MacRumors

iLife 05 -
all new versions of all the iLife applications
iPhoto 5
iMovie HD
iDVD 5
Garageband 2
iTunes 4.7 (same as current version)

iPod shuffle
512MB or 1G models starting at $99

Final Cut Express HD
now offers high-definition video (HDV) capability to beginners

Mac mini
Just 6.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall

iWork
Keynote 2 & Pages (word processing app)

Keynote Over - MacRumors updates shortly. Visit Apple Store to see what's new. Keynote transcript avaliable here.

IRC - Internet Relay Chat
In order of preference (please choose only one):

1) If you have an IRC Client, point it to server: irc.tecknohost.com channel: #macrumors for moderated Keynote updates, and channel #macrumorschat for live keynote discussion.
2) If you do not have an IRC Client or do not know how to configure one, choose one of the following options
a) Java IRC Chat - This Java-based client will also allow you to watch, but not participate.
b) MRChat 1.0.1 (Mac OS X download) - will allow you to watch updates, but will not allow you to chat during the event.
Live website updates
Live updates will also be provided on MacRumors.com. https://www.macrumors.com will direct you to the proper location when the time approaches.

Several sources have informed AppleInsider that Apple plans to open at least two of its own retail stores in Australia this year, starting with stores in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Apple Australia event for Apple's business partners on January 12 was rumored to be a possible sign that the iTunes Music Store would open in Australia. Now there is another possibility: retail store announcements.

There are currently Apple retail stores in 29 U.S. states, as well as Tokyo, Osaka, and London.

MacWorld.co.uk posts confirmation of previously posted images of an ad banner for the upcoming Flash iPod (Shuffle). MacWorld.co.uk provides the following description of the upcoming device:

The micro iPod is white, and will hold 240 songs but has no screen so will play the unlisted tracks in a set order or in random fashion. Four buttons are arranged in a square formation two large buttons and two smaller ones.

MacCentral reports that earlier rumors that there would be no live broadcast of the MacWorld SF Keynote are true.

In a statement released this morning, Apple confirmed that it will webcast the keynote -- but doesn't plan to do so until 6:00 PM Pacific Time Tuesday, nine full hours after Jobs' keynote is scheduled to begin.

No further details on the delay were given. It's unclear if Apple will allow the press to post live updates of the event.

Two new trademarks showed up on the US Patent and Trademark Office registered by Apple Computer.

Pages and Shuffle

Pages is rumored to be the name of Apple's upcoming word processing application (part of iWork '05). Meanwhile, Shuffle is now said to be the name for the upcoming Flash iPod (which will only come in a 1GB size, according to the most recent ThinkSecret report).

Marketing banners advertising the new iPod were posted earlier today.

In a last minute report, ThinkSecret reports that Apple will indeed update the PowerBook line with speedbumps.

The PowerBooks will still sport G4 processors, however, and the new high end will fall at 1.67GHz, while the 12" will be bumped to 1.5GHz.

The new PowerBooks will feature Bluetooth 2.0 support and minor storage and memory updates.

Macitynet.it claims it has some early photos from the setup at MacWorld Expo. The depicted sign reportedly showed images of the upcoming flash iPod with the slogan: "Life is random"

We cannot show the images of the new iPod because we were forced to delete them from our cameras, but we can describe it. It is without any screen (that's maybe because the slogan is "Life is random!"), small, with a shape more vertical than the other iPod. The color is white, and it seems like a small remote control that fits confortably in a single hand.

Only one day left.

Steve Jobs will deliver the MacWorld San Francisco 2005's Keynote Speech on Tuesday, Jan 11th 2005. Contrary to previous years, it appears there will be no live broadcast of this event. In fact, according to a small (unconfirmed) blurb on Keynoteuser, it's claimed that Apple may not allow the press to post any live newsfeeds of the Keynote at all.

