In an email sent today to media outlets, Apple has invited the media to visit Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, Apple Town Hall, Building 4 at 10am PST next Tuesday, February 28 to “Come see some fun new products from Apple.” The invitation includes nothing more than an iCal image of a calendar with the date Feb. 28.
“Sam Bhavnani, an analyst at market researcher Current Analysis, said he thinks Apple may introduce a 17-inch MacBook Pro as well as a redesigned iBook with a 13-inch widescreen display,” Ina Fried reports for CNET News. “‘The reason to expect an iBook announcement is so that Apple is able to have sufficient quantities shipping in time for back to school,’ Bhavnani said in an e-mail interview. ‘The fact that Apple started shipping Intel products ahead of schedule means it is serious about winning ‘switchers,’ and key to getting Windows customers will be to have systems that cost significantly less than $2,000.’ Bhavnani said that an ideal iBook would arrive in time for the education buying season, cost $999, and include Intel’s Core Duo chip.”
Full article here.
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Welcome to another edition of “Name That Rumor!”
Vana is stand by, the torch is lit, the screen is fading to black, and. . .
I think it’s iKitchen, a program that will do your dishes, but not your Windows. Apple is leaving that for 3rd party developers.
MacDude — For once you’ve said something I agree with.
Is that really you?
Apple ‘brand’ cereal
maybe he really IS going to introduce the pequeño! As seen on SNL…
maybe he is banking on some Cheney-like announcement. By going low-key, none of the major sources will carry the story, and all of the little guys will be there to get the BIG scoop!
I think the iCal is definitely an icon. ;;-)
More smoke and mirrors to keep pepole guessing until the REAL announcement… he is good at that.
rstrb8r
MacDude,
I am with you, too. All the way, and I am a hard core Mac “fanboy”.
I’ll buy an iBook….’MacBook’
My guess is some of the new ipod accessories Apple is suposedly poised to release. The new boom box and speaks come to mind, with a one more thing Intel ibook. IMHO of course! =)
Maybe it’s a tablet.
Look at the iCal picture, flip the pages out of the way and it would look similar to a Mac Mini.
Only a week to go to find out.
Jeff–
If it’s a jet pack, I’m all over it. As long as it’s not running Windows… (I wouldn’t want to crash.)
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can the intrepid amongst us figure out which products (if any) were announced on the Apple campus. Is this a first?
after MacWorld bet $5 that we would see a media event which would reveal some of the “missing” products from the Keynote by the end of February.
I’ll be keeping that $5.
If Apple makes an iPod dock/alarm clock/radio i will buy one right away.
Hey MacDude, on the subject of bread in the US, when i was over in CA this summer, I came across this bread “Ezekiel 4:9™ Sprouted Grain Bread” What struck me was that comapred to the cardboard variety, it was actually cheaper (still $2.50). Still in the UK I can buy simple organic wholewheat for $1.80. What gives?
“Not Likely. With Apple’s history of making a CLEAR distinction between consumer and pro lines. Good Bye iBook. Hello MacBook. 12 inch and single core. maybe $799”
The iBoo isnt going anywhere pals… otherwise a rename of the iMac would need to come along. They need the staple of the i in a portable form computer to interact with the other i product marketting such as ipod and imac.
A macbook maybe coming, but eh… tablet anyone?
I’m surprised nobody has thought to connect “fun new products” with video games, i.e. Apple’s version of the game console. You know, something to compete with Microsoft’s Xbox… and Sony, and Nintendo, and… Hmm, well maybe not.
Remember the trademark ‘iPod Boombox?’
“I think Apple will release blah, blah, blah”.
“I expect Apple to release yada, yada, yada”.
“Our credible sources tell us Steven P. Jobs will launch the itsit whatsit”.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah – blah.
Just lots of Apple-designed iPod accessories….so apple can get in on the secondary market for iPod goodies.
In volume, the Core Duo Chip goes for something around $360. I don’t think we will be seeing chips of that price in a $999 computer. Besides, why buy a $2k MacBook Pro if you can get the same chip for 1/2.
It will be the mediacentric intel mac mini. Apple will tie this in with the fact that they will have sold over 1 billion songs via iTMS. New video content, perhaps feature films. Just as other online music download services are floundering Apple’s gonna blow them out of the water.
Ummmm…..
It has something to do with iCal!!!
Come on folks!
Get with the Apple-ads!
All this talk about the MacBook 17”. What about the 12”?
SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!
the excitement begins….
What would interest Apple in making an alarm clock/radio for the iPod? They already have a huge banner for the iHome iH5 on the iPod Accessories site in the Apple Store, and I do believe I saw an ad for the iHome not too long ago by Apple on TV. Why would Apple want to compete with SDI after that?
iPod Boombox? Maybe, but A) it’ll probably be some small portable speaker thing if anything at all to give us something other than Altec Lansing’s portable speakers, and B) what’s fun about that? I mean, I’m sure an iPod Boombox would be fun for many people, but I’d bet this “fun” is a clue to what it will be, and I don’t really see an iPod Boombox or really any iPod accessory at all being “fun” in any important way or being critical enough to have a whole event for it.
I doubt the iCal icon means anything, it’s probably just to make it look cute and to have it make sense with their products.
What will it be? I don’t know, but you better believe Apple will leave us hanging until February 28th, because the more people make predictions and speculate, the more people are interested in what the event is really about.
MacDude,
In Orange County California, you can’t even buy the kitchen in a starter home for $200,000.. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find any home at all in OC for under $500,000… And that gets you about 1000 square feet…
Mac Box Station Mini