Macworld Prediction.

I don't think I've seen speculation along these lines lately:

Most rumours for next week seem to be centred on a new multi-touch laptop. Either tablet, or a wide trackpad, or this "docks into an iMac-style shell" thing which frankly sounds a bit naff and fussy for Apple - the Duo was not a Jobs creation, and it's unlikely (IMO) that he'd revive it.

We've just had a launch of new Mac Pros. They're all 8 core. What the hell use is 8 core to most people?

There's a gaping, huge, CAVERNOUS gap in the Apple product line now. We go from dual core iMac and laptops (and a range of laptops that has proven to be a successful design that is largely evolutionary, rather than revolutionary) to 8 core beast.

2-8.

There's a gap there.

I think that Macworld may well see a smaller MacBook Pro, will probably not see a tablet Mac or docking Mac, MAY see a 16Gb iPhone, and will probably see...

A mid-range quad core headless Mac desktop.

"We've forgotten our core value. We've got MacBook, Mac Pro, iMac, MacBook Pro. Mac Mini. But... where's the Mac?"

I would expect something which is roughly 1/2 the size of the Mac Pro, with quad core, dual drive bays internally, one or two PCI Express 2.0 slots, a single optical drive bay, gloss black fascia with aluminium sides (or vice-versa) possibly with a chrome surround to the gloss black, and priced on a level similar to the iMac but without a display. Apple may also release glossy glass-fronted Cinema displays which provide a near borderless aspect and when joined should present a flat black-glass continuous strip, in an evolution of the way the current ones can sit pushed together.

ETA: For true Jobsian "geeklove", I would hope that it is a gloss-black cube with a slot-loading bay, but more like a NeXT than a Mac Cube.

I don't expect truly innovative stuff from Apple anymore, just refinements of what works - like the iPhone, making a concept work well is almost as good as innovation.

If this has been said elsewhere (and I really hope it has), then I haven't read it. I wonder if I'll be even remotely right...

*sighs*

I don't think I can tolerate my back much longer. It did this 2 years ago, and the Doctor did nothing - I have said that if it gets bad I'll go to the Doctor about it, but it goes through calm periods, then decides to make me feel like I'm crippled.

My solution last time was to go to the gym. The only reason I'm not there RIGHT NOW is that I am so fucking busy, I really don't have time for it, and this is quite depressing. Need team of house-fixing people to magically make house better, kthx.

Going to Glasgow tonight. Road reports look iffy, so the RX8's "last run" isn't going to happen sadly. Well, it'll just have a more utilitarian one, like "taking it to Birmigham to be collected".

Still obsessing over MR2; last night involved much searching of the forum, discovery of what should be an undented bootlid (I say dent; Pete pointed out a shallow depression of miniscule proportions near the badge - I would probably not have noticed it until polishing the car in spring, but he probably knows full well it would constantly demand my attention and I'd wonder where it was from). Apparently JDM MR2s have 'steerable foglights". This sounds like a fantastic idea, like the headlights that look around corners - I bet fitting them to a UK car would involve much wiring hell! I am utterly confident, however, that this will be very Sera-like as an ownership experience.

Inpulse One has left for France. Obviously the sadness of letting it go is somewhat mitigated by owning a machine that belonged to the designer, but that particular one was one of the few working ones left in the world - 1058 needs a lot of work - and without it I'd never have been published in SOS. My tape rescue plan is a success, so I will when I get time do a massive update of the Inpulse One pages!

Cat is being a real pest lately, with much yelling at night. This pales into insignificance beside the BASTARD FUCKING BINMEN blasting their horn at $too_early because some twat had parked on the H-markings. At least they didn't make the mistake of knocking on the door to ask me if it was my POS Fiat. In the end, twatnose with the black Audi estate was dragged out of bed to move his car instead (he doesn't have parking outside his flat so has a habit of leaving the thing anywhere inconvenient, but in this case wasn't actually at fault). They really should just ram the bloody offending vehicle out of the way - hell, there are three stocky blokes, they ought to be able to pick up the back end of the car and stick it on the pavement.

Cannot get my work head back on fully :(