Apple New Toys

Apple has a special event scheduled for Sept.5 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Apple has stated that there will be a major announcement. This usually means a product announcement, and in the fall it usually means a new iPod. There is also a chance that the long awaited Beatles catalog will finally be available on iTunes. Apple ( computer company) settled with Apple Corps., ( the record company) in February. Apple Corp. sued Apple when Apple started iTunes, saying in part that Apple (computer company) was encroaching into Apple Corps. field. This little bit of news and speculation was enough to raise Apple stock by $5.72 to $131.13. Since apple does not discuss future product plans, this is all speculative. The Wall Street Journal  reports that there will almost certainly be a new family of iPods. The biggest change would be that the new iPods would use Mac OS, which is currently used in the Mac, iPhone and Apple TV. What this would do is turn the iPod into a gadget that Apple can develop a lot more software for. Analyst also believe that the iPod will get a cosmetic change. The design of the iPod has  basically remained the same. SInce the price of the iPhone went down , it is expected that the iPod will follow suit. Some analyst are predicting redesigned MacBook and MacBook Pros at lower prices. It should be noted that historically Apple has done one product unveiling at a time. This does not mean they would not change the practice, but with Christmas so soon after, I would think they would come out with the iPods now and the computers closer to the holidays. The long fabled touchscreen Mac is not expected to launch until 2010, but analyst believe that a smaller MacBook Air is likely for 2009.