Now this is how we like our rumors: Cheap, fast and totally unsubstantiated. Phil Schiller told Gizmodo that Apple's holiday lineup is in place, but the rumor mongers seem not to care. Last week we heard that AT&T was considering an 8GB iPhone 3GS.

The latest speculation to hit is that a new iPod touch will be released before December, according to iPhone Alley. Citing a "reliable source" who couldn't go into details (mmm-hmm), iPhone Alley speculates that it could be the touch with a camera that we all expected several weeks ago.

Given that the iPod is typically updated in September and that some people have already begun holiday shopping (not us, of course), we'd be more than a bit surprised if this happened.

There's a loud buzzing this morning, and it's not just the hangover from late-night celebrations of the Yankees' pennant win; quite a few tech and Mac sites (we heard it first from Edible Apple, although it's really everywhere now) are reporting on week-old remarks from the New York Times executive editor, Bill Keller, that were supposed to remain off-the record -- and of course are now playing on video all across the web.

If you look at the transcript of his chat, or the 8:20 mark in the video, you'll see him refer to delivery of journalism to mobile platforms, and then he mentions the "impending Apple slate."

Is this a simple moment of wishful thinking for Keller, or is it linked to the presumptive starring role that daily newspapers would play on the hypothetical Apple wundergadget? I can't wait to find out.

Read on to see the video.

Engadget is the latest to report a rumor that's been circulating for months: tomorrow may be the day that we finally see those new Macs we've been waiting on. John Gruber claims we're going to see new MacBooks and iMacs (which we'll rate as "expected"), updated Mac minis (wouldn't be a huge surprise, though we haven't heard that so much about that one, particularly not a mini bundled with Mac OS X Server -- a very nice idea, though), and something called a "Magic Mouse," as well as a multitouch trackpad accessory. I have to admit: those last two sound less likely than the iPod touch camera -- while the new MacBooks and iMacs definitely wouldn't be out of place before a holiday season, breaking out brand new accessories without an event to back them up isn't really Apple's style.

But then again, ours is not to judge: the rumors say new mice and some sort of multitouch trackpad, so that's what we're passing on to you. Believe it or not, as you will. We'll of course be up and refreshing Apple's store constantly here at TUAW -- if anything new shows up there, you'll see it here ASAP.

iPhone users have been waiting for tethering for a long time. More specifically, AT&T customers are still waiting for it. Since the WWDC 2009 Keynote Address, where it was announced that iPhone OS 3.0 would support tethering, AT&T has said they would support it... sometime.

Appmodo.com is reporting that iPhone tethering will not be available this year. They suggested that AT&T had previously gone on-record saying "that iPhone tethering would become available 'sometime this year'" -- presumably referring to this quote on CNet.com, from AT&T Mobility chief Ralph de la Vega who said (in November of 2008) that "iPhone 3G users will be able to use their phones as wireless modems at some point next year," which would obviously mean 2009.

The Appmodo story links to an article by Andrew LaVallee, writing for The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog, who quotes an unnamed spokesman for AT&T who refused to say when tethering would be available and said: "Whenever we offer new features, we want to offer the best possible customer experience. For tethering, we need to do some additional fine tuning to our systems and networks so that we do deliver a great experience."

Appmodo seems to think this is a change in AT&T's official stance, but LaVallee explicitly refers to it as "the company's prior statement."

When it comes to iPhone tethering, has Appmodo gotten the story straight before? Well, on June 17th they quoted a source who said "The highly anticipated tethering option will also be delivered towards the end of July with pricing around $55 per month..." -- then on June 19th, AT&T explicitly denied the $55 cost via their Facebook page.

On July 9th they quoted the same source saying that MMS and tethering were coming in September, and repeated the "around $55" estimated cost which had already been dismissed on the record. Appmodo added, "Our source is from an undisclosed reputable AT&T employee." So much for that. Granted, we've also been off the mark on tethering rumors, but we're trying not to make such a habit of it.

When will AT&T make tethering available? The answer is that no one outside of AT&T and Apple knows. AT&T isn't saying, but what Appmodo is seeing as a change in the answer, the WSJ says is the same line they've heard before. Given the way Appmodo has been reading the tethering tea leaves, I am highly skeptical that this represents an official schedule change -- sure, tethering might not show up until 2013, but that was just as true last week as it is today.

