An update to yesterdays post. The biggest update is that it is now official… there will be an event on Wednesday, March the 2nd. Read on for the smaller updates to my post from yesterday.
As I discussed yesterday it is looking like Steve Jobs’ health is in quick decline and I am going to go against the odds and say that he will return in time to take the stage on Wednesday. He will then announce the new MacBook Pro, the iPad 2, and his one last thing will be quite simply that he is retiring due to health reasons. If he does not take the stage he will definitely, at the very least be, present for the announcements.
MacBook & MacBook Pro Updates
Now on to the product updates, I think the MacBook is dead. I am going to change my predictions from yesterday. After thinking about it some more and new reports that are out today Light Peak will be included in the next gen Pro and the optical drives will not be removed.
iPad 2
Yesterday, I did not cover all of the rumors that are out there about the iPad 2. The two hottest rumors out there right now are that it will sport two cameras (front and back) and that it will get the retina display. Also being rumored is a 7-inch “Nano” or “Mini” version, a buttonless design, and a “smart” bezel. The remaining rumors are most likely not rumors, but givens. They include: thinner, lighter, faster dual-core processor, and dual-mode GSM/CDMA chipset.
I will start with the cameras, this front facing camera is a given for FaceTime support. That said, I am not so sure about the back facing camera. As for the Retina Display, I dont think it will have a Retina Display but I do think it will get a higher resolution display. Refer to yesterdays post for my take on the Nano/Mini Rumors. The idea of a “smart” bezel as I said in yesterdays post really intrigues me and I do think that Apple is going to start to implement this in the iPad 2. Finally, where it comes to the buttonless design I am not so sure this is going to happen, at least not yet. I could see the iPad eventually going buttonless, probably in third generation once users are used to the “smart” bezel.
MobileMe: Remember the North Carolina Datacenter that has been rumored for over a year?
Apple confirmed today, at their shareholders meeting that the North Carolina Datacenter is real, that it is going to be used for something relating to MobileMe & iTunes, and that it will launch this Spring. Streaming iTunes anyone? I have to say that I really do believe that is whats coming.