MWSF 2002 Rumor Roundup

Ok, with everything that's been flying around, I felt it appropriate to summarize before the big event:

PowerMacs

Speed has been the primary focus... with a range of reports of 1ghz G4's (MacUser UK) to G5's entering production (The Register). With the hype surrounding this launch, people are focusing on expectations of huge speed increases... however, if past experience is any guide - it is very unlikely that Apple/Mot will be able to meet such high expectations. Note during the last 6 month period prior to MacWorld NY, Mhz increased by 134mhz.

iMacs

The buzz around the rumormills ever since the iMac was first introduced in 1998 has been the possibility of an LCD iMac. With hints (Quanta Order) around, it seems this may finally be due. Continuing at least one model of the "classic" iMac CRT seems possible (MacMinute) to keep prices reasonable (sub $1000). 1 Ghz speed of the iMac G3 has been suggested (IBM 750FX), however, that particular chip was only supposed to begin "sampling" this month, and it's unlikely Apple would fit their entry level Mac with a faster (in Mhz) processor than their Pro Macs.

iBooks/Powerbooks

TiBook has been recently updated, so not much speculation surrounds it... and there are only hints of speed-bumped multicolored iBooks (ThinkSecret)

Monitors

Railhead Design reported that Apple would drop it's low end 15" LCD, and introduce a 19" Studio Display to fill out the line -- with hopeful price cuts as well. Of note, EETimes introduced the possibility of a larger Cinema Display with max res of 2048 x 1280 as well as research into "stereoscopic" displays.

Other...

Of PDA's and Transporters... a lot of hype was generated by the iWalk story... however, likelyhood of this seems very low - especially since SpyMac themselves dismiss the chance of it being introduced. If Apple is to live up to the hype, I feel this category is where it will fall. However, information in this area is lacking.

As tomorrow approaches... One thing to keep in mind is to keep your perspective.

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