MacRumors

With Macworld San Francisco (MWSF) quickly approaching, the Mac rumor scene has been buzzing with rumors and reports. As usual, MacRumors provides this Rumor Roundup as a summary of major rumors circulating around the Mac Web before the big event. In last year's roundup we discussed Flash Based iPods (-> iPod Shuffle), New Apple Apps (-> iWork), and a $499 Headless iMac (-> Mac mini) during the pre-show roundup.

Intel Macs

The big news this year was, of course, Apple's announcement that the Macintosh will be moving to Intel processors. Understandably all eyes are on this possibility at this year's Macworld, despite official promises that the first Intel Macs would be shipping by mid 2006.

Interestingly, the first rumors and speculation about the Intel Macs came from Intel's processor roadmap. Immediately following the announcement, MacCentral sources pointed to Intel's upcoming low-power dual core Yonah processor as the likely candidate for the first of the Intel Macs.

First actual hints at a timeframe came in November with an early report from Appleinsider that the first Intel Macs would be appearing "much sooner" than mid 2006.

There has since been a flurry of disjointed rumors about various Intel Mac models appearing in January -- Mac mini (Forbes), iMac (Appleinsider), iBook (ThinkSecret).

Amongst them, however, ThinkSecret appeared most confident with a report from "reliable sources" that Apple is planning on introducing both Intel iBooks and Mac minis at MWSF 2006.

The new iBook is expected to be a widescreen model with a 13.3" screen 1280x720 screen. This correlates with an earlier report from Appleinsider noting a similar 13" widescreen look to the upcoming iBooks. And indeed our Buyers Guide shows that the iBooks have had the longest lead time since their last update.

Meanwhile, the Mac mini is expected to evolve into a digital media hub with support for DVR, an iPod Dock as well as an updated Front Row media application. We've also received hints that Apple is planning on adopting Intel's Viiv platform which promises to help provide much this functionality.

iPod

With back to back releases of the iPod nano and the 5G iPod before the 2005 shopping season, there are few expectations for updated iPods in January.

Only the iPod shuffles are expected to be updated, but with few details on the changes.

iLife '06

Apple typically updates their iLife suite of applications each year at Macworld San Francisco. This year appears to be no different after a small mistake on Apple's website Thursday morning. Apple's site revealed links to iLife '06 as well as a new application called iWeb.

There's been very little information about upcoming iApps from Apple this rumor season, but Appleinsider claims that the new application will be a Web design application with "easy drag-and-drop capability for a variety of Web-optimized content and media types."

Other?
There has been surprisingly little buzz about brand new products from Apple. One potentially interesting rumor of an Airport Express for Video appeared in early October and was coupled to an accurate report of the 5G iPod. Though no further rumors about this product have since surfaced, it would fit in conveniently with a media center Mac mini.

Finally, Appleinsider also reported that Apple is planning new iPod "companion" products -- one of which will be an iPod Boombox unlike "anything Apple has released in the past".

Coverage

Apple will not be providing a live Quicktime stream of the event. Instead a replay will be posted following the keynote address. MacRumors.com will be providing live coverage if at all possible.

In the meantime, you can read an insiders perspective on Steve Jobs' lead up to the keynote and all the preparation required:

Steve starts his preparation for a keynote weeks in advance, reviewing all the products and technologies he might include.

iLife '06 Discount: order here
An astute reader has noted a slip-up on Apple's Garageband website which reveals that iLife '06 and a product called "iWeb" will soon be released -- presumably at Macworld San Francisco.

The Apple page provides links discussions on "iWeb", listed as a product along side iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand and iTunes.

Under additional resources, they list a link to "iLife '06 features".

The iWeb link is not yet live, while the iLife link simply points to Apple's general iLife pages.
A screenshot is available if the page is changed.

Update: Page has been fixed already.
Update 2: Readers note that it appears that according to this page, you can import Video to Garageband, suggesting support for Video Podcasts.

Bill Gates gave his keynote speech at CES on Wednesday night. CNN offers a summary of events of the presentation.

Microsoft unveiled a new music service called "Urge". Previous reports of Urge had revealed that Microsoft and MTV were joining forces for the new music service. The new service launches with over 2 million songs for purchase or subscription-based service. Few other details are otherwise available. The Urge.com site simply says "Coming Soon." Urge will be promoted through their Windows Media Player and appears to be Microsoft's answer to iTunes.

