What Came True

Macbook Pro

Most notably, Apple unveiled the brand new 17″ Macbook Pro. It has adopted the unibody design and also brings with it some major innovations in battery life. When Apple first unveiled the new unibody notebooks back in October, early speculation pointed towards a Macworld ‘09 release. This prediction was looked at as relatively natural, and Apple even murmured a few notes pointing to a “few month” delay. As Macworld grew near, 9to5mac was first to announce anything noticeably major surrounding changes to the 17″ Macbook Pro. They specifically pointed to the embedded non-user replaceable battery, and a major jump in battery life. MacRumors also heard similar whispers, and prior to the event was able to reaffirm the legitimacy of the information. The design changes that the 17″ Macbook Pro got were obvious, but nobody new Apple would offer a $50 anti-glare option.

iTunes Loses DRM, Three Tier Pricing & Over the Air Downloads

Cnet correctly reported a good amount of information regarding Apple’s then unannounced iTunes update. Information about new tiered pricing, over-the-air downloads and massive updates to the DRM free catalog of music were all correct.

iLife & iWork

While it may have seemed easy to assume these update were coming. MacRumors found a nice piece of confirming evidence before the official announcement. Up until then, mentions of iWork (or parts of it) moving into the cloud, were all that was reported about.

Strong Cloud Computing Push

9to5mac brought the first word that this was happening. In fact, they even new the name would be iWork.com and called the launch date. After we found out what might be coming, we did a little investigation ourselves and were able to completely confirm the rumor, along with some new pricing and presentation info. Specifically, we had the name iWork Online thrown at us, but it ended up just being iWork.com. Additionally, our sources revealed that this would be free from Apple, which also turned out to be correct, only in the form of a beta tag. Parts of the information both 9to5, as well as ourselves received about iMovie cloud updates were a little blurry, and no significant updates to a web based version of iMovie were announced.

What Did Not Come True

Mac Mini

A few weeks back, Wired introduced the notion that Apple would be updating the Mac Mini in time for a Macworld appearance, even providing some rather detailed specs from what was noted to be a trusted source at Apple. Leading up to the event several others followed suit as Apple Insider was under the impression that the low-end desktop would receive dual display support. While Ars Technica did buy into the indication that the Mac Mini would receive updates, they remained weary of the dual display support. TUAW provided there own take regarding the purported changes, yet were stifled by an opposing report. Bottom line: no updated Mac Mini appearance at Macworld 2009 and the future of the desktop remains unclear.

32GB iPhone

Back in November we received word from an unconfirmed and anonymous source that a memory bumped 32GB iPhone would be making an appearance in January. The tipster stated, “That rumored red iPhone… It’s not happening. The only iPhone news I know for certain is that it’s getting bumped to 32GB in January.” While 32GB iPhone rumors have surfaced before, information pertaining to Apple’s stockpiling of NAND flash pointed toward larger capacity devices. Macrumors was able to solidify a technical explanation of what was possible for this. It’s important to note that the tip clearly states “January” as the launch month, and not Macworld specifically, so there are still three weeks for this to happen which would make the tip accurate. Here at MacBlogz, unconfirmed sources and tips remain just that: unconfirmed.

Snow Leopard Demo

Digitimes was first to report about a possible Snow Leopard demo at Macworld. AppleInsider hammered home the notion of a Snow Leopard demo at Macworld. Both were wrong. Information first made public by MacRumors is perhaps the only solid information from a proven source regarding Snow Leopard and a tentative launch date.

iMac

Last October, claims supporting the notion that Apple’s all-in-one iMac would be getting speedbumped in time for the holiday season, proved to be incorrect. Following these reports, Digitimes, who tout a relatively accurate track record (lately), reported that updated iMacs would make a January appearance. Additionally, AppleInsider vehemently sided with a PC Perspective report that detailed expectations of a 28″ iMac. This was also inaccurate. Whether we see this in the future remains unconfirmed, but it did not show up at Macword.

