MacRumors Rumor Roundup for MWSF 2003

Prior to each MacWorld, MacRumors compiles a rumor summary, which is influenced by all available sources public or private.

iApp Upgrades and Costs

As first reported by this poster at AppleInsider, and later verified by both CNet and ThinkSecret, it appears Apple will start charging for upgrades to specific iApps... including iDVD, iPhoto and iMovie. The good news is that these iApps will get upgrades.

As per a previous report, iSync and iCal have already received minor upgrades in the past few days.

iMovie 3.0, iPhoto 2.0, iDVD 3.0 should debut at MacWorld SF 2003. These upgrades will provide further integration with other iApps. It does not appear that iChat or iTunes will be getting upgrades at this time.

Quicktime 6.1 is due at any time.

New App?

We've received hints for the past few months that a new Apple application is on the way. ThinkSecret is giving an Apple-Branded Browser a 75% chance of appearing. The iBrowse is also mentioned in the previously mentioned AppleInsider thread as being launched next week.

Other hints include MacWorld's Bruce Fraser's quote that "it will have something to do with processing pixels", while MacOSRumors hints at a music authoring application.

Airport, Bluetooth, Rendezvous and iMacs

Despite the cancellation of the FCC application for integrated Bluetooth, we've received word that Bluetooth is coming... with some rumors of iMac integration despite ThinkSecret reporting otherwise. Rumors of Bluetooth enabled Macs emerged from the Inquirer in early December and was repeated by MacOSRumors recently.

Airport is to be upgraded to 802.11g. per ThinkSecret, and also confirmed by our sources.

Rendezvous is also poised to be a significant technology in 2003.

.Mac

The online .Mac Address Book appears to be coming on Jan 7th. Rumors have all hinted at further .Mac integration with the iApp upgrades coming (see above). Beyond this, there are also rumors of discounted iApp upgrade prices to accompany .Mac subscriptions.

Xserve RAID

Last we heard, this companion product to the Xserve had been pushed back to early 2003.

New Devices?

There have been hints towards a surprise and of new hardware at MWSF... but few reliable rumors emerging. A few of the contenders include:

A Video iPod -- first rumored by MacNews... claiming color screen, MPEG-4 Video and AAC support. Unconfirmed submissions here claim it will act as a portable set-top player rather than a portable player in itself... with iMovie and iPhoto sync. These discussions have even spawned speculation by analysts.

Apple Tablet - posted as speculation by Matthew Rothenberg in November... but reportedly did have some basis in circulating rumors. And now... ThinkSecret not dismissing it as a possibility...

Other Roundups

LoopRumors.com and MacSlash post their predictions for MWSF.