, if Apple TV is really running Mac OS X anyway, then there are plenty of Mac/PC games available. But the PC gaming industry has been over this many times. PC games, which require a mouse, keyboard and high-resolution computer monitor just don’t work well in a console setting with a controller and TV set.
But what it does mean is that the developer community already exists for an Apple TV game console. As we saw with the iPhone, developers are ready to spring into action as long as Apple provides a way for them to get onto the device and make money.
So here’s how I think Apple will do it. First, there will be a new version of the Apple TV. Just a bump in capability, nothing to write home about. But then it will be revealed that this new Apple TV is capable of playing games. Remember when they did this with the iPod 5G?
We’ll have things like Monopoly, Scrabble, Texas Hold’em, etc. Casual games.
These first games will use the little bluetooth remote, but soon Apple will come out with a game-controller-like remote featuring accelerometers. Look for it to have fewer buttons than the Xbox and PS3 controllers, or even the Wii.
Then, after there are 20-30 games available, we’ll start to notice that some of the new ones are racing games and shooters. The little Apple TV will be shown to be comparable at least to the Wii, and perhaps the Xbox 360 in capabilities.
Then Apple will announce the Apple TV app store. Developers will be able to make games and sell them through Apple. Within a year, there will be 10 times as many games on the Apple TV as all the other consoles combined. Most will be crap. Most will be less than $5. But those crap $5 games will sell a lot of Apple TVs.
Now some people may note that developers can already make games for the Xbox and Wii. So why haven’t those consoles filled in this role? Because developers really can’t make games for them. Microsoft and Nintendo strictly control the release of new games. A small developer with little budget doesn’t stand a chance of getting on those platforms. Apple TV will stand alone and become the closest thing to an open gaming platform.
Of course, there are a lot so ifs and maybes here. But it is fun to speculate.
With rumors around that Apple is interested in Twitter or Electronic Arts, there is debate whether either purchase would make sense. Apple has plenty of cash, and the argument is strong that Apple’s stockholders aren’t investing so Apple could just accumulate cash. So Apple probably should consider some sort of acquisition, in addition to its usual internal development.
I think the best potential lies with Facebook.
Why? Because Facebook can help sell more Macs and iPhones. And that is all that Apple needs to support the acquisition, upkeep and future development.
On the other hand, Facebook has a problem: how to make money. I seriously doubt that the current Facebook ad model will ever support the company.
So, if Apple bought Facebook, here’s what they could do with it. Leave the current feature set of Facebook that works on Mac and Windows through the Web browser and mobile apps. Then start tying iLife and other Mac applications to Facebook.
For instance, link iPhoto and Facebook photos as closely as possible. They’ve already started with this, but get even closer and create new features that only work from iPhoto.
The same can be done with iMovie for video, Address Book for managing your Facebook friends, and iCal for events. Start making new Mac application that tie into parts of Facebook is ways that Windows users cannot.
So, in other words, make it so that if you really want to be a Facebook power user, you should get a Mac.
They can also create a Facebook Pro, which would really be a merging of MobileMe and Facebook. That could make the entire Facebook division profitable, and the Mac marketing just a bonus.
It was all about the rumors this week. Rumor has it that Mac OS X 10.5.7 will get released before the end of the week. Not a major update, to be sure, but something that may bring little tweaks and bug fixes to Leopard.
Also, lots of talk this week about whether the iPhone will remain AT&T-only in the U.S. Speculation ranges from an open iPhone to Verizon sharing with AT&T. Some also think that Verizon talks could have to do with adding 3G connectivity to future MacBooks.
Apple is also speculated to be in talks with Twitter and perhaps Electronic Arts, the game publisher, as potential acquisitions. Both seem pretty unlikely, but Apple does have plenty of cash on hand to make such deals.
You can always keep up-to-date with all Apple rumors at the MacMost Apple rumors page.
