Speculation is running rampant about the details of Apple's special announcememt next week. The leading thought is that Apple will formally announce a partnership with Motorola and Cingular to create a cell phone that is capable of playing music purchased from the iTunes store.
This could be very cool. At the moment, my iPod stays locked in my car where it powers the integrated iPod connector in my MINI. I just have too much stuff to carry around and a cell phone, while not as fun as an iPod, is just the more practical choice. Combining an iPod with a phone removes the need to chose.
I'm normally a little wary of "convergent" devices that do a bit of everything but nothing particularly well. Still, Apple has a good track record of developing stylish and functional products, so my hopes are high.
This could be enough to push me to switch mobile providers to Cingular. Of course, with my luck, the new phone will be backlogged for months before it becomes available.
However, speculating on future Apple products is a difficult game. Some times the rumors are dead on. Other times they completely miss the mark. Another theory is that Apple will announce the next generation of iPods that come with ability to play video clips. This is a natural evolution from the current line of photo iPods.
My hope, however, is that Apple will announce that the iTunes music store will begin selling music videos. This is a market that is tragically underserved and one that I am eager to start spending my money on.
The iTunes store has had music videos available for viewing for some time now. Selection, however, remains limited. I would love to buy a smattering of new videos each month to create a record of the sights and sounds of the new and popular music for the month. Oh, and if this is truly the year of HDTV, as Steve Jobs has declared at both Macworld and the WWDC, it wouldn't hurt if the videos came in high definition format.
