Don't forget that Apple's
laptop-centric event is today at 10am, 1pm eastern, and, as usual, the
rumor mills have been going
full steam in preparation for the announcement. So what can we expect from from Mr. Jobs today? Well, we've broke down each major rumor circulating and the likelihood that each one will turn out to be true.
MacBooks are in need of a stylistic update, and a move towards brushed aluminum, as on the MacBook Pro and Air, makes sense. A lower price would also help Apple continue to build market share, especially in these questionable economic times.
MacBook Pros are aimed squarely at mobile graphics professionals. The fact that they has continued to rely on Intel's under-powered built-in graphics is absurd. NVIDIA graphics will make the MacBook Pro a viable gaming PC and greatly speed up things like Photoshop and video-editing.
Apple has to adopt the next generation of optical disc at some point, but it's never tried to market its laptops as entertainment platforms (they don't have built-in TV tuners, either). Apple is probably not rushing to cram an expensive drive for an HD format with limited movie and TV titles into its laptops just yet.
Ever since the iPhone hit the market rumor mongers have been talking about Apple replacing traditional touch pads with a multi-touch display. Maybe one day, but certainly not today.
This rumor just wont die. It's been circulation for years that Apple is prepping a touch screen tablet style laptop. Don't count on it. Ever. Tablet style PCs haven't been very popular for Microsoft, so why would Apple make one?
Ha! Weblogs Inc. (our parent company) founder, Jason Calacanis, made headlines when he speculated that Apple would unveil a line of HDTVs that could stream content from your Mac over Wi-Fi. Sounds like a great replacement for the Apple TV in theory, but the price would simply be too high. Phasing out the $229 Apple TV in favor of a $2,000 all-in-one HD monitor just simply doesn't make sense.
Don't forget to check back here later to see what Apple announces. And to keep abreast of live developments, check out our sister site
Engadget's live blog of the event around 1pm EST. For additional rumor coverage, head on over to
TUAW. [From:
TUAW,
Engadget, and
Ars Technica]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rhee @ Oct 14th 2008 12:06PM
2:1 odds on discreet video cards for MacBook Pro? Idiot child - MacBook Pros have ALWAYS had discreet video cards, and currently HAVE Nvidia graphics cards in them. Odds are pretty much a mortal lock that they will have discreet cards in any new ones. The only question is which card they will use.