Be sure to read our Rumor Roundup which was put together before the Macworld keynote.

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2. Apple’s Phil Schiller to Demo Snow Leopard at Macworld?
3. Macworld 2009, Registration Extended and What To Expect [U]

It is a common perception that Macworld can be rather gender-biased event as upon first glance you may notice more individuals possessing a Y chromosome. Ahh, but this myth has now been debunked as we present you with the Macworld 2009 booth bunnies. What’s a booth bunny? In keeping with many basic principles of sales 101, the old adage of sex sells, remains as present as ever. Lets have a look at this year’s contenders.

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1. Hands On: Axiotron 15″ Modbook Pro (Photos)
2. Weekly Recap: Macworld Before and After, TidBits, and Suggested Reads
3. Welcome to Macworld 2009, Getting Settled In (Photos)

The new 15″ Modbook Pro is set atop an existing Macbook Pro. Prior to this Modbook Pro, Axiotron only offered standard Macbook configurations so this new Pro model is definitely a step up. If you send them your existing Macbook Pro to get modded, you’ll be looking at a $3,049 pricetag. If you opt for a brand new setup directly from Axiotron you’re looking at a more hefty $4,999 pricetag.

The Modbook Pro is much more seamless than the regular Modbooks. The screen lies flush with the surrounding bezel as apposed to bulging up on the outside.

The images above are of a prototype in a clear plastic case. Axiotron only had one model out of the case and we were able to get a few minutes to privately talk about the device and see how it looked first hand. In our time at Axiotron’s booth, it was apparent that by taking Wacom tablet technology, they were able to bring some really interesting input concepts to market.

Axiotron Modbooks in general are much more widely accepted than many other third party manufacturers. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak fully endorses and supports Axiotron and he was at their Macworld booth today, and should be nearly everyday for the rest of the week.

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1. Booth Bunnies Make the Macworld Go Round (Photos)
2. Hands On: 17″ Unibody Macbook Pro (Photos)
3. Weekly Recap: Macworld Before and After, TidBits, and Suggested Reads

Beginning today, all four major music labels—Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI, along with thousands of independent labels, are now offering their music in iTunes Plus, Apple’s DRM-free format with higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings. iTunes customers can also choose to download their favorite songs from the world’s largest music catalog directly onto their iPhone™ 3G over their 3G network just as they do with Wi-Fi today, for the same price as downloading to their computer. And beginning in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29, with most albums still priced at $9.99.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer our iTunes customers DRM-free iTunes Plus songs in high quality audio and our iPhone 3G customers the ability to download music from iTunes anytime, anywhere over their 3G network at the same price as downloading to your computer or via Wi-Fi,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “And in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points—69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29—with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29.”

See Apple Press Release

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iPhoto ‘09
iPhoto ’09 makes it even easier to browse and search photos, not only by when they were shot (Events), but by who appears in them (Faces) and where they were taken (Places). iPhoto automatically scans photos to detect people’s faces and when you assign a name to any face iPhoto will automatically find more pictures of that person. The library can be searched by name or browsed using the new Faces View. Places automatically imports photo location data from a GPS-enabled camera or any iPhone™ or you can manually assign a location to any photo, group of photos or event. Once iPhoto knows where photos were taken, you can easily explore them with a simple search or an interactive map. iPhoto ’09 lets you easily publish photos to Facebook or Flickr. Photos published to Facebook include assigned names, and name tags added on Facebook sync back to iPhoto. You can also share photos by creating a themed slideshow to play on your Mac, iPhone or iPod®, or create a beautiful travel book, complete with customized maps of your journey.

iMovie ‘09
iMovie ’09 adds powerful, yet easy-to-use new features to let you create a movie quickly, or add refinements and special effects to your project if you have more time. Drag and drop one clip on top of another to reveal new advanced editing options, including replace, insert, audio only, and even picture-in-picture or green screen. With the revolutionary Precision Editor, you can skim and click on a magnified filmstrip to view clips up close and fine tune any edit, like identifying precisely how much to keep, where to cut, use sound from one clip with video from another and more. iMovie ’09 analyzes video and reduces camera shake in clips when added to your project. New titles, transitions, cinematic effects, speed changes and animated travel maps add professional polish to your movie.

