So at 9am PST (3AM QGLDT) tomorrow, Steve Jobs will once again don the black turtleneck and tell the world what they should now throw away, and start saving up for to be "cool" and "hip".

Plenty of rumors:

- Ultra-thin laptop - halfway between Macbook and Macbook Pro, with no optical drive, and possibly no hard drive (flash based). Possibly with some sort of multi-touch input device builtin (replacing trackpad?)

- Movie rental service for the iTunes music store - expect onstage hand jobs (no pun intended) from a couple of higher ups from studios (FOX, Disney, etc)...but not Universal :)

- 3G for iPhone

- New iPhone firmware/development announcements

- New iTunes release (adds rental support, but also new 'iPod ready' DVD ripper - iPod converted video content is now automatically provided as DVD-ROM content on newer DVD releases, but inaccessible until tomorrow)

- Blu-ray positioning announcment

- AppleTV firmware or product reboot


Discuss.

- Ultra-thin laptop - halfway between Macbook and Macbook Pro, with no optical drive, and possibly no hard drive (flash based). Possibly with some sort of multi-touch input device builtin (replacing trackpad?)

Looks like they're still to discover the clickable mouse touch pad like all other laptops...

Eh? You mean tapping?

yeh something along those lines lol

yeah the rumour going around is flash memory instead of harddrives. Anyone seen the new E PC's from asus they have 4 or 8 gig hard drives (upgradeable with simply SD cards)and are basically tiny laptops they dont run windows unless you install it.

maybe it will be a second button on their mice/trackpads as standard.

O MY THE INNOVATION!

hopefully an annoncement about the apple tv... something that makes it not s*** and useful. it's the right price if only there was a point.

Looks like they're still to discover the clickable mouse touch pad like all other laptops...

maybe it will be a second button on their mice/trackpads as standard.

System preferences answers both these questions, tada:

http://www.shalomlevytam.com/images/LeopardTwoFingerRightClick-001.png

Oh and Apple mice have 4 (maybe 5?) buttons...


last edited by simul at 13:29:35 15/Jan/08

Apple TV with a tuner would make it actually useful, but I don't see it happening.

I reckon the whole subnotebook thing is just another case of the industry saying "we want this, so we're going to report that Apple are actually developing/releasing it" in a hope that they do. Same thing happened with the 13" MacBook - it was ages before it was actually released after all this stuff was around.

No doubt it'll have more studio announcements, maybe even DRM-free MP3s from the ones who have just signed up to Amazon.

IIRC Apple already sell some DRM-free mp3s?

This would be cool (..if there's really something in the air)

I think this year it's something to do with wireless connectivity.

Trackpad 'tapping' f***ing pisses me off to no end - I disable that s*** immediately.


Two-finger scrolling on the other hand, needs to be adopted by all - it is the One True Way (of tran)

now watch as apple put a magsafe adapter on the end of a giant lightning rod, paint is silver and call it "iRod classic"

I think this year it's something to do with wireless connectivity.

That would explain the "There's something in the air" campaign Apple have been running this last couple weeks.

They are coming out with a thing that looks like a Mac computer, however it has no computer in it... it's merely a dock for the Mac Book... then it turns into a computer...

last edited by Idol at 16:18:40 15/Jan/08

I read a blog somewhere suggesting they might let us stream from a Macbook to a iphone via bluetooth/Wi-Fi while the laptop is closed.

Prob is bluetooth is a energy whore.. throw in a 3G chipset as well to an already overloaded device. ugh.

not long now!

Hmm, so far:

- New Airport Base Station - Time Capsule - let's you backup your Time Machine images wirelessly from notebooks. Choose between 500GB or 1TB models.

