Friday, January 11, 2008 -- 2:42 p.m. -- on my couch

In an e-mail this morning, a friend of mine asked me what I really think is going to happen at Macworld.

I realized that I made 2008 predictions but that I really didn't make Macworld-specific ones.

That changes in 3....2.....1.....

Here's what I think we all have to look forward to next week:

These are the ones I'm most confident about.

iTunes rentals
The iTunes movie store is great ... but it could be better. Not everyone wants to buy movies and because movies take up valuable hard drive space, people would rather rent. Good, because Apple is poised to start the era of iTunes rentals. But, I think it will start at least as a hodge podge of rules and regulations from the companies that sign on -- for example, some prices may be different and there may be different rules as far as how long a rental works. In other words, I don't think this will be clean and elegant as the original 99 cents for every song solution. But, it's still important because of the next expectation.

Apple TV 2.0
The first Apple TV was pretty much a flop. Not like a Newton flop, but not widely accepted. It wasn't because the idea wasn't great, it was because no one was ready for it yet. Remember the scene at the end of "Back to the Future" when Marty plays the heavy metal at the 50s dance and everyone looks at him funny? Marty says "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet ... but your kids are gonna love it!" That's Steve Jobs. He's got the idea ... he just needs the audience. Movie rentals are what's needed. While some folks swear by and love NetFlix and others think video on demand on the cable box is king, Apple TV 2.0 will combine both of those worlds.

iTunes 7.6
I don't think this is a surprise since there have been photos online of what appears to be dialog boxes from a Fox DVD that includes an iTunes-compatible copy. And besides, we'll need software support for the rentals.

Ultra portable laptop
This is important -- it's not a tablet. It's a small laptop, more in line with the now defunct 12-inch Powerbook. But, it's much smaller. Much thinner. Much cooler. It probably does not have a hard drive, and if it's flash based, it will need more backup support because there are no 500 GB flash drives.

iPhone power
Last, but certainly not least in my list of I think so is demonstration(s) of the iPhone SDK. Several companies were given the keys to the castle in the form of an advanced copy of the SDK. The purpose is to create something so amazing that Steve Jobs can show it off at Macworld. Prepare to be absolutely blown away, because we all know that the iPhone SDK is based on Leopard and Leopard is amazing. Garmin -- the GPS people -- have said that they are going to show something pretty amazing at Macworld -- a guy on the company's blog called it Bobcat. Think about this -- Bobcat is a small cat. Smaller but just as powerful as say ... a Leopard? See what I'm getting at?

That said, here's what I'm putting a big ol' question mark next to -- never say never:

16 GB iPhone
Steve either thinks the time is right or he'll wait until a little later in the year. If the time is right, I expect the 8GB model to drop to $299 and the 16 GB model to take its place at $399.

New cinema displays with built in iSight
If the ultra portable ends up being that small, folks will be looking for a big screen to plug it into. Small and tiny on the road, powerhouse in the den.

Another mobile Apple application
I still say the iPhoto Mobile Store is the next big thing. Or a mobile version of GarageBand where you can make ringtones on the go, perhaps? Like I said, never say never.

Remember, I have no special info. This is me dissecting everything I read and using my Apple logic, which goes back about 24 years. I'll be finding out first hand on Tuesday. And then I'll come back here and see how I did. Sound good?

Of course, every topic is always open for discussion.

Thanks for calling. I will see you right here at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday for the big event.

I want to hear the rest of your iPhone-specific predictions! I know you've got some.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Actually, I'm erring on the side of caution and I think that the focus will be on the SDK as opposed to the hardware side.

I'm a low volume e-mailer obviously or I wouldn't ask this question but are you not able to Bcc somebody when using iPhone? I have rare occasion to use this but I can't believe the mail application doesn't allow for this. Checked all my mail settings and then the user's guide and found no mention of it anywhere?! Am I missing something....or is the phone?

SCOTT'S REPLY: Nope, it's not you. You can CC but not BCC. The only BCC option is under preferences where you can BCC yourself.

Personally, I'd rather the Garmin people give up on "Bobcat" and, instead, try to make the software they're shipping now actually useful.

I have a Garmin Edge 205 which I use with my bike. Great device. But the "Garmin Training Center" is exceptionally weak, especially compared with the PC version.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Peter, I'm about to make a confession. I have never used GPS ... and I have a feeling I'm really missing out.

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