The annual Consumer Electronics Show will invade Las Vegas this week, running from Thursday, January 6 through Sunday, January 9. Although Apple historically doesn’t attend this four-day showcase of digital delight, that doesn’t mean that the rumor mills aren’t churning round the clock leading up to the big event just the same.
Missing the days of yesteryear when Apple presented such delights as the original iPhone at Macworld Expo in 2007? The Consumer Electronics Show, which often competed with Macworld Expo in past years, has now become the digital playground for almost everyone who isn’t named Apple Inc., but that hasn’t stopped many folks from speculating that the company will announce something cool off the show floor anyway.
Here’s a roundup of what the Internet has been buzzing about in the run-up to CES 2011.
Verizon iPhone
You’re sick of hearing about it, and the pundits are likely sick of writing about it. Most everyone agrees that Verizon will get the iPhone eventually -- after all, AT&T will one day run out of potential new customers for the device, so Apple’s future growth is tied to its expansion to other carriers. Much like The Beatles often-predicted arrival on iTunes, the question is ultimately, when will it happen?
Despite pre-holiday reports stating that Verizon Wireless was ready to take the CES stage at 8:30am on January 6 to make an iPhone announcement, Businessweek has it on good authority that the actual announcement will come after the big show, with speculation pegging a February 14 (aka Valentine’s Day) date for lovers of the big red carrier. Hey pal, don’t come crying to us with your disappointment until then.
iPad 2
Apple announced the first iPad model on January 27, but more than a few people believe that a sequel to the hot-selling tablet may be announced imminently, and be available even sooner than the original, citing increasing competition from Android tablets that will likely swell to a crescendo at this week’s gadget show.
Once again, we’ll throw some cold water on those rumors -- Apple likes having the limelight all to themselves, so we’re guessing any iPad 2 announcement will come later in the month, at a more intimate event of Cupertino’s choosing. That said, they could always rain on everyone else’s parade by announcing the new product during CES, effectively stealing the thunder from the companies who have spent a small fortune going there in the first place while Apple sits at home in their lofty compound.
iWork ’11
This one is technically cheating since it’s not a CES-related rumor, but Apple will open the doors to its Mac App Store on January 6, the same day that CES kicks off. You can bet we’ll find plenty of third-party apps to gorge on Thursday, but we’re also placing our bets that Apple will seize the opportunity to offer a few treats of their own.
Among the most rumored Apple software to launch with the Mac App Store is iWork ’11 -- or rather, the ability to purchase the three separate components of the productivity suite individually, which will be a first for the company. Screenshots of the Mac App Store first shown back in September seem to all but confirm that Pages, Numbers and Keynote will make their debut as Mac App Store apps, particularly since the same Apple event introduced iLife ’11 alone, which has traditionally been offered for sale side by side with iWork ’11.
What we don’t know is whether or not Apple will continue to offer the disc-based iWork’ 11 -- we figure they will for the folks who prefer packaged goods, at least for now.
ZAGGMate iPad Case and Keyboard
Never mind the fact that ZAGG has already been selling their portable case with keyboard for the iPad for a month already -- PCWorld is reporting that the early success of the accessory has pushed the company to prep a new version to be announced at CES. The $99.99 Bluetooth-enabled ZAGGmate with keyboard is made from “aircraft-grade aluminum” and doubles as a hard case for the device when you don’t need to tinkle the keys, so to speak. Also available without keyboard for $30 less, although if the “rumor” is true, we’d say wait and see what ZAGG’s refresh looks like when it rolls out this week.
AirPlay Devices
Introduced with iOS 4.2 in November, Apple’s wireless AirPlay technology is only as good as the hardware you can stream it to -- which for most people is Cupertino’s own Apple TV, at least at the moment. We’re anticipating a lot of home audio companies will be jumping on board with AirPlay compatibility this week, although it will take further iOS software updates from Apple to make the technology truly spectacular, at least where video is concerned.
iPad Subscriptions
Rumored to have launched last month, digital publication subscriptions have been a no-show on the iPad thus far, which many seem to believe will be the saving grace of otherwise lackluster magazine and newspaper sales on the tablet device. News Corp. is apparently ready to take the wraps off their own 99 cents per week digital-only newspaper The Daily this month, but that will likely require Apple to tweak iOS, at least for the iPad. It’s another long shot for CES, but perhaps the Mac App Store won’t be the only thing Cupertino rolls out on Thursday.
Intel’s Sandy Bridge Core Processor
This one is no longer a rumor -- Intel made it official early on Monday, and the laptop-friendly processor seems likely to debut on the Mac in the near future. AnandTech’s early tests of the new Sandy Bridge core processor show a lot of promise for performance and battery life, but once again, don’t look for Apple to make an announcement this week about it.
Samsung Takes on the iPod touch
This one appears to be all but confirmed after showing up for sale on Amazon’s U.K. site. Samsung will follow its Galaxy Tab assault on the iPad with a smaller Galaxy Player, which is essentially their Android-powered take on the iPod touch -- it’s basically a Galaxy S smartphone without the phone, much in the same way that the iPod touch is the same to the iPhone 4.
Of course, what remains to be seen is whether or not anyone will care. The iPod touch has showed little signs of stopping its continued domination in recent quarters -- except, that is, among potential owners who’d rather have the cell phone to go along with it, and they’re buying the iPhone 4.
Skype 3.1?
After being teased via a series of clever Twitter posts, Skype 3.0 for iPhone rolled out last week, squashing rumors that the company would make a huge video-centric announcement at CES 2011. While they lived up to their promise of sharing moments as they happen, many expected them to go a step further with the ability to record video events rather than simply stream them to other iPhone or desktop users.
While it seems unlikely to go a step further for now, perhaps Skype still has a little something up their sleeve for CES -- say, a 3.1 update which adds universal compatibility for the iPad and video sharing capabilities that FaceTime can only dream of.
iPad Lite
Despite CEO Steve Jobs bagging on smaller-form tablets, there are still plenty of folks who fully expect Apple to fill the gap between the iPhone/iPod touch and the iPad with something along the lines of a seven-inch iPad. Competitors such as Samsung and Archos have been all too happy to work that business model on the Android front, so the only question now is, when will Apple do the same? If you answered, “At CES 2011,” you are probably alone in that sentiment.
Got any Apple-related CES 2011 rumors we haven’t caught wind of? Chime in with your comments below and share with the rest of us!
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
沒有留言:
發佈留言