We heard a rumor not long ago, and today Engadget confirms the date: Apple will hold a special press event on Sept. 5th. The invitation they received (where's ours, Apple?!?) looks like coverflow as displayed by an iPhone. Hmmm...
The invite is as cryptic as always, so I guess it's up to us to provide wild and baseless conjecture. Let's get started.
See you then, folks. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
As usual, Apple have posted the video of today's press event for all to see. Marvel at the new iMac, iLife '08, iWork...and count the number of times Steve says, "Boom!"
I know I've been eager to see those apps in action, but the demo videos have been getting slammed all day. Perhaps this will be better.
Rumors abound that Apple will be unleashing a brand new iMac on August 7th, which seems a little odd given that is very close to the beginning of the school year. However, given the existence of these photos of a purported new iMac keyboard and the fact that our sister blog Engadget was just invited to a press event on August 7th might prove me wrong.
The invite made it clear that this gathering is all about the Mac, so what do you think we'll see?
We asked, you answered. If cost were not an option, which of the rumored Apple products would you be most likely to buy? You can see the results of our informal poll above: the video-streaming Airport Express was a clear winner. The remaining other votes were evenly divided between the other options.
For all of you who selected "23" iMac," we hope you aren't too disappointed with the 24" model released today. Close, but no cigar.
Ok, folks, it's wild speculation time. The rumors are flying around Apple's upcoming press event. Let's take a detour into fantasy land for just a moment and pretend that all of the supposed goodies come to pass: The new 23 inch iMac, the video-streaming Airport Express and the nanos with iPod mini-like enclosures. Cost aside, which tickles your fancy the most? Would you snap up one of those nanos and say, "Scratches be damned!" I, for one, would pounce on that Airport Express. What's your choice? Vote in our poll and check back tomorrow for the results.
You have spoken:
The event was....meh. Of the 3,200 of you who voted in our highly unscientific poll, the majority
of you (41%) felt that the new product announcements were "mediocre." A full 25% of you labeled the event a
"huge disappointment," 19% said the stuff is "pretty cool," and only 2% of you felt that the event
was a home run.
To the 13% who said, "Enough with the announcement already," we hear you. This
one wraps it up. Probably.
Ok, so we've
heard from the TUAW bloggers (both yay
and nay), now it's your turn:
What did you think of Steve's dog and pony show yesterday? Check back tomorrow for the poll results.
Sometimes it's necessary to break the wild speculation and rumor
mongering with a bit of humor, and jyunderwood's poster does the trick. This is also a good opportunity
to address what's inevitably going to happen tomorrow. Legions of Mac users are going to cry foul when the device of
their dreams isn't announced. That's the problem with these rumors: They look so good, and we get so excited about
"...how cool that would be" that we are disappointed when it doesn't happen. Well, it was a rumor in the
first place, but we can lose sight of that in our fervor.
So, tomorrow, clear your minds, drink some herbal
tea and forget about all that crazy stuff that's been swirling around your head for the past seven days. We're still
getting some cool stuff.
With just about 24
hours to go before the press event takes place, we here at TUAW got together in our secret offices in Bates City,
Missouri to make our final predictions. Here's what we had to say.
C.K.:
Most likely: Intel Mac mini
MacBook (Intel iBook)
Intel Mac mini Media center
Media Center
Least likely: video iTablet that works with the Intel Mac mini
Dave
Chartier:
AirPort Express with Video
MacBook, hopefully wide
screen
That crazy new full-screen video iPod, since a lot of other companies-including Microsoft-seem
poised to introduce their own soon
Just to throw off the curve: a new line of Apple products for the home,
such as an iFridge and iSuck (vacuum)
Fabienne:
An iPod 6g (even
if it isn't the touch screen gorgeousness that is rumored), possibly with better battery consumption and wireless
capabilities
An Intel-based iBook called the MacBook
Some software, probably a
pro app that has been updated for Intel-based machines with new features
I'm thinking Intel Mac
minis, and some sort of iPod related thing. I don't think we'll see Intel iBooks unless we also see Intel
across the board on the pro laptop side (since an Intel iBook, or MacBook, would be faster than the existing
12 and 17 inch powerbooks).
Jan:
High-end expectation: widescreen
iPod video
More likely: Intel Mac mini
Dave Caolo:
iPod boom box
Various Apple-branded iPod accessory goodies
Flying Jetsons car (It's 2006,
for crying out loud. Why don't we have these?!?)
Dan:
iPod Hi-Def Boombox
Intel Mac mini
Be sure and come back tomorrow and tell us how brilliant
we all are. Or not.
"Well, today we called to place our order for our next big batch of minis and we were told
'We’re not able to take large orders for Mac minis right now,' and that was it."
Is a change
in the air for the mini? We'll have to wait and see, but when it does happen, we're pretty sure it won't look like this. Thanks, Brian!
Ok, folks, here
we go again. Another blurry, nondescript photo of a supposed Apple product has made its way to the web (and what a
coincidence, just a day after Apple announces a press
event). This time, MacDailyNews is playing
host. An anonymous tipster writes:
"I was only able to snap one quick shot of this as I was
only in there for about 30 seconds. I sort of stumbled upon it - can't say more about how or why...there are a bunch of
ports (and maybe a button or two) neatly arranged on the back (?) of the cube in a line along the bottom edge. It's
about 8-inches square and 8-inches tall - a perfect cube. It seems to be made out of a similar material as a Power Mac
- aluminum perforated with a round hole pattern, but they're smaller holes than found on a Power Mac. The top is the
same material as the sides with the addition of the Apple logo, even though it doesn't look like it in the photo - I
had to snap it quick, sorry."
