Kitchens Sync
Anticipation: New iPods Now, New Macs Later
- 2008.09.05 - Tip Jar
Popularity: 
Not long ago, Apple announced to the media that they would be holding an event on September 9th. From the format of the invitation, the event is widely expected to relate to the iPod platform.
I would consider this a reasonable guess. In fact, I expect we won't see any significant Mac product releases until at least 2009.
A Season for Everything, and Everything in its Season
If you look back at the last 8 months, you might notice something about Apple's product releases: With the exception of the iPhone 3G, they have all been Mac-related. The only iPod-related product launches were simple capacity increases. Every Mac except the Mac mini was updated.
IMHO, this leaves the entire iPod lineup ripe for refreshment. However, I hope that the second generation iPod touch, if it actually comes to pass, is more than a simple shell change. I think a simple visual refresh would be a waste of money, as I stated in my article What About the iPod touch? I guess I will just have to wait until next Tuesday to see if I was wise in buying a new iPod touch.
Contrary to some opinions, I don't think the touch's price will drop to match the iPhone. A new iPhone costs about the same as the old one did. The only way to get it for $200 is to qualify for hundreds of dollars of subsidies; the full price is still high.
But I digress.
A Pivotal Year Approaches
In 2009, there will be a few things coming down the pipe that will make it an excellent year for new Mac releases. First, Intel's new Nehalem platform will be released in phases. We'll probably start to see it appearing in the different Mac models by the end of Summer 2009. I think this because that is also currently the expected release period for the new "Snow Leopard" (Mac OS X 10.6), which I think will be tailored to take full advantage of all of Nehalem's capabilities.
I wouldn't be surprised if no new Macs with Nehalem come out until the release of Snow Leopard.
On that note, I hope we'll soon see some more features of Snow
Leopard. I would especially like to hear about Apple's plan to shrink
the operating system, i.e. what kind of percentage are we talking
about? Some semi-concrete numbers would probably serve to generate more
buzz about the upcoming Season of the Mac. 
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Other articles by Kev Kitchens
- iPad a Better Choice than a Netbook, 2010.02.01. Apple's iPad is a new category of product explicitly designed for getting work done on the go.
- Mac OS X Server Shortcomings in the Enterprise, 2009.08.17. For large organizations, the maximum number of servers, replication issues, limited database size, domain integration and high costs can keep Apple out.
- Apple Comes Through, Resolving Overheating iMac Problem, 2009.06.10. After frustration with the local Apple Store, customer service came through by authorizing a repair - and then a replacement when the problem persisted.
- More in the Kitchens Sync index.
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