14 DAY TRIAL // Seven days to go, and no one had a clue. Apple has started sending out invitations to a press event scheduled to go down on October 20, in the Town Hall of Apple’s Cupertino campus, where the iconic company seems to plan the unveiling of Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), and perhaps new hardware as well.
Invitations sent out to select members of the media bear an image depicting a lion peering out from behind the company's Apple logo, hinting at the unveiling of a next-generation Mac OS, likely dubbed “Lion”.
People familiar with the matter cited by AppleInsider say that distributions of Mac OS X 10.7 have been making the rounds inside Apple under the internal code-name "Barolo". The scenario seems plausible, given today’s confirmation that Cupertino had been planning a Mac-focused event for October 20.
There is reason to believe that Apple will not only unveil the next-generation Mac OS, but also new hardware, with some of its notebook computers (13-inch MacBook, MacBook Air) still lagging behind in terms of graphics and CPU.
The event may also witness the introduction of a new iLife suite, rumored to include a mystery application, and a re-written iWeb app.
While the announcement is surprising, those knowledgeable of Apple’s modus operandi will not be as stunned to see hints to a new Mac OS in today’s invitations.
Apple unveiled Mac OS X 1.6 aka Snow Leopard one year before its public debut. This strategy worked well for the Mac maker, which should give the company confidence that repeating the move this year will create enough buzz to keep the “Mac OS X Lion” headlines rolling.
Recent Apple patent filings indicate that the company is looking into ways to implement touch-based input into its desktop computers.
Speculators say that Mac OS X 10.7 may include support for such type of control, although it is too early to start detailing the possibility of using next-gen Macs like iPads.