New iPod--but not video--on next week's itinerary
By Ryan Katz, Senior Editor
October 6, 2005 - Since coming forward with information about Apple's anticipated announcements next week, sources have clarified that while the October 12 event will not deliver a video iPod, Apple is expected to unveil a lesser update to the full-size iPod.
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The new iPod will reportedly be available in capacities up to 80GB and will be slightly smaller than current color iPods, sources have said. It's not known whether Apple will keep the player's white casing or go with a silver version Think Secret sources spied in January. Contrary to Apple's initial estimates, iPod nano sales have favored the black units; some observers have speculated that Apple may choose to offer another color alongside the iconic white and chrome.
Sources have been unable to clue into any other major improvements intended for the new iPod, although new software improvements introduced with the nano can be expected to be on board.
While a video-capable iPod is in development, without the agreements nor infrastructure in place to deliver movies to customers through a store-like interface, Apple sees little value in releasing such an iPod at this time.
Apple insiders have also said executives see consumers needing the capability to easily import the DVD movies they own to a usable format (similar to the encoding functionality provided for audio CDs with iTunes) in order for a video iPod to be truly successful. The complexity to date of accomplishing such a feat has meant only a minority of computer users have dabbled with watching full-length movies on their computer, with most of the, having acquired the content through file sharing services.
PowerBook, Power Mac details
Updated PowerBooks expected next week will sport higher resolution displays, sources have said. Although specific resolutions are unknown, sources expect the number of pixels packed into the displays to increase by about 15 percent on the 15- and 17-inch models.
Much how Apple abandoned monochrome screens in its iPods this year, as Think Secret foretold in February, sources reveal the company plans to have widescreen displays in all of its systems in 2006. While it's possible that the 12-inch display currently featured in the PowerBook may be replaced with a widescreen model now, it's more likely to arrive next year.
Both updated Power Mac and PowerBook systems are expected to use DDR2 memory, delivering performance improvements beyond the typical processor speed bumps. At least one Power Mac G5 configuration will feature IBM's PowerPC 970MP dual-core processor, while PowerBooks are expected to see their PowerPC 7447A processor replaced with a slightly faster 7448 model.
While the new Power Macs and PowerBooks are expected to arrive alongside the new iPod at next week's October 12 event, sources stressed that the hardware upgrades could be announced in a different manner, or exclusively by press release, during the week.