- New iPhone software revision *yawn*

(haha - you can text more than one person now - I honestly thought that was a stock standard feature)

- New apps for iPod Touch, but you pay $20 USD to have them

- Movie Rentals...for those that don't know about BitTorrent

- Apple TV Take 2 - no more needing a PC. Supports new rental service for DVD quality and "HD" quality (can't wait to see it say 720p only..heh)

last edited by Creepy at 04:47:27 16/Jan/08

thumbs up on the time machine time capsule thingo... definitely needed!! iphone of little interest to me until its released in aus.. (no way im buying one over here), apple tv is interesting since they're really trying hard to push into that market.. so is microsoft through the live platform and netflix is quite the player in online streaming... Laughable that the apple tv upgrade is free and the itouch ain't

Bring on the sub notebook ffs...

And here it comes!! wootah, buying one...

last edited by Boxhead at 05:10:28 16/Jan/08

Crazy. Specs that are s***e, for a price double that of a Mac Mini?

Just to have a state of the art form factor?

No Ethernet, only one USB, and you have to pay extra for a Superdrive external optical drive to reinstall your purchased OS.


No thanks...


And here I was hoping for a refreshed, 13.3" MacBook Pro.

based on form factor mostly.. I'm on an g4 ibook (1ghz), i don't use cds/dvds (apparantly it can make use of other machines drives if necessary), i don't use ethernet and if i was going to have it on the desktop i'd probably use a keyboard and mouse (usb hub via keyboard) other then that the only other thing i'm plugging into the thing is an ipod and maybe an external drive..

i can see some hassles maybe updating the ipod with backed up music from the external usb drive but i can see myself getting the time capsule/wireless drive anyway

Granted going down that track almost guarantees me getting an imac down the line or darei say it a mac pro instead of using a macbookpro as a desktop replacement/laptop but i just can't justify the hassle of the extra weight/size

Ah, another paper release. Apple finally learning from nVidia?

Boxey, hold off on that Mac Pro till April (NAB2008).

Methinks there'll be new ACDs and possibly Blu-Ray...

I'm a bit bummed. I want to move into something new, like a MacBook Pro, but I like the 12" form factor of my current "Mid-2005" G4 iBook. Still no sign of a 13.3er, and now it looks like there never will be one (for the MBP line).

They're also pushing the hell out of Apple TV, which means my hope of a refresh to the Mac Mini hardware (as a media player) is probably gone too.

Time to save for an XBox 360.

haha. I lol'ed.

LOL if you don't already have all the apps that are "new" on your Touch, and as if you'd pay $20 for them. Maybe I can start charging people $10 to hack their iPod for them...

Movie rental system I can definitely see myself using depending on costs, quality, rippability etc.

Has anyone with a jailbroken iPod updated iTunes/QT yet?

ipodtouchfans.com forum already has how to jailbreak to 1.1.3... which means I'm going to have to trawl through about a million noob posts to get any useful info.

EDIT: FALSE... They do not... not yet anyway.

last edited by B.Hardball at 08:41:26 16/Jan/08

The maps app actually looks like it's been heaps improved... I think if I didn't already have all the apps, $20Aus might almost be worth it for just the mail and maps apps.

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features.html#maps

What are the chances that Apple might want to get into the $200 laptop business?

The new iPod firmware seems much better (alas to be whole for another $20). I'd like to have a 'clean' ipod install as there are only a few little programs i use but not that much anyways.

They should have made them free but $20 for some useful legit apps isn't so bad with the ease of being able to update firmware in the future without breaking ur whole setup. For me the jailbreak has only rly given me A) a little money manager (which I don't *rly* need to manage my savings) and B) some fun but short lived games like iPhysics and things since Ive gotten over some the other games ive got.

last edited by ³dee at 09:27:04 16/Jan/08

What are the chances that Apple might want to get into the $200 laptop business?

Extremely unlikely. Apple PCs aren't about low-cost/high-volume. It would be damaging to their brand.

It would be damaging to them if "kid laptops" and "Africa laptops" do not have Mac OS. Generations of people without mac exposure... doesn't make them mac adults in the long run...

The new iPod firmware seems much better (alas to be whole for another $20). I'd like to have a 'clean' ipod install as there are only a few little programs i use but not that much anyways.