This year's pre-expo hype has been accentuated by a number of actions by Apple Legal. In December Apple filed suit against three developers for posting early versions of Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4) on the internet. Apple also subpoenaed three Mac sites for information related to leaks about an unreleased product (presumed to be 'Asteroid').

Most striking, however, is the reported Apple lawsuit against ThinkSecret for posting trade secrets as well as soliciting contractually-protected information. In the past, Apple has brought legal action against individuals for leaking trade secrets (Worker Bee, PowerMac Photos) but this is the first time that it has brought direct legal action against a rumor website.

The surrounding legal action, of course, lends credence to certain rumors, published at the ThinkSecret site. This roundup reviews the most likely rumors for the upcoming MacWorld Expo.

Flash iPod

Talk of a Flash-memory based iPod has been ongoing for some time. An October analyst report indicated that a Flash based iPod was in the works with a 3rd party manufacturer of controller chips (SigmaTel). More hints in the following months led us to a rumor of a Flash memory-based iPod to be introduced in early 2005. A recent article provides confirmation as well as additional details: the Flash-memory based iPod is expected to come in 1GB and 2GB versions and start at $149.

Asteroid

In November, Appleinsider posted information of an hardware audio interface for GarageBand users which provides two XLR/ TRS audio input connectors, two RCA analog output jacks, and a standard headphone jack. This device is reportedly at the heart of some of the previously mentioned legal action from Apple. In the initial report, this device was expected to be released at MWSF, but little additional information has been released.

New Apps

One of the most detailed reports of new Applications coming from Apple came from this ThinkSecret report which is one of the subjects of Apple's lawsuit. The article describes an iLife '05 update providing new releases to iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and Garageband.

More significant is the rumored release of iWork '05 which will bundle two applications -- Keynote 2 and Pages. Pages is expected to be a word processing application to take place of Appleworks. It is unclear, however, if spreadsheet functionality will also be included.

Older rumors first labeled this application as "Document". Of uncertain significance, Apple also had previously trademarked iWrite in 2003. Finally, another historical rumor is that Apple reportedly acquired employees from GoBe, a BeOS productivity suite with an innovative design.

$499 Headless iMac

The most significant release from Apple at MacWorld SF may be this item. The $499 display-less iMac. The specs of the bare-bones machine is said to include a 1.25GHz G4 processor, Combo drive, and 256MB RAM.

The point for this machine is to lure PC users, already tempted by the iPod, to make a switch to the Mac platform (at least as a second computer system).

Other?

Most notable about the rumors leading up to MacWorld is the lack of rumors related to the other Apple hardware lines. Two hardware updates did occur last week -- Display Price Drops and Xserve updates, which ensures no further updates on those fronts.

Of the remaining hardware line, the PowerBook has the longest lead time since last introduction (April 2004), but no word on PowerBook updates have been heard.

Coverage

MacWorld SF 2005's Keynote kicks off at 9AM Pacific on January 11th, 2005. As always, MacRumors will try to provide live coverage for the keynote and/or provide links to the best available information.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett-Packard, announced that starting later this year HP will sell a version of the iPod photo. Story at CNET news.com.

The first HP iPod was discussed in this MacRumors news story: HP iPod To Appear September 5?.

eWeek reports that a Motorola executive previewed an upcoming mobile phone that plays iTunes Store music.

Apple and Motorola had previously announced that Motorola would be brining iTunes support to upcoming devices, with recent rumors describing the product.

According to eWeek, the new device syncs to iTunes like the iPod and incorporates a similar interface. The phone is expected in the first half of 2005.

MacInTouch claims that Apple will not be providing a real-time broadcast of Macworld SF 2005's keynote speech.

According to "an Apple note" forwarded to the site:

Apple will not be making satellite coordinates available. Although the keynote WILL be available on our web site - it will NOT be available until sometime AFTER the keynote is over. They do NOT have a time determined, so it may not be immediately after the keynote is over.

In recent years, Apple has provided both webcast and satellite broadcasts of MWSF Keynote speeches. No official announcements have been made, but, with only five days to go, the window is closing.