Last week, Steve took over the hosting reins for a rollicking hour of talkcast fun. You can download the show, along with all past shows, from Talkshoe or subscribe in iTunes.

We'll be back live tonight with our outlook for a desktop refresh on the iMac and Mac mini lines, the simmering issues with Guest accounts in Snow Leopard, and AT&T's decision to open up cellular connectivity to VoIP apps. Most of all, we'll be back with you -- and that's the most important thing.

To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, or you can try out the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VOIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. Talk with you then!

Recording support for the talkcast is provided by Call Recorder from ecamm networks.

If the relationship between Apple and Mac CPU provider Intel was any closer, the two companies might have to start labeling their record collections and discussing whether to keep the wagon wheel table. In an intriguing technology demonstration last week, it was pointed out that the in-development Intel ultrafast optical connection called Light Peak was being shown on a rather elaborate hackintosh, running good old Mac OS X. This raised an eyebrow or two, but the background story seems to be just as interesting.

Engadget reports today, based on conversations with an 'extremely reliable source,' that Apple is behind the Light Peak technology, with C-suite-level discussions between the two companies dating back to 2007 about the specific implementation and capabilities of Light Peak. The post goes on to suggest that Apple will be doing rapid adoption of the optical tech a year from now, with Mac introductions slated for autumn of 2010 with the new port, and a low-powered version to follow along in the 2011 timeframe with future iPhones.

With the initial specification set to transfer data at a blistering 10Gpbs full duplex over cables as long as 100 meters (and with speeds up to 100Gbps lined up for future revisions), a single Light Peak connection could replace DVI, USB, gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, eSATA and just about anything else that would connect your computer to its environs.

One cable for everything, reducing clutter and increasing elegance? You have to admit, it does sound rather Jobsian.

Thanks to Josh Topolsky and everyone who sent this in.

It looks like the new Mac rumor mill is starting to grind again, as several web sites are reporting that Apple is close to releasing updates to several parts of the product line. Joachim noted the rumors on the 24th, and here's an update.

The first rumor is something I've personally been waiting for -- an update to the iMac line. French Mac site Mac4Ever [translation] is citing tips indicating that a new iMac, possibly quad-core powered, is in the works for a possible release before the holiday season. Like the MacBook Pro line, the new iMac would feature an SD card reader. There's also the thought that a high-end iMac could even pack in a Xeon processor. AppleInsider also thinks an iMac boost is in the works, although they're not speculating on quad-core or Xeon processors, and even reports that a new, slimmer design has been churning off Taiwanese assembly lines for the past two weeks.

While a bump to the iMac line would be nice, I personally think that Apple would concentrate on reducing the cost of manufacturing to maintain their margins while making it possible to reduce prices to consumers. This could help Apple's share of the personal computer market continue to climb while keeping Wall Street analysts happy.

The second rumor, also from AppleInsider, points to a less expensive and slimmer white polycarbonate MacBook. If Apple is able to reduce the price of the low-end laptop below its current US$999 level, it could stem the tide of sales of low-cost Windows and Linux netbooks.

Regardless of what actually happens, design updates to these two lines are long overdue. The iMac has essentially been the same since August of 2007, while the MacBook has remained unchanged since May of 2006. It should be fun to see what Jonathan Ive, Steve Jobs, and the tireless Apple engineers who design this equipment have in store for us.

[Original photo credit: © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com, through Wikimedia Commons]

If you were one of the brave few to begin jailbreaking your iPhones back in early 2008, you probably came across what I considered the best app available at that point: Snapture. I always wanted to get more out of my iPhone camera and this jailbreak app helped me accomplish that.

Fast forward a year and a half and you'll finally find Snapture [iTunes Link] in Apple's App Store. This is primarily due to the fact that Apple has opened up more and more of the iPhone OS with each new release of the SDK. Is it perfect? No, but with the given access to the Camera APIs, applications like Snapture and Best Camera can finally exist in a world of harmony with the big wigs at Apple.