First of all, thirty seconds is a long time to spend taking a
single picture. When was the last time you spent a full thirty seconds on a single photo? Plus, if you've got all that
time and this killer exclusive, why not get a shot of the ports on the back? And why must all of these things be
blurry? Are we the only ones who think this looks like a doctored Apple
Design Award? Finally, the Apple logo seems to be missing its leaf. Have at it, Photoshop pros.
And if
you think we're going to launch a "Create Your Own Blurry Photo of a Secret Apple Product" contest, you've
got another thing coming.
Update: I think Kevin's comment nailed it: You will be
assimilated. Resistance is futile! Apple is in league with the Borg!
As of this
posting, you've got just over 24 hours to get your entry in for our "Create a Feb. 22 Apple
Invite" contest. You may remember the barrage of "invitations" to a fictitious Apple press event (supposedly
scheduled for February 22nd) that were making the rounds earlier this month. They were mediocre at best, and we know
that you folks could do better. The winner (announced on Feb. 23rd) will receive a cool Apple travel mug, which our own
Scott purchased at the Apple Campus in Cupertino during his trip to Macworld in January. Good luck!
Just a quick
reminder: There's still plenty of time to enter our latest contest, "Create a Feb. 22 Apple
Invite." You know you've got the mad Photoshop skillz, so show off a little. Simply design an invitation to a
fictitious Apple press event scheduled for February 22, and leave a link to your entry in the comments of this post. All entries must be
received by 11:59 PM EST on February 22nd. Be creative, be clever, be amusing. We've received some really great entries
so far, so get cracking.
The winner (announced on Feb. 23rd) will receive the swanky Apple travel mug
pictured here, which our own Scott purchased at the Apple Campus in Cupertino during his trip to Macworld in January.
Good luck!
It all started
with the supposed Airport Express
invitation that showed up on Flickr, announcing an Apple press event for February 22nd. It was soon deemed to be a
fake, and then two more
popped up, with different designs (also fake). They weren't the best: in the Airport invite the perspective of the
Apple was off, and the blue one actually misspelled the word "February." We know you can do better.
So, with that in mind, we're announcing the "Create a Feb. 22 Apple Invite" contest. Submit your best
looking, most convincing, most plausible and clever invite to us by (when else) February 22nd by leaving a link to your
creation in the comments to this post. A winner will be chosen by the TUAW staffers deep in our secret offices (a broom
closet in the back of Penn Station) on February 22nd, and the winner will be announced on the 23rd. To the creator of
our favorite invitation will go an Apple logo stainless travel mug that Scott bought at the Apple Campus Store (here is a pic of the prize) while in California for this
past January's Macworld.
Good luck, and get cracking! Mac rumor sites are counting on you!
We heard a rumor not long ago, and today Engadget confirms the date: Apple will hold a special press event on Sept. 5th. The invitation they received (where's ours, Apple?!?) looks like coverflow as displayed by an iPhone. Hmmm...
As usual, Apple have posted the video of today's press event for all to see. Marvel at the new iMac, iLife '08, iWork...and count the number of times Steve says, "Boom!"
Rumors abound that Apple will be unleashing a brand new iMac on August 7th, which seems a little odd given that is very close to the beginning of the school year. However, given the existence of these photos of a purported new iMac keyboard and the fact that our sister blog Engadget was just invited to a press event on August 7th might prove me wrong. 
Ok, folks, it's wild speculation time. The rumors are flying around Apple's upcoming press event. Let's take a detour into fantasy land for just a moment and pretend that all of the supposed goodies come to pass: The new 23 inch iMac, the video-streaming Airport Express and the nanos with iPod mini-like enclosures. Cost aside, which tickles your fancy the most? Would you snap up one of those nanos and say, "Scratches be damned!" I, for one, would pounce on that Airport Express. What's your choice? Vote in our poll and check back tomorrow for the results.
Alternate
title: If Agent Mulder were a Mac geek. 
With just about 24
hours to go before the press event takes place, we here at TUAW got together in our secret offices in Bates City,
Missouri to make our final predictions. Here's what we had to say.
With next
week's press event
looming, Apple has halted bulk orders of Mac minis, according to FreeMacBlog. Blogger Brian
writes:
Ok, folks, here
we go again. Another blurry, nondescript photo of a supposed Apple product has made its way to the web (and what a
coincidence, just a day after Apple announces a press
event). This time, MacDailyNews is playing
host. An anonymous tipster writes:
As of this
posting, you've got just over 24 hours to get your entry in for our "Create a Feb. 22 Apple
Invite" contest. You may remember the barrage of "invitations" to a fictitious Apple press event (supposedly
scheduled for February 22nd) that were making the rounds earlier this month. They were mediocre at best, and we know
that you folks could do better. The winner (announced on Feb. 23rd) will receive a cool Apple travel mug, which our own
Scott purchased at the Apple Campus in Cupertino during his trip to Macworld in January. Good luck!
Just a quick
reminder: There's still plenty of time to enter our latest contest, "Create a Feb. 22 Apple
Invite." You know you've got the mad Photoshop skillz, so show off a little. Simply design an invitation to a
fictitious Apple press event scheduled for February 22, and leave a link to your entry in the comments of this post. All entries must be
received by 11:59 PM EST on February 22nd. Be creative, be clever, be amusing. We've received some really great entries
so far, so get cracking.
Ok, so we've
heard from the TUAW bloggers (both 
