What will Apple deliver tonight?
Updated on 05 September 2007
'It's going to be big,' promises the PR but 'big' once meant new iPod speakers. Expect slightly more tonight, says our technology correspondent.
Apple will tonight hold one of its legendary press launches. As ever the company has remained tight-lipped about what the event is about but invitations have been duly sent out to the world's press.
Technology journalists have been badgered by Apple to attend either the actual press launch by Steve Jobs - CEO of Apple - or the live relay in London at the BBC Television Centre.
I went through a series of telephone calls with Apple and its press agencies as they implored me to attend the UK relay.
"It's really important," said one senior figure, "I can't tell you what's being announced though because even I don't know what it is, but it's really important."
A digital radio receiver is of course interesting but by no means unique or necessarily that useful.
One technology insider mused: "They say this every time, one 'big' launch was simply new speakers for the iPod, hardly breaking news."
The launch this evening is likely to be more important than new speakers for the iPod.
By all accounts it will be the next generation of the iPod family. A larger screen for the iPod video and a new version of the smaller iPod Nano.
There is also considerable speculation that some of the new models will include a digital radio receiver and the ability to connect wirelessly to the internet to purchase new tracks.
A digital radio receiver is of course interesting but by no means unique or necessarily that useful.
Digital radio, particularly in Britain where we have among the lowest audio quality bandwidths in the world, is not that suited to mobile use.
Anyone with a digital radio will be familiar with the fact that the signal occasionally cuts out and that if you dare to move your receiver you can lose the ability to locate particular stations all together.
The wireless internet element is much more significant.
Apparently, the new iPod will have a touchscreen rather like the iPhone, allowing users to more easily navigate around their music but also presumably the web.
An internet element will also add new revenue opportunities for Apple, to further monetise their iTunes store. Customers in theory will be able to purchase and download tracks directly to their iPod on the go rather than having to go to their PC or Mac and purchase them at home.
A further suggestion is that the choice of UK venue, the BBC Television Centre is significant. It's thought that Apple has signed a deal with the public service broadcaster to allow some of the content from their iPlayer to be downloaded free from iTunes.
At present only Windows XP users can access the 400 hours or so of free content that the BBC makes available through the license fee.
All of these are still just rumours and will be either confirmed or denied by Steve Jobs at 6pm. What is almost 100 per cent certain is that the Beatles' back catalogue will finally be made available to online music lovers.
