The invitations are out.
Definitely iPads (Cover? Get it?
Smart Cover, etc.)
What else?
For them to mention still having "a lot to cover" could be taken as iPad + Other Stuff (MacBooks, new Mac Pro, Mavericks).
It's not like Apple to cram everything under the sun into a single event, so I don't think everything can make the cut.
But rules are made to be broken, patterns exist so they can be disrupted, etc. I discount nothing at this point.
What I can imagine happening, with a high degree of certainty, is this:
- iPad-centric event, which nobody is going to argue with (new fifth-generation model, new second-generation mini)
- Always a good chance for an extra bit of hardware or software that ties in somehow (new app, new accessory, etc.)
- A brief mention at the start (before the iPad stuff kicks in) of updated MacBook Pros. They've done this before, no biggie (mentioning updated hardware at an event where that hardware isn't the key focus). And I'm big on the MacBook Pro simply because it's oddly "lacking" in comparison to the Airs, which were updated with this new stuff
months ago. Apple is surely going to update the Pro notebooks before the end of the year, and next week seems like the best time to do so).
Still leaves Mavericks, the new Mac Pro and the Mac mini the only things remaining for 2013.
I don't see Apple holding a third press event (in three months) for this, but maybe that's what they'll do?
It seems like they'd want maximum push/exposure for a redesigned Mac Pro (and Mavericks) and hold a dedicated press/launch event.
But, then again, that is going to be a limited-appeal type of machine, and the very people who are most interested in such a Mac don't need a special event to notify them about it. They're already following this stuff more than the average, typical user.
I truly don't know what to think here. I can see/imagine both sides of it, and they both make sense...
I'm pretty confident in the iPad and MacBook Pro stuff (with the MacBook Pro just taking the form of a quick "this morning, we're announcing updates to..." mention by Tim Cook or Phil Schiller. I don't know if they're going to consolidate the line and go SSD and Retina across the board (thereby eliminating the "two-headed" current MacBook Pro lineup, but that would be nice, and might earn a few more minutes of talk). Along the same lines, the Mac mini could be given a 1-2 minute mention as well (new processors, etc.).
I suppose in some sort of fantasy, dream-case scenario Apple could indeed hold a full, jam-packed two-hour event (they have before). iPads are iPads, and I no longer think they'd require a full hour or 90 minutes to showcase. Sounds like the mini is getting no physical changes beyond the Retina Display, so that's easy. And the full-size models will have that smaller design, but how much time could they possibly spend on that?
If they kept the iPad stuff to 30 or so minutes (including showing off a new commercial and the requisite behind-the-scenes/making-of video where Ive talks about the essence of design and how there couldn't possibly exist a more perfect iPad
), and the MacBook Pro announcements to five or so minutes, that would leave plenty of time (if factoring in a 90-minute-plus event) to officially take the wraps off of the Mac Pro and Mavericks?
What we're all assuming is an iPad event could actually just be the springboard to a larger, closing bit of the new tower and OS?
Being that they had a media event just a little over a month ago, I don't think it's necessary for Cook to get up there and bore everyone with dry, business/sales stats for 15-20 minutes (beyond mentioning the iPhone 5s/5c sales). But there doesn't need to be a bunch of charts and "lifestyle" videos of people standing in line for store openings or whatever.
That new head of retail, Jennifer Aniston's mom, might get mentioned and officially welcomed aboard, but that's 1-2 minutes, tops.
They've had events where both Steve and Tim have come on stage and pretty much said "we have a lot to show you today, so we're going to get right to it...", and if they do something like that, they'd definitely have time to pack a lot into a 90-minute or two-hour show. Hit the ground running, zip through the MacBook Pro, Mac mini and, to some degree, the iPad stuff (again, it's not 2010 or 2011 anymore, so I can't see them spending most of the show on the iPad at this point; everyone already knows what they are/do/represent).
So that, combined with the "lots to cover" statement on their invitation kinda makes me think we could get everything blasted out in one final event for 2013? At that point, all hardware - Mac and iOS - is updated and fresh/new, heading into the holiday season, along with both operating systems and whatever new software or accessories might be included with any of the above (new iWork or iLife, etc.).