MacWorld San Francisco 2003 Rumor Wrapup: Winners and Losers

After each expo, we look back and review the rumors leading up to the event... to find out the winners and losers... and also to determine where the best information came from.

12inch and 17inch Powerbooks

Apple did an excellent job keeping these laptops under wraps. While one faint whisper of a 17" Powerbook did arrive to MacRumors.com a number of weeks ago... it was dismissed as incorrect information. No one expected Powerbook upgrades for this MacWorld expo.

Last minute information came out the night before the expo... revealing both 12" and 17" Powerbooks... which spawned extensive disbelief.

While everyone suspected no Powerbook updates, ThinkSecret was bold enough to give it a 0% chance.

iMacs and eMacs

Updates to the iMacs and eMacs were the most consistent rumors surrounding this expo... with MacOSRumors, MacNews.net.tc, MacBidouille, and SpyMac predicting iMac and/or eMac updates at Macworld Sanfracisco.

We also suggested that iMac updates were possible as a vehicle for Bluetooth integration...

ThinkSecret, alone, correctly reported - with 100% certainty - no iMac/eMac updates at MWSF.

iPod II and iTablet

With tensions building... iPod II and iTablet rumors started spinning wildly out of control in the days before the MacWorld Expo.

Devices ranging from the iPod II to the iTablet littered the predictions of MacOSRumors ("a shoo in"), LoopRumors.com (iGadget), and MacNews.net.tc (iPod II)... with a surprising endorsement from eWeek/Rothenberg -- with what appeared to be details of an upcoming Apple Tablet.

No tablet made an appearance... but with the historically accurate eWeek on-board... we still take pause, despite Steve Jobs saying: "We're not sure the tablet PC will be successful" back in September 2002.

iApps and new Apps

ThinkSecret predicted Apple's new browser to be released at MWSF - with a 75% certainty. MacRumors received hints of Keynote in December but with little evidence to support it. Final Cut Express received no mentions prior to the expo... but the iApps were well predicted.

MacRumors' roundup detailed the release of iMovie 3.0, iPhoto 2.0 and iDVD 3.0 with further inter-app integration.

While iApp upgrade prices were predicted by both CNet and ThinkSecret, the actual release was less restrictive than rumors implied... with only iDVD really being a required purchase.


Bluetooth, Airport

Bluetooth was predicted with most certainty by the Inquirer... indicating that Bluetooth would be coming at MWSF. While MacNews.net.tc actually first reported (on Dec 31st) that 802.11g based Airport hardware was due for this expo.

Summary

Information was sporadic for this expo... with volumes of information floating around -- and even CNet inaccurately predicting a digital device, which never came to pass. Apple appears to be successfully clamping down on leaks... and as a result, accuracy of information is hard to assess.

In addition, the proliferation of rumor sites has saturated us with predictions based on predictions. Perhaps the most striking failures in this round comes from MacOSRumors - whose predictions were almost entirely incorrect, as well as traditionally accurate sites such as CNet and eWeek missing their target.

Rumors to Watch

Apple 'Junkyard' Trademark - is this another application like Keynote?

Apple 'iPhone' Trademark - also an upcoming App?

Apple 'XGrid' Trademark - ? clustering

Apple 'Gigawire' Trademark - well, it aint 1394b

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...