Apple rumours round-up before tonight's "Beat goes on" launch

One more thing?

5 September 2007 11:27 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

The Apple launch is just hours away now, kicking off at 6pm from the BBC Television Centre in London (or 10am from Apple HQ in the States) so it won't be long before we all know what Steve Jobs has in store.

So, like kids overdosing on e-numbers, we thought there's just enough time for one final speculative rumour round-up just to get excitement levels as high as possible before all is finally revealed.

What is Apple going to announce at tonight's event? An unprecedented amount of leaks from the usually highly-secretive company puts the smart money on new iPods.

The strongest possibility is new flagship iPod model to follow a phoneless iPhone with 3.5-inch touchscreen design with up to 120GB hard disk drive and Wi-Fi capablities.

ThinkSecret, who have somehow managed to get leaked slides from Steve Job's keynote presentation, appear to confirm Cover Flow, the music interface from the iPhone, will come across to the iPod.

As for the iPod nano, we will see a short, squatter design and this model will be very similar to the current 5th gen full-fat iPods with video capabilities, better screen and a slightly re-jigged scroll-wheel interface. Sizes for this new offering will be up to 16GB.

To support the new wireless funtionality of the iPod, a French website has it from "close sources" that Apple will also announce "The Circle" that appears to be some kind of relation to the Zune's "the social" that could allow content sharing.

The shuffle does not appear to have been included in the range revamp, other than some suggestions that a charity Product (Red) version may well be announced.

Aside from the actual iPods themselves, more reports suggest a new range of official iPod accessories - with some existing models like the Hi-Fi getting the chop.

The Beatles back catalogue being added to iTunes is practically being taken as fact now, especially since the press invite to this event read: "The beat goes on", apparently a reference to the last press release the foursome sent out. Stranger suggestions are that Paul McCartney will appear at the event, possibly performing on stage.

Delving into the more unlikely possibilities being talked up is digital radio functionality for the new 'pods and even the official announcement of a 3G UK iPhone.

Although all things, including the official invite, suggest a majorly music-themed launch it is possible that Apple may surprise us with something unexpected.

Apple TV was promised "news" soon by Steve Jobs, that ultra-portable MacBook rumour has never gone away, the iPhone nano crops up every now and again and don't forget that the 5th-Sept-will-reveal-iPods-plus-"surprise products" rumour that was doing the rounds.

Apple's chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer recently said that in this financial quarter for Apple there will be a "product transition I can't get into". Could we see the start of such a transition announced tonight?

Check back here at 6pm - Pocket-lint.co.uk will be attending the BBC launch event and will bring you all the news as it is announced.