They should have made them free but $20 for some useful legit apps isn't so bad with the ease of being able to update firmware in the future without breaking ur whole setup. For me the jailbreak has only rly given me A) a little money manager (which I don't *rly* need to manage my savings) and B) some fun but short lived games like iPhysics and things since Ive gotten over some the other games ive got.

When you put it that way, it seems even more tempting. I use the iPhone apps quite regularly, so $20 is decent, but that's US. I use a few little game apps here and there which I'm sure will be redundant come 3rd party apps.

$20? They can f*** off. That is f***ing obscene, especially for a device that cost so much to begin with.

Once again Apple demonstrate you should NEVER buy their first release products, because they'll either be s*** or they'll find a way to screw you down the line.

This also makes me wonder about their 3rd party app dev kit - there's no way they could get away with charging $20 for a couple of s***ty applications if their SDK had any real value, because people would just quickly knock together free competing applications.

Jobsie said something to the effect of the (proper official endorsed) SDK coming out Real Soon Now™

So maybe plonking down the dollars won't be necessary if you're prepared to hold out a couple of weeks.

Agree about 1st release comment - the Apple track record hasn't been too crash hot of late.


EDIT: Keynote video available, in s***ty, streaming-only, non-iPod/iPhone-compatible QuickTime - www.apple.com

last edited by Creepy at 10:49:27 16/Jan/08

Still no 3G iPhone lol. Nothing at this year expo report really blows me away. Not that I'm an apple fan but, sometimes they do released some sexy hardware that tempted me for about 10 nano seconds, then I realised it's Apple...

I'm pretty much not surprised; I wasn't expecting anything too big - I think a lot of the next year or so will be working in software for the iPhone and trying to boost that market (and it follows, iTunes), given that it was such a big investment for them (and it has such massive profit potential).

AppleTV sounds interesting - but can it play people's existing collection of xvids/divxs? I think that was the sweet spot with the iPod - it gave them a way to sell legitimate content but meant people could still use their old stuff they'd ripped/downloaded ages ago. I'd like to see them release a swank DVR a la XBMC.

I still wouldn't buy it because I think they're COCKS now because of this ipod touch thing

On the MacBook Air, here's a good post on Slashdot summarising the differences between the MacBook and MacBook Air. Summary is MacBook Air sounds like a bit of a scam for the extra cost.

last edited by trog at 11:31:42 16/Jan/08

Nah Trog - AppleTV, like iPod, only plays their MP4 w/ AAC formatted video.

In other words, you need to convert. However, newer DVDs you buy will automatically include an iPod-ready version on the disc that iTunes can import and transfer to an iPod/AppleTV - Family Guy: Blue Harvest is the first disc to have this feature.

If you're looking to play other video formats, Mac Mini is the only real viable solution - and that too has failed to get a refresh in specs. The rumors started a year ago that Mac Mini is on the outer, could be true - particularly since Apple are still trying to push their paperweight(AppleTV) product. Mac Mini has a bit of a following as an alternative media player to your Xboxen.

last edited by Creepy at 11:42:19 16/Jan/08

Once again Apple demonstrate you should NEVER buy their first release products, because they'll either be s*** or they'll find a way to screw you down the line.

Considering Touch came out so long after iPhone, it isn't even really a first release:/ Still, $20 is only two jugs of beer at the pub.

In other words, you need to convert. However, newer DVDs you buy will automatically include an iPod-ready version on the disc that iTunes can import and transfer to an iPod/AppleTV - Family Guy: Blue Harvest is the first disc to have this feature.

I doubt this will be DVD quality though??? I just spent big bucks on the Apple proprietry cable that lets me watch stuff from my iPod on a TV, so I need everything at highest qual.

H.264 at Standard Def resolution lets you get away with a fair bit in terms of bitrate. Plus, you'll only have probably one audio track (2.0 stereo?) and no other extra features - it'd be the main feature only.

The whole purpose of this is to discourage ripping, and simplify the process for those unaware of ripping.