Gates also announced partnerships with Intel and their Viiv platform which will allow users to have more entertainment based machines -- providing DVR functionality and more. Microsoft's upcoming revision to Windows called "Vista" will be the operating system for these machines.

Also mentioned:

- DirecTV Content transferable to Portable Media Centers
- Upcoming HD-DVD support for Xbox 360

Intel's keynote takes place Thursday night and will presumably reveal more information about the Yonah and the Viiv platform. Traditionally, CES has been of limited direct interest to the Macintosh platform, but with the switch to Intel processors taking place, Intel's plans become far more relevant.

ThinkSecret reports that Apple will be showing off some new products at the National Association of Broadcasters this year which takes place April 22-27, 2006 in Las Vegas.

According to the rumor site, the new products include Final Cut Pro 6, Final Cut Extreme and Xserve RAID Extreme.

Final Cut Pro 6 is said to include 5.1 surround sound editing, 1080/24p and 1080/30p DVCPROHD support. Even fewer details are available about Final Cut Extreme which is said to be "an extremely high end version of its video editing software" and is targeted at current Avid users. The new software will require the highest end hardware and be priced close to $10,000.

Also hinted at is a larger Cinema Display to support 4520x2540 resolution of an upcoming 3rd party digital video camera.

Motorola has posted information on a new product called the Music Duo.

The Music Duo provides Bluetooth capabilities to the iPod for use with Bluetooth headphones. The Music Duo also provides simultaneous connectivity to your Bluetooth capable phone... passing through a telephone call and pausing the music while you take the call.

This product or similar ones may be what was hinted at by Motorola Car Product Manager in Feb 2005 when he said that "consumers will soon be able to listen to music wirelessly from their iPod through their car speakers." At the time, people assumed that Apple would be incorporating Bluetooth technology into the iPod itself.

Features of the Music Duo listed include:

- Provides seamless connections to both your iPod and compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone
- Music pauses for incoming calls and resumes when calls are complete
- Compatible with Generation 3 or newer iPod players that have a Dock Connector (i.e. iPod, iPod mini, iPod nano)
- Compatible with any brand of Bluetooth 1.1 or 1.2 enabled phone that supports headset and hands-free profiles
- Compatible with Bluetooth Stereo Accessories

Apple has not offered a live streaming feed for their Macworld Keynote addresses for a number of years. One reader forwarded an email from Apple's Investor Relations which confirms that Apple will again not be providing a live feed for Macworld.

Thank you for your email. A replay will be available on http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mac.html, but there are no plans for live streaming.

Macworld San Francisco kicks off next week. Steve Jobs is scheduled to provide the keynote address at 9 AM Pacific on January 10th, 2006.

MacRumors, of course, will provide live coverage if at all possible.

NotebookReview posts specs and photos of the Acer TravelMate 8200 -- a PC notebook to be announced this week which will feature Intel's new dual-core Yonah processor.

To avoid any confusion -- this is a Windows PC laptop -- however the specs can give us some idea of what is capable from upcoming Intel based Mac laptops, which are rumored to share the Yonah processor.

The Acer TravelMate (photo) has the following specs:

- Core Duo 2.0GHz (Yonah)
- 2GB RAM, 15.4" Screen, SATA HD, ATI Radeon X1600 512MB
- 6.6 lbs
- 6 hours of battery life
- Carbon Fiber finish lid

Meanwhile, The Register reports that Intel has started shipping the 65nm Dual Core Yonah processors. The prices for the Intel processors are organized on this chart. Prices for the processors are individual prices when purchased in lots of 1000.

Walt Disney announced that they will be adding content from ESPN and ABC sports shows to Apple's iTunes Music Store.

Walt Disney said on Tuesday that the content will include condensed versions of all four U.S. Bowl Championship Series college football games this season, as well as content from ABC Entertainment, Touchstone Television, ABC Family, ABC News, Buena Vista Television, the Disney Channel and SOAPnet.

Disney reports that "America's Funniest Home Videos" as well as the 1970's "School House Rock" clips will be available on iTunes later this month.

This follows on the heels of Vongo's announcement for a $9.95/month unlimited movie download service. Vongo's has reportedly been in talks with Apple about providing support for Vongo on the Mac/iPod... but Apple has yet to express interest in it.

Of note, some speculation claims that Content providers such as Disney may make as much as a 70% split on Apple's $1.99 iTunes Video sales... bringing in up to $1.39 per purchased show, which is reported to be comparable to a DVD sale.

