MacWorld Expo San Francisco '00

So what about next week's MWE SF '00? A new PowerBook is badly needed. It is the only member of the 4-cell product matrix without a recent revision and its sales were down 19 per cent in 1999. Everyone expects a PowerBook update and I think Jobs is unlikely to disappoint them. The most certain new features are a FireWire port or two, a speed bump to 500 MHz, a faster graphics chip and AirPort. Are SCSI and infrared finished? Maybe but I hope not. In the next tier of possible new features, I would include the iBook battery technology and a new design/color scheme to distinguish the PowerBook G3 2000 from it predecessors. Steve loves surprises so what might they be? How about backlighting the translucent keyboard with optic fibers from the screen back light so as to not expend more power? How about less weight? I think both are possible. What about a 15" screen? I don't think this will be a feature as it adds weight, size and significant cost to the already large PowerBook.

What about other products? Well, there is the 500 MHz G4 for the Power Mac line but that is already promised. If it's mentioned, it will be more in passing and during a speed whipping of the fastest shipping Wintel. My opinion is that the next big Power Mac G4 announcement will be when the G4 can hit 600 MHz or beyond. The new iMacs just debuted and are available in quantities so I don't expect anything more for this product line until the spring. An Apple-branded PDA, as Macs Only! forecast for MWE NY '99, and internet service are still possibilities so let's wait and see.

As for software, Mac OS 9 will be getting an updater soon and that might be mentioned but just in passing unless it adds new features rather than being a bug fix. I expect the latter. QuickTime 4.1 may be mentioned. We haven't heard anything from Apple about Mac OS 10.0 since last May. I know it's Mac OS X but Steve Jobs called it "Mac OS 10.0" (he actually said "ten point oh") and so did his slides when he discussed it at the WorldWide Developer Conference. Macs Only! reported last April 28th that Mac OS 10.0 Product Manager Ernie Prabhakar told our editor that a preview release would be out at the end of the year. I expect Steve Jobs to make this the second jewel of his MWE SF '00 keynote with a demo by Apple VP for Worldwide Marketing and DemoMaster extraordinaire Phil Schiller.