14 DAY TRIAL // Over at store.apple.com, the folks in Cupertino, California are featuring the typical message saying Apple is busy updating its store, with the promise that it will be back online shortly. The move comes in the wake of widely reported rumors that the company is planning to upgrade its iPod line, although such a move would require a proper media-focused launch, rather than a simple updating of the Apple.com online store. However, a new MacBook Air is likely to emerge, with the ultra-thin notebook remaining the last Mac that hasn’t seen a revision in well over a year.
Nevertheless, it is always exciting to see the yellow stickies-style note saying “we’ll be back soon”, with every Apple fan knowing this means an update of some kind.
Besides new versions of its flagship iPods, Apple is also expected to introduce upgraded MacBook Airs, going by recent analyst reports, although details on the hardware specs are scarce. One analyst projects that Cupertino will be introducing these in September, alongside new iPods. Others claim Apple is gearing up to host an iPod-centric event as soon as next week, citing reliable sources within the company. It remains to be seen who is accurate in these predictions, and who is not.
The most recent Mac upgrades were announced two weeks ago when Apple introduced three new versions of its popular, all-in-one iMac, and beefed-up configurations of its Mac Pro workstations, as well as the all-new Magic Trackpad, and an Apple-branded Battery Charger. The Mac mini has also seen a significant revision recently.
Apple is keeping up with the times on the notebook front too. However, the super-slim MacBook Air remains the only Macintosh computer that hasn’t been upgraded in quite a while. Therefore, we’re particularly curious to see if the Mac maker has finally decided to make the ultra-thin laptop more attractive, be it through higher specs, a smaller price, or both.
Also rumored is the upcoming availability of iLife ‘11, a revision to the suite of multimedia applications that ships with every new Mac. Currently comprised of five key apps - iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, iDVD, and GarageBand - iLife is said to drop iDVD in the upcoming version of the suite, and deliver a new, mystery application.
Until Apple opens the virtual doors to its online store again, Softpedia readers are encouraged to share some predictions in the comments.
Update: Apple has re-opened the doors to its online store. The first change we could spot was availability of new Mac Pro computers with up to 12 processing cores. With all the hype surrounding potential hardware upgrades, few may have remembered that Apple was actually on track to put its new Mac Pros up for sale. So much for cheaper MacBook Airs (at least for now).