Apple Media Event for Rack-Mount Server-But What Else is Coming?


ThinkSecret is reporting that Apple will hold a special 'media event' for the release of the its rack-mount server, announced by Steve Jobs at the World-Wide Developers' Conference. The event takes place Tuesday 14 May.

While the release is well-known, and the event an open secret, there is some conjecture over whether Apple plans to launch the much-rumored iBook revision.

IGM has previously questioned whether the 14.1" iBook will replace the 12.1" model across the board, with a new 12.1" 'eBook' taking up where the small iBook left off. In the wake of the recent eMac release, an 'economy' eBook, targeted at schools, has been widely anticipated.

Jason O'Grady's PowerPage opines the dropping of the 12.1" iBooks is unlikely, arguing that the retention of both 12.1" and 14.1" models is likely. They also predict 600 and 800MHz G3s, which puts them perilously close to the TiBooks (667 and 800MHz G4)s - especially in the eyes of those who don't know the difference (to prove my point, I recently explained to a PowerBook user that a 100MHz 603e is not necessarily faster than a 66 or 80MHz 601).

O'Grady's also predicts a 16MB Mobile Radeon and a "possible resolution increase". The former, I suspect, is very likely, particularly given the WWDC's preview of Jaguar suggested 16MB VRAM would be "enough" but not optimum (i.e., 32MB) for Quartz Extreme.

The latter rumor - upped resolution - is probably not in the works for the iBook. At a marketing meeting, we'd be asking, "how close do we want the iBook to the TiBook?"

Not that close.

ThinkSecret notes that the media event will take place at Apple's Town Hall at the company's Cupertino HQ.

Analysis: "And one more thing": Is the rack-mount release really serious enough and important enough to warrant an event such as this. Around this time last year, Jobs unveiled the new iBook at a similar event. But the server's appeal is so relatively limited - in terms of broad market appeal and acceptance - that surely there must be something else up Jobs' sleeve.