GarageBand ‘09
GarageBand ’09, the updated version of Apple’s popular software used by millions to play and record music, now gives budding musicians a fun new way to learn to play piano and guitar. Basic Lessons let you learn the fundamentals at your own pace with Apple instructors in beautiful HD video synchronized to animated instruments and notation. Artist Lessons feature original artists showing how to play their hit songs with everything from finger positions and techniques to the story behind the song. Choose from lessons by popular artists including: Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, John Fogerty, Ben Folds, Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder and Sting. Artist Lessons are sold separately at the new GarageBand Lesson Store, available inside the GarageBand ’09 application. GarageBand ’09 also includes exciting new guitar amp and stomp-box effects, and Magic GarageBand Jam that lets you play along with a virtual band that you create.

iDVD ‘09
iLife ’09 includes iWeb ’09 for authoring custom websites and iDVD ’09 for creating DVDs. iWeb ’09 adds new iWeb Widgets, such as iSight® video and photos, a countdown timer, YouTube video and RSS feeds. New integrated FTP publishing allows you to publish your website to virtually any hosting service and updates to your site can now be automatically added to your Facebook profile.

Pricing and Availability
iLife ’09 will be available this month for a suggested retail price of $79 (US) through the Apple Store®, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The iLife Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after January 6, 2009 for a shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). Artist Lessons are available through the GarageBand Lesson Store for $4.99 (US) each.

See Apple Press Release

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1. Apple’s iLife ‘09: Reviews From Around the Web
2. iLife ‘09 Set to Ship On Tuesday, January 20th?
3. Apple Unveils iWork ‘09, Cloud Computing Push Was True

The scene seems very excited and we expect Phil Schiller to deliver a solid keynote. Meanwhile, here is a first batch of photos as we get settled into our surroundings.

During our stay, if there’s anything you want to specifically see, drop us line. For tomorrow’s keynote, be sure and check out our favorite places to get our liveblogging fix.

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Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs:

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

Statement by Apple’s Board of Directors

It is widely recognized both inside and outside of Apple that Steve Jobs is one of the most talented and effective CEOs in the world.

As we have said before, if there ever comes a day when Steve wants to retire or for other reasons cannot continue to fulfill his duties as Apple’s CEO, you will know it.

Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its Board.

Both official statements can be found in the PR section of Apple’s website here and here.

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Every year, thousands of top industry professionals and Apple enthusiasts get together in San Francisco, CA at the Moscone West to celebrate culture, technology and the way Apple has influenced the industry as a whole. This year is Apple’s last year in attendance. We will be covering all the angles of this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, but when it comes to live-blogging, some of our friends have cooked up some nice ways to deliver the fast paced news. Below are a few helpful links for you to click come keynote time.

As more of our favorite liveblogging destinations post their links, we’ll add them above. Enjoy !

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New iMacs

READ → Back in October there were claims that Apple’s all-in-one iMac would be getting a speedbump prior to the holidays which turned out to be incorrect. Still, an iMac refresh or speedbump is expected. Digitimes, which has become a fairly accurate source of information lately, has reported that new iMacs are expected in January. Whether they show up Macworld or not, is still unconfirmed.

