Apple to Hold Event Next Tuesday
Apple has confirmed that it will be holding an event at 10 AM PT on September 12. However, in true Apple style, the Cupertino company remains mum on details. Invites to the event feature the Apple logo surrounded by four spotlights with the text "It's Showtime."
The company has used its invitations in the past to give subtle clues as to what may be unveiled at that event. Rumors have surfaced over the past several months that Apple is planning to offer full-length feature films through the iTunes Music Store.
"Like most past invites, folks are already looking into meaning behind the phrase 'It's Showtime' on the invite in Hollywood lights," JupiterResearch senior analyst Michael Gartenberg said.
Apple enthusiast site ThinkSecret said Monday that the event would herald the introduction of the second-generation iPod nano and upgraded fifth generation iPod, the introduction of the movie store, and an upgraded iMac desktop.
AppleInsider echoed ThinkSecret's story, but it said the main focus of the event would revolve around the introduction of the movie store within iTunes.
It is expected that at least one major movie studio will make films available immediately for $9.99 USD per download. While it was initially rumored that the movie studios were pushing for a rental-based stucture, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has apparently convinced Hollywood to abandon such a strategy.
Jobs has been a vocal critic of subscription-based content services, arguing that consumers would rather own their content than rent it.
Among the enhancements to Apple hardware will be the addition of Nanos in multiple colors much like the iPod Mini and increased capacities. The upgraded standard iPod would have additional capacity at current price points.
The iMac is expected to gain a Core 2 Duo processor and a high-end 23-inch widescreen model. It is also possible Apple may unveil some type of VESA-compatible mounting kit for the computer at the event, ThinkSecret reports.
Notably missing is the much-rumored touch-screen iPod, which neither site expected to appear at the show. However, AppleInsider said sources indicate that the 'one more thing' that commonly appears at Apple events could be a new device altogether.
AppleInsider says some type of video streaming device may make its first appearance at the event. This could signal Apple's first move into the living room, insiders say.
But details on the device are scant, and it is said work on the device is one of the most closely guarded secrets at Apple since the introduction of the iPod in 2001. The device is rumored to have been produced out of a recognition that consumers would likely scoff at watching full-length movies on the small screen of the iPod.