This has been rumored for the last couple of weeks, but now it is official. Apple has sent out an invite to an event on the 27th with the tagline “Come See Our Latest Creation” It shows paint splatters in different colors with the Apple logo in the middle. There have been 4 main rumors as to what will be announced at this event.
The big one of course has been a new Apple tablet computer. This tablet has been a rumor for a few years now, so it will be interesting to see if Apple finally comes out with one. It is rumored to be running a modified version of the iphone OS and will tie into the app store.
Another rumor is that iLife ’10 will be announced and will include a photoshop type application. That could go with the paint splatters in the invite. New versions of iLife have been typically announced at this time of year, so it is very possible. I’m also looking forward to seeing what updates they make with iPhoto, iMovie, and Garageband.
The last two rumors are iPhone related. This seems a little too early right now for iPhone news, but it is possible. The first is that iPhone OS 4.0 will get announced and demoed. It is possible that it will have some very radical changes, so this would get developers ready to have their apps updated by the typical June/July launch time for the OS. Not much is out there as far as what will be new with the OS, but I know many want a new notification system that matches close to the Palm Web OS and Google’s Android. Also, the ability to run more than one application at the same time besides Apple’s.
Finally, is the new iPhone model. This would be a very early time to announce the next iPhone as that usually happens in June, a few weeks before the actual launch date. However, it has been rumored that the next iPhone could be released as early as April/May this year. The speculation there is a dual core processor, hybrid gsm/cdma chip (so it possibly could work on all U.S. cell phone carriers), and the always front facing camera rumors. I also think we will see a 32GB and 64GB models which is an upgrade I can use right now as my 16GB is pretty much full. The front facing camera has been a rumor for the last two years. I think it is a great idea, but I’m not sure if cell phone carriers would want that as it would eat up a lot of bandwidth on their networks.
One of the reasons I read on the May launch, which could make sense, is that the AT&T exclusivity contract is rumored to expire this year. They could come out with the new iPhone in May on AT&T to get people to renew their contracts for two more years and stay with AT&T. Then in June/July they will launch the iPhone on another U.S. carrier. Most likely T-Mobile, as the current iPhone is not compatible with Sprint/Verzion, unless it gets that hybrid chip previously mentioned.
Here is a mockup that someone made of what they think the new iPhone could look like.