A Strong Cloud-Computing Push

READ → 9to5 perhaps brings the most solid track record to this year’s rumor roundup. They’ve kicked things off with some rumored updates to iWork and iLife. Apple may be taking a portion of these applications to the cloud, integrating deeply with Mobile Me and diversifying the offerings they have in the web-app space. Speculation has grown prior to the event, as people are unsure how Apple’s stability in this space has been measured after last summer’s shaky Mobile Me launch. Interestingly, MacBlogz has been able to confirm the information along with some pricing info, and an overall perspective on how Apple may present the new information. It’s also important to note that Phil Schiller debuted Apple’s latest foray into cloud computing, Mobile Me.

32GB iPhone

READ → Back in early November, MacBlogz received an anonymous tip pointing to a 32GB iPhone to be released in January. “That rumored red iPhone… It’s not happening. The only iPhone news I know for certain is that it’s getting bumped to 32GB in January,” the tipster explained. The 32GB iPhone rumors have been around for a while. Information surrounding Apple’s aggressive hoarding of NAND flash also lends itself to the release of higher capacity handhelds. Recently, all iPhone retailers have been making more aggressive plays at cheaper pricing, but it remains Apple’s jobs to innovate the device itself. Additionally, MacRumors clarifies a few points regarding this information and what is technically available.

Snow Leopard

READ → Many believe that Apple will at least show off a demo of Snow Leopard next week. MacRumors was first to make public a slide from Apple’s Director of Engineering of Unix Technologies Jordan Hubbard presentation. The slide explains that Snow Leopard is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2009. A Macworld release date might be premature, however a demo is entirely possible. Website TheGaurdian.co.uk also expects Phil Schiller to demo Snow Leopard at Macworld.

Mac Mini

READ → Wired kicked things off regarding the Mac mini. Being a credible source themselves, they explained that a trusted person told them about the Mac mini and that is “a lock.” They expect Apple to unveil the Mac mini and kick-off Macworld with the announcement. Additionally, Apple Insider reports that the upcoming Mac mini will get dual display support, while Ars Technica leaves that confirmation up in the air. TUAW explained what they thought were upcoming design changes for the Mac mini, but the information doesn’t seem very concrete, as a contradicting report points out.

17″ Macbook Pro

READ → Even though Apple left out the 17″ Macbook Pro from the latest round of notebook refreshes, it is still believed to be receiving the same unibody enclosure as its little brother. One report came in pointing out that quad core chips were ready and priced accordingly for this update. Apple Insider thinks that a delay was affecting the release of the notebooks, however Apple may have been waiting for additional internals in order to separate the 17″ Pro models from the rest of the line. Additionally, 9to5Mac has released some interesting information. According to their sources, the 17″ Macbook Pro will indeed be unveiled during Macworld, and it will have an interesting new twist surrounding the battery. They explain that Apple may have changed the Macbook Pro’s design to include a built-in, non-user replaceable battery. “The news is that Apple is making a super slim battery pack for the 17 inch MacBook Pros that will last much longer than current models,” Seth Weintraub explains. MacRumors has also heard whispers confirming the new battery.

MacBlogz will be at Macworld this year providing lots of exclusive coverage of the entire event. If there’s anything you would like us to cover at any point during Macworld, drop us line and let us know… We’ll check it out and get it up. As for live-blogging, we’ll point you to some of our friends that have cooked up some custom live-blogging solutions for the keynote.

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There’s usually a few banners that Apple displays which remain completely covered up with white tarps prior to the event. During the keynote, when CEO Steve Jobs has historically unveiled new products, Apple drops the covering tarps and reveals the banners. This year, it will be Phil Schiller addressing the crowd at Macworld, not Steve Jobs. But banners concealing new products have still been raised.

Both photos reveal very little. Reports of a disappointing Macworld led many to believe nothing new would be announced this year. Still, the covered banners stir the notion that something will most likely be unveiled.

“We snapped a photo of the rehearsal live feed through the open door of Mira’s mobile unit. The individual on stage wasn’t Schiller, and actually looked more like Al Gore or Intel chief Paul Otellini. Probably just a random tech guy…” AI explains.

Photos via AppleInsider

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