Think Secret has 2 stories on possible expectations for MacWorld next week. The first story has some highlights some new applications:

• iDVD 5 - Burn DV tapes directly to DVD and support for dual layer DVDs.
• iMovie HD - support for HDV, panoramic 16:9 aspect ratios, and MPEG-4
• GarageBand - Version 2 and support for the Asteroid hardware.
• Keynote 2 - Support for two unknown products codenamed Slingshot and Crossbow

The second story has a very exciting expectation.

With iPod-savvy Windows users clearly in its sights, Apple is expected to announce a bare bones, G4-based iMac without a display at Mac Expo on January 11 that will retail for $499...The new Mac, code-named Q88, will be part of the iMac family and is expected to sport a PowerPC G4 processor at a speed around 1.25GHz. The new Mac is said to be incredibly small and will be housed in a flat enclosure with a height similar to the 1.73 inches of Apple's Xserve.

If it's true, I will buy it. Oh, this is exciting!

Update: More details from AppleInsider. This thing would make a awsome home automation server/Home command center with media server.

Update 2: Think Secret has more on iWork, to be released at MWSF next month:

Apple will launch its new iWork '05 productivity suite at Macworld Expo, Think Secret has learned. The software, code-named Sugar (as alluded to in our previous Expo report), will include Keynote 2 as well as a new application, Pages... What is almost certain, however, is that iWork will come bundled with most, if not all, of Apple's new systems, including the new $500 headless iMac. Such a move will enable Apple to market the affordable system as being ready-to-go out of the box with all the software most users need.

Update 3: More details on the iWork trademark.

According to filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the "iWork" name is currently registered by Apple, with the previous registrant being IGG Software--hinting that Apple acquired (paid for) the rights to the mark. The change was made in August 2004

Update 4: Being sued by Apple isn't stopping Think Secret, who has more details on the iPod Flash:

Apple's long-rumored flash-based iPod will be introduced at Macworld Expo in 1GB and likely 2GB versions, Think Secret has confirmed...Rapidly falling flash prices have enabled Apple to buy 1GB modules from Samsung at a relatively low cost, sources report, which in turn will allow Apple to sell the device for $149. Sources have also suggested that a 2GB version, packing two tiny 1GB flash modules, may sell for $199...Not certain at this point is what sort of touch-based interface the device will use. Some sources have suggested that device will forgo Apple's ClickWheel, featured on the iPod mini and 4G iPod, and will instead have more buttons, like the first generation iPod.

Update 5: Unsurprisingly AppleInsider has a little more to add on the iPod Flash. They also note that there will be new G4 PowerBooks with bumps in speed and better graphics. It's best that they not release G5 PowerBooks because I couldn't possibly afford the headless iMac and PowerBook at the same time.

Update 6: The big day is just one day away, but the intel keeps coming. These guys have seen some more evidence for the iPod Flash.

We found a new iPod, probably based on a 1 GB flash memory. Here in San Francisco we have seen people mounting the billboards inside Moscone Center. There were images of the new iPod and a slogan: "Life is random!". Plus the number of the song: 240. Will it be the next "iPod micro"?

They have some photos of those posters going up, and it's probably going to piss someone off in Cupertino.

Update 7: Think Secret has some more details on the expected PowerBook updates. Although no G5 processor is expected they are giving them an hefty update to 1.5 - 1.6 GHz. They also expect that they will have offical support for DVD+R media and included Bluetooth 2.0. The graphics are not spectacular but they are bumping up the vid memory to 128. Overall not too bad but I am still waiting for the G5 in 6 months (hopefully).

This site, in German, has seen the future 

 

Update 8: Even more details on the iPod micro or whatever the hell it will be called.

The micro iPod is white, and will hold 240 songs ? but has no screen so will play the unlisted tracks in a set order or in random fashion. Four buttons are arranged in a square formation ? two large buttons and two smaller ones. Apple's slogan for the iPod is "240 songs a million ways".

Also MacRumors has more info on Shuffle, which they think is the name of the next iPod (iPod shuffle, weird). It also notes that "Pages" was trademarked and could be the word processor for iWorks.

Update 9: MacOSRumors gets back into the rumors game with this juicy tidbit:

etween 15-minute email checking intervals, almost 100 of you wrote in to tell us about a television interview this evening in which the famous actress and pop musician Lindsay Lohan talked about having recently cut an advertisement for Apple's new "iPod Radio."

Think Secret suggests that there will be 10 announcements with 2 unaccounted for. Wouldn't it be cool if all the 4th gen iPods had radios built in but just need software updates to take advantage of them. They also don't talk about the cell phone thingy, if that really turns out to be true.