LATER: Exactly as expected. Maybe the most noteworthy element… Facetime for the Mac. How so? Apple has flipped the playbook putting mobile tech in PCs……
Let’s start with the facts. Apple announced last week a special “Back to the Mac” media event for today at 1 PM ET at their Cupertino headquarters. In it they promised “a sneak peek of the next major version of Mac OS X.” The invite image (above) has a lion peaking out from behind the Apple logo. With that the assumption is the next version of OS X, possibly the last (where do you go after the king of the jungle?) will be called Lion.
The two biggest rumors immediately were a new MacBook Air and an iLife update. Gadget Lab on the MacBook AIr:
Multiple independent publications received tips about major upgrades for Apple’s ultrathin notebook, the MacBook Air. Rumor has it that the Air will come in two different sizes — 13.3 inches and 11.6 inches — and come with an even-thinner unibody enclosure.
The internals could be even more interesting. AppleInsider claims the Air will include flash storage, which would theoretically enable extremely fast boot times and “instant-on” capabilities. Cult of Mac adds that the Air will have a bigger battery providing 8 to 10 hours of battery life.
Engaget has the 11.6-inch MacBook Air detailed. Expect a slight refresh of the other MacBooks in the lineup. Some sleuthing at Apple.com uncovered a confirmation of sorts:
Overzealous forum mods on Apple’s own site have been setting up Discussions sections for products to be announced [today]. A little bit of URL manipulation has revealed separate forums for a new iMovie ’11, iPhoto ’11, and GarageBand ’11, all three of which are core components of the iLife suite, leading us to go ahead and presume that Steve Jobs will be discussing an iLife ’11 later today. There’s also confirmation of the new MacBook Air with an “MBA (Need official name)” forum emerging, alongside a mysterious “Reserved 20 10” destination.
There’s less out there about what the new iLife includes. Most of it comes from a product description for a book on the German Amazon site purporting to be an iLife ’11 instructional guide. CNet has it, via Google Translate:
“ILife ’11 may be from the content is completely revised and written in 64 bits. Improvements are mainly in iPhoto and the integration of social networks. iWeb is completely rewritten, and iDVD will disappear, but there are also still a new application. In this book the reader learns all about the new multimedia suite.”
PCWorld went ahead and imagined an ILife ’11. The event will be live-blogged by Engadget and CNet.