Apple released a Bluetooth Firmware Update for Mac OS X 10.4.3 which improves Bluetooth performance and reliability issues. The Update is available via Software Update and also as a standalone installer.

The Bluetooth Firmware Updater supports D-Link USB Adapters and Apple internal Bluetooth modules on the following CPUs:

* iMac G4 (Gooseneck)
* 12" Titanium PowerBook
* 15" Titanium PowerBook
* iMac G5
* Mac Mini

According to The New York Times, Motorola's upcoming revision to the ROKR E1 will not include Apple iTunes Music Stores support. Instead, the ROKR E2 will support a new subscription music service from Motorola called iRadio.

The iRadio service, will include 435 commercial-free radio channels, including genres such as Heavy Metal, Rockin' Cowboys and Angry Women. Its satellite rivals also provide specialized music channels, often without ads.

The Motorola ROKR E1 was the first cell phone to provide support for Apple's iTunes Music Store. The phone, however, was met with poor reviews. Last we heard, Motorola was revamping the ROKR to address these shortcomings. Apple iTunes support, however, appears to have been dropped with the revamp.

Motorola, however, still offers iTunes support in their recently announced RAZR V3i phone.

The New York Times is reporting on the announcement of a new unlimited movie download service from Starz Entertainment. The $9.95 a month subscription service called Vongo will allow users to download movies from the Internet for use on their computers, portable video players and TVs.

Starz had previously offered a movie download subscription through RealNetworks but has now switched over to Microsoft. Microsoft will be heavily promoting Vongo in an upcoming release of its Windows Media Player software and as content for their Portable Media Player devices.

The service is available at Vongo.com and currently offers 800 movies for download at $9.95 a month. Users are allowed unlimited downloads. Movies are in Windows Media Player format, widescreen aspect ratio and approximately 600MB in size. (Example Specs: The Incredibles comes in a 700Kbps bitrate, Windows Media 9, 64Kbps stereo WMA9 audio, and 680x368 resolution.)

Movies are playable on up to 3 computers or portable media players.

According to the article, Starz has not been able to work out an arrangement for Vongo to work on the iPod. As well, at present time the service does not work on Macs, but according to their website:

Vongo is currently PC based, but will soon be Mac compatible (really!)

This service was previously rumored. Apple has been generating a lot of press with the early success of their Video sales on the iTunes Music Store. At this time, however, Apple is only offering television show content, music videos and Pixar shorts.
Update: Macworld reports that Vongo has been in contact with Apple, but are still waiting to hear back regarding Apple's interest.

SeattlePI reports that a company which is currently is making video display products for the military and industry is moving into the iPod market.

eMagin Corp has developed a wearable headset video-system for Apple's latest video iPod. The video appears in front of the viewers eye with the impression of the 105-inch display from 12 feet away.

"Suddenly you've got this big-screen, movie-screen, home-theater experience, wherever you are," said Gary Jones, eMagin's president and CEO.

A photo demonstrating the unit can be seen here.

The Street speculates that the 1GB iPod shuffle is to be replaced or removed from the Apple product line, based on growing evidence:

* A survey of Apple retail stores.

* Apple's online store, which still says "Currently Unavailable" for the 1GB iPod shuffle, as noted in mid-December.

* The unavailability of this iPod model at major retailers, including amazon.com.

This further supports previous rumors that Apple will introduce new iPod shuffles at Macworld San Francisco.

Much of the news surrounding Apple these days has Intel intimately involved. Intel Macs are widely expected to be announced soon at Macworld San Francisco.

Businessweek looks at Intel and their recent corporate shift which will be featured at CES next week.

Indeed, Intel does plan to change their corporate branding by changing their logo and spending $2.5 billion advertising and marketing blitz. Now led by Paul Otellini, Intel is shifting its focus from PCs alone to software and hardware "platforms" ranging from consumer electronics to health care.

Apple's role in this is also a departure for Intel:

For years, Grove and Barrett pooh-poohed Apple as a niche company whose products had sleek form, but nowhere near the function of computers with Intel's chips. Yet Otellini set about wooing Jobs almost from the start.

Otellini believes that Apple has been a front-runner in design and "as they start taking advantage of some of our lower-power products, that form factor will improve significantly. I think it will help drive a trend toward smaller, cheaper, cooler."