A mysterious guitar-shaped invitation to an Apple product launch at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco this afternoon has prompted the usual speculation over what new goodies Steve Jobs is about to unveil.
There’s no reason for Beehive not to join in the fun, so here’s what (or what not) to expect later today.
The backdrop to the launch is that iPod and iPod Touch sales are falling year-on-year, which is a particular concern to the music industry, since the knock-on effect is that iTunes download sales are also slowing.
Apple usually upgrades its iPod line in September but a complete refresh is overdue, to bring the device more into line with the expectations of iPhone users. Expect the iPod Touch to get features like cameras, video chat and a higher-resolution screen. A new iPod Nano with a small touchscreen could be in the offing.
The music invite suggests an iTunes overhaul, with a move into social streaming possible to meet the challenge from Spotify, allowing users to exchange and share details of songs or movies.
It’s tipped that iTunes users will be able to listen to 60 or even 90 seconds of a song before purchasing it, instead of the current 30 seconds clip. A full-on subscription streaming service linked to new range of iPods would be a bold play. But it might be too soon for the move into a fully Cloud-based iTunes service, which would allow users to stream music to iPhones and iPads.
Apple is committed to device that streams Internet video directly to television sets. The Apple TV receiver hasn’t really taken off so it’s time for an upated version running iOS.
Rental of hit TV shows like Glee as soon as they have aired looks like big business to Apple and there are plans to announce 99 cent rentals through iTunes from Fox and ABC. An App store for Apple TV could kickstart the initiative.
So far Google TV, powered by Google’s Android software and Chrome Web browser, which will be accessed using Sony’s next generation of Web-enabled televisions, looks like it’s ahead of the curve.
The music industry will have mixed feelings about Apple’s attempt to revitalise iTunes and the iPod range. Any means of encouraging people to use legal digital services is welcome but a crack in the Apple edifice could allow record companies to pursue alternatives mechanisms in a bid to wrest back control of their business.
Sony is today expected to announce to a move to use its PlayStation consoles as the launch point for a new music and video subscription service service that could operate across Walkman music players, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs, Blu-ray players and mobile phones.
So tune in at 17:00 GMT at apple’s website to see how much of the miasma of speculation is true. Or not, since Apple has decided to broadcast its conference using HTTP Live Streaming, which only runs on the latest Apple products. A wonderfully propietorial gesture.
