Five Predictions for the Apple Macworld Keynote 1/9/2007

After having a fantastic experience at last year’s Macworld Expo (MWE) in San Francisco (my full 2006 Macworld review can be found in this newsletter), I thought I’d make five predictions for the upcoming Apple Keynote. The Keynote will be presented by Apple Computer’s CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday 1/9/2007. These are based on some of the patent filings and rumors circulating over the last 6-12 months, combined with my experience using Apple’s products over the last 23 years. If I get even one right, that would be great (if I get two right, that would be even better, and if all five are correct…yeah, right).

Photograph ©Andrew Darlow, All Rights Reserved

In between my predictions are some of my photographs from the 2006 Keynote and from the show floor at Macworld Expo. All the photos are available for editorial licensing (more information is at the bottom of this article).

PREDICTION 1: Steve Jobs will wear blue jeans at the Keynote.

PREDICTION 2: A 120GB iPod with Video will be released in the same form factor as the previous 80GB 5th Gen iPods.

PREDICTION 3: A MacBook will be released with a 10- to 12-inch wide screen that is a convertible tablet/notebook with a full keyboard and new handwriting recognition software. Battery life will be approx. 8 hours and it will weigh less than 4 pounds. It will have integrated memory card slots, and a retractable cord that will allow it to be quickly hooked up to a monitor, TV or another notebook computer for extra screen real estate.

PREDICTION 4: A New iPod with Video, using 32GB flash memory will be announced. It will be larger than an iPod Nano, but much smaller than the existing 5th Gen iPods. It will have integrated Bluetooth for data syncing, wireless headphones and cell phone integration. It will have a 2.5″ screen similar to the one used on the existing 5th Gen. iPods.

PREDICTION 5: OS10.4.9 Tiger and OS10.5 Leopard will be officially released (Leopard on-sale “that day”), along with Apple iLife ’07 and iWork ’07.

MWE 2006: Apple’s booth on the show floor.

Photograph ©Andrew Darlow, All Rights Reserved

———————————————————-
Any blogger or other media representative who would like to write about these predictions and this article may request to use any one of the photos above after receiving permission via e-mail from Andrew Darlow. Please send your request to imaging(at)andrewdarlow.com and you will be contacted promptly with an answer.

For image licensing info, contact Andrew Darlow at imaging(at)andrewdarlow.com or +1-732-742-0123. Thanks, and for those attending, enjoy the big show! The 2007 show looks to be an amazing event. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it this year, but I highly recommend visiting the show site. The Digital Lifestyle Experience looks like it will be be a great place for photographers of all levels to hang out.

At Macworld 2007 there will also be a special tribute to noted author Bruce Fraser. More information can be found here.

Podcast User Magazine Interview

First, I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. With the new year came a new issue of Podcast User Magazine. I’ve been reading the magazine for nearly a year, and I highly recommend it. In their January 2007 issue, I was very fortunate to have been interviewed (in text form) for their “Inside the Podcasters’ Studio” section. Thank you to everyone at the magazine for the opportunity to share my story. Podcasting has definitely helped changed my life for the better and I feel very fortunate to have learned from so many others who have shared their experiences and technical know-how.

The amount of information in each issue is quite amazing. There are stories about podcasters, reviews of equipment, podcasting news and tips, and much more. The subscription is free and it is available as a PDF download directly or via RSS here.

(above) Some of the people who make Podcast User Magazine possible. Photographed at the Podcast & Portable Media Expo, September, 2006. (left to right) Chuck Tomasi, host of multiple podcasts; Paul Parkinson, Editor of Podcast User Magazine; Ewan Spence, host of TPN Rock; Judy and Paul Hutchinson from TotalPodcastrophe; and Linda Mills. Photo ©Andrew Darlow.

I look forward to reading many more Podcast User Magazines in the upcoming months and years.

Let us know what you want to see on the “menu.” We welcome feedback and read all submissions. The form below is sent directly to Andrew Darlow’s e-mail and will not be posted on this site.

News from Photokina: HP’s new Z-series printers

The photokina World of Imaging is being held at the Cologne Exhibition Center in Cologne, Germany from September 26 to October 1, 2006. From the exhibition organizers’ facts and figures sheet, “photokina is the only event in the world which offers a comprehensive presentation of all the imaging media, imaging technologies and imaging markets — for consumers and professionals alike.”

They’re not kidding! Almost every imaging-related industry is represented, from companies headquartered in cities across the globe. I’ll be highlighting a few of the photo and digital print-related products over the next few days. To start things off, HP introduced four new “Z-series” wide-format inkjet printers. I had an opportunity to see the printers in person and print my work on these printers a few months ago. The HP Designjet Z3100 is an 12-ink pigment-based inkjet printer, with 24 and 44-inch wide versions and HP Designjet Z2100 is an 8-ink pigment-based inkjet printer, also with 24 and 44-inch wide versions.

The HP Designjet Z3100 runs on 11 HP Vivera pigment color inks (four of them black or gray), plus a twelfth Gloss Enhancer “ink” that provides better gloss uniformity and helps reduce bronzing on gloss and semi-gloss papers. In the prints I saw before the printer’s final release, image quality was sharp and detailed, with vibrant color, a nice grain structure and little gloss differential or bronzing, especially when the Gloss Optimizer was used. The printer also comes with four black/grey inks, that help to make monochrome prints look more smooth and neutral.

The HP Designjet Z3100 (left-24″ model, right-44″ model)

The HP Designjet Z2100 uses 8 HP Vivera pigment color inks (the same combination of inks that are used in the HP Photosmart Pro B9180, a 13-inch printer that I’ve been testing with impressive results on both matte and gloss papers. No gloss optimizer is used with the Z2100, but color and black and white output on gloss and semi-gloss papers has very little bronzing or gloss differential. The Z2100 has one less gray ink compared with the Designjet Z3100 (three vs. four black and gray inks). A monochrome output option on both Z-series printers allow for just black and grey inks to be used, which allows users to produce prints with very even tones and longer expected longevity. For information on expected longevity on a variety of papers for the Pro B9180 (same inks as the Designjet Z2100), visit www.wilhelm-research.com.

One of the features that sets the Z-series printers apart is their embedded spectrophotometers, which use Eye-One technology from GretagMacbeth to allow for the creation of custom profiles right on the printer. I was very impressed by this technology and HP has created a step-by-step process to make it the process easy to complete. Both printers ship standard with a stand, and built-in connectivity options are Ethernet and USB 2.0.MSRP for the printers is as follows:HP Designjet Z2100: $3,395 (24″) and $5,595 (44″). HP Designjet Z3100: $4,095 (24″) and $6,295 (44″). For a good overview, with a link to the full press release on the new Z-series printers on HP’s website, visit this link.

On HP’s site, you can also order free sample prints from many different printers, including the Z-series.

Check pricing and read more about the HP Photosmart Pro B9180 at Amazon.com