In regards to functionality, I've always been a huge fan of Snapture. It's simple, but it works. I don't have to touch a button on the screen to take a picture, I can tap the screen anywhere I'd like and it will work just fine. My biggest pet peeve about the built-in camera app is that I have to press a tiny button in order to take a picture. That's not very conducive for self portraits or any other situation where you're not looking right at the device.

Maybe so, if you believe the predictions of some analysts at Wedge Partners. They proclaim in their neverending analyst-y wisdom that in the next few weeks, Apple will again refresh its lines of iMacs and MacBooks, including a slimmer iMac and an only slightly updated MacBook. Why would Apple announce such a thing, especially so soon after the recent June revamp? Windows 7 is apparently the answer -- Apple wants to distract from Microsoft's big release, according to the analysts

Personally, it all sounds kind of hokey to us -- Apple's already got their back-to-school lineup all set, and while there probably is room for one more update before the holiday season, it's hard to believe they're going to announce some extremely minor updates in a desperate grab against Windows 7.

And not even the analysts will guess at a netbook or tablet release -- they say neither one of those is coming up for an announcement any time soon. You have to think that if Apple is doing one more update before the holidays, it really will come up in the next few weeks, so by the time Halloween candy starts dropping in pillowcases, we should know for sure.

[via PC World]

So, the friend of a friend told me that the Beatles is finally going to be on iTunes tomorrow.

Not so fast, EMI immediately countered.

In the latest chapter of a saga filled with more "will they, or won't they?" than a shoujo manga, Engadget picked up a 9to5Mac report today stating that Yoko Ono is talking about an iTunes arrival for the Beatles on an already Fab Four-packed 9/9/09. We've already speculated about it once, but Yoko's words caused the Twitter feeds to immediately jump alive with fevered speculation that maybe, just maybe, tomorrow's finally the day.

I'm with Steve Sande. Seeing Paul, Ringo, Julian Lennon and Dhani Harrison (who helped mastermind The Beatles: Rock Band -- my reservation was made for the game six months ago) on stage together to announce the Beatles on iTunes would be fantastic. However, I'd rather see the release be done right than thrown together at the last minute. The optimistic side of me is sure that it won't be long before the Beatles and iTunes will be goin' steady for good.

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster is having a busy week. First, he predicted that the iPhone will go non-exclusive in the US by next year, and today he's suggesting that Steve Jobs will appear at Apple's September 9th press event.

We fully expect new iPods and iTunes next Wednesday, but Steve would be a surprise. We know that he's returned to work, but this would be his first public appearance as Apple's head since he took medical leave back in January. Depending on how he looks, a visit from Steve could nudge the stock up a notch or two.

It sure would be fun to see Steve, but we hope he's happy and healthy more than anything. In any case, we've got just over a week to wait. Keep your fingers crossed.

[Via AppleInsider]

If you're looking to own a current-generation iPod, you best buy one before they're gone. Ars Technica notes that vendors inside Apple's Authorized Reseller network are reporting that dwindling stocks aren't being met with new shipments, lending further credence to the presumption that September's press event will be about new iPods.

Apple typically introduces new iPods in September, just in time for back-to-school shopping. We've heard rumors that the whole line will get cameras, including the Classic. With 120GB of storage, that thing could hold a lot of photos. It's also quite likely that there will be a storage boost, but if the shuffle gets any smaller it'll simply cease to exist.

Personally, this just means I'll have another opportunity to call my fat nano an ancient artifact.

Daily Finance is reporting today on the iPhone's pending release in China. We've been reporting on this gradual deal for a while now. Back in July it looked like the deal might be delayed until 2010, but earlier this month, Apple's VP of iPhone and iPod product marketing Greg Joswiak (among others) traveled to China to meet with China Unicom.

Earlier this week, China Unicom confirmed with Reuters that the iPhone would be part of a media briefing they've got scheduled for this Friday, further fueling speculation that a release is imminent.

The potential of the Chinese market is huge for Apple. A population of over 1.3 billion and an advanced mobile broadband network (download speeds are superior to the norm here in the US) seem to be the ingredients for a very successful market. We'll let you know what happens.