Several members have alerted us that Apple has quietly opened the iTunes Music Store in Ireland. Price: 0.99 per song.

The iTunes Music Store opened in the U.S. on April 28, 2003 (story, press release), along with the release of iTunes 4, with a price of $0.99 per song and a catalog of over 200,000 songs.

Apple released iTunes 4.1 for Windows on October 16, 2003 (story, press release).

The iTMS expanded to the U.K., France, and Germany on June 15, 2004 (story, press release), using iTunes 4.6 (released a week before), with a price of 0.79 and 0.99 per song and a catalog of over 700,000 songs.

The iTMS added the European Union countries of Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain on October 26, 2004 (story, press release), along with the release of iTunes 4.7, with a price of 0.99 per song. iTMS Ireland was notably absent, as were Australia and Japan.After missing their promised November 2004 deadline, Apple opened the iTMS Canada late in the day on December 1, 2004 (story, press release), with a price of $0.99 CDN.

ThinkSecret reports confirmation that Apple will introduce a flash-based iPod at Macworld Expo next week.

The new iPod will reportedly come in 1GB and 2GB versions according to the rumor site based on Samsung 1GB flash modules and will start at $149.

ThinkSecret reports that the Flash iPods are being built by Asustek as previously rumored.

Flash iPod rumors and speculation have been circulating since the introduction of the original iPod. Older iPod rumors listed at http://ipod.macrumors.com

According to MacWorld, Hitachi has announced at the CES show in Las Vegas they plan to at least double the current capacity of the 1" microdrive used in iPod minis within the year.

At present Hitachi's most capacious Microdrive can hold 4GB of data, but the new drives, due in the second half of this year, will be able to hold between 8GB and 10GB, said Bill Healy, senior vice president of product strategy and marketing at HGST.

In addition to offering more storage space, the drives will also occupy about 20 per cent less volume than current models, said Healy. One of the biggest space savings will come from replacing the Compact Flash interface with a ZIF (zero insertion force) connector of the type favoured by consumer electronics makers.

Hitachi will also employ similar space-saving techniques to its 1.8-inch drive family, said Healy.

New versions of 1.8-inch drives, also expected in the second half of this year, will feature ZIF connectors and weigh 49 grams. A drive with one platter will offer between 30GB and 40GB of capacity, and one with a double platter will have between 60GB and 80GB of capacity, said Healy. Additionally, the drives will offer better shock resistance.

CNET News reports that Apple is suing rumor site Think Secret for posting Apple trade secrets and for encouraging and inducing persons to provide product information in breach of agreements. Previously, Apple had named ThinkSecret.com, along with AppleInsider.com and PowerPage.org, in subpoenas while tracking down leaks of information about Asteroid.

The court filings list particular Think Secret articles, including the headless iMac and iLife '05 stories, without identifying which reported details are true.

"Apple has filed a civil complaint against the owner of ThinkSecret.com and unnamed individuals who we believe stole Apple's trade secrets," Apple said in its statement. "We believe that Think Secret solicited information about unreleased Apple products from these individuals, who violated their confidentiality agreements with Apple by providing details that were later posted on the Internet."

In the suit, Apple outlines the damage that leaks cause, noting that disclosures give competitors a head start and hurt the buzz created around its products. "Unauthorized disclosures diminish the interest of both the mainstream and trade media in the launch of a new product," Apple said.

Previous related stories: Apple Sues Over Leak, Apple Sues Tiger Leaks, $499 Headless iMac?, iWork '05 Productivity Suite?

[Update] Think Secret has released a statement addressing the suit

"We're confident that Think Secret's reporting is consistent with the right and privileges granted by the First Amendment," dePlume wrote. "The complaint is being reviewed, and Think Secret defers further comment until it has been analyzed."

[Update] The Mac Observer reports that the Electronic Frontier Foundation will provide legal representation to AppleInsider.com and PowerPage.org, but not ThinkSecret.com, in this matter.