Does anyone know the best settings for Videora, or any other rip program for that matter? I want to rip whole avi's or DVD's in the best quality with original aspect ratio. Everything that I have used randomly screws up aspect ratio or sync or something (which is most notable on a bigger screen). It's fkn annoying that it's so inconsistent.

Try MediaCoder, it has a magic ipod profile that probably will figure everything out automagically for you.

Been there done that. It seems to only want to encode at the ipod resolution and doesn't seem to offer anything higher.

? I want to rip whole avi's or DVD's in the best quality with original aspect ratio.

Why would you rip AVIs when DVDs have mpegs on them?

Find out what the highest bitrate for DVDs is and rip MPEG at that rate.... I used to know it...

Some experts on DVD production even suggest keeping the maximum MPEG-2 bitrate at 6Mbps.

I think I use 8 though...

last edited by Idol at 15:50:21 16/Jan/08

So when are they releasing 1.1.3 update on iTunes? I wanna get it.

Why would you rip AVIs when DVDs have mpegs on them?

I don't quite understand your question... do you mean in the future when more DVD's have mpegs on them? If so, then see my comment before the one you quoted:

I doubt this will be DVD quality though???

isnt AVI and MPG a container for the video/audio in whatever codecs they are compressed in?

Battery on the air is not user replaceable... $129usd to apple and they will replace it for you.. that makes me a sad panda since my ibook has been fantastic since i got a 2nd battery for it... 8-9 frickin hours of power baby depending on what i do... just can't buy that value when you're stuck in an airport terminal

f*** apple tv. use a 360 or ps3 to stream video to your tv, pretty much all stuff works without converting.

What about playing wirelessly to airtunes speakers with your touch, thats what I want ffs

nevermind billy I didn't actually read what you said

So why does Steve keep saying available today on the keynote yet even Google is still saying "1.1.3 leaked features" etc etc. I wanna get this new update dammit

Did you update iTunes? I checked to see if I could update and it asked me if I wanted to, but I didn't because I'm going to keep my jailbroken 1.1.2 for a little longer. I assumed if I updated iTunes it would ask me if I wanted to do my iPod too...



last edited by B.Hardball at 19:16:24 16/Jan/08

iTunes updated my iPod touch to 1.1.3 a couple hours ago

hmmm. Got new iTunes 7.6. But maybe because mines 1.1.1 jailbroken it doesnt want to OR i have to go 1.1.2 then 1.1.3?

So why does Steve keep saying available today on the keynote yet even Google is still saying "1.1.3 leaked features" etc etc. I wanna get this new update dammit

There was a leaked version of 1.1.3 floating around, iphone dev team got it early and were working on it i heard.

Yeh mines downloading 1.1.3 now. Decided to just completely restore my ipod to 1.1.2 (already downloaded it) to get rid of jailbreak crtap on the non firmware partition of the iPod.

Kinda odd that Google search only brings up pre-release fashion results.

Dammit. Payment processing is temporarily unavailable. You may continue to browse the store... etc

Well, got the new firmware and they've decided to change the dock to the iPhone metallic dock. Its cool but i want my shiny iPod dock back!

now watch as apple put a magsafe adapter on the end of a giant lightning rod, paint is silver and call it "iRod classic"

My my, that almost sounded like cynicism about apple marketing strategy. I never thought i'd see the day where you were dissing Evil Empire Mk 2 Simul.

3d, you end up getting the apps or what man?

yah. its good news

Still happy you paid the extra dude? I'm thinking about getting them today.

Yeh its good. Id rather not but the legit apps + updated maps etc and the icon rearrangemtn and webclips makes the 'legitamising' of the ipod worthwhile. Coz then u can update without it breaking ju ipod.

NM - just realised they have already jailbroken 1.1.3:

http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30575

Hahah sweet.

IMO, why buy and hack an ipod touch for $400 when you can import an iphone for $100~ more? Seems like a smarter move to me.

Does it? Sheesh... I guess we have egg on our faces.