Apple's market dominance Goes On!

The invite, seen above, utilizes the CoverFlow interface with the caption, "The beat goes on" — which, interestingly enough, seems to have been adopted from the last line of The Beatles' final press release issued by Apple Records on April 10, 1970, following the band's breakup.

Here's a current rundown of the latest rumors...

1. New iPod Nano: Called the "Midget" (here at FutureMusic), or the Phatty (in the Internet ether), this nano update will come in a new square-like size and most likely gain a bump in Flash storage with an 8GB and a 16GB lineup. Apple's legal team demanded that websites displaying leaked photos of the new nano remove the images or face the wrath of Steve. Probability: Bank on it
Reality: Correct  |  Score: 1/1

2. New iPod Video: A new iPod Video is also rumored to make its debut. Based on how Steve Jobs described the iPhone during its unveiling — "the best iPod yet" — we're speculating that the new iPod Video will have the touch-screen functionality of the iPhone in a 16:9 form factor, but much thinner and slightly more pocket-sized. There should be a Flash-based model in the line up, as well. It will run a modified version of the Mac OS X, and will most likely have onboard Wi-Fi. Probability: Very Likely
Reality: Correct  |  Score: 2/2

The latest next-generation iPod nano photo to surface...

3. Wireless iTunes: This is a relatively new rumor that corresponds to the Wi-Fi video iPod listed above. A wireless store is definitely in Apple's future, but do they have the technology sorted to make Air Tunes as seamless as iTunes? Probability: Maybe
Reality: Correct  |  Score: 3/3

4. Apple Logic 8: Logic 8 has been in beta for sometime so this appears to be a go. The rumors include that Logic has been completely revamped into a one screen interface with transparent floating plug-in windows and a non-German interface update, which reportedly gives the "Environment paradigm" the boot. Other accoutrements include Ableton-like "elastic audio" action and new onboard soft-synths. Probability: Very Likely
Reality: Incorrect  |  Score: 3/4

5. The Beatles Catalog on iTunes: Well, the event's slogan, The Beat Goes On, was used in the last official Beatles communication before they split...and the legal battles between Apple Inc. and Apple Corps are behind them, so it would be a great time to unleash the catalog to the masses. Probability: Likely
Reality: Incorrect  |  Score: 3/5

6. iPod Shuffle (Product) [RED]: A red Shuffle to support the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Apple gives a portion of the selling price to this worthwhile fund. Probability: Likely
Reality: Correct  |  Score: 4/6

7. New Mac Mini: The Mini-Me is definitely due for an update, but this seems like more of a January MacWorld announcement to us. Probability: Unlikely
Reality: Correct  |  Score: 5/7

8. iPhone Nano: A smaller iPhone with a touchscreen interface, but limited features. Probability: Unlikely
Reality: Correct  |  Score: 6/8

9. Flash-based Apple Laptop: This rumor has been around a while. It originally surfaced as a Mac Tablet PC, but those eventually morphed into the iPhone. One again, it has surfaced, but industry watchers are having a hard time jumping on the bandwagon for two main reasons. First, is how much memory would Apple be able to cram into a mini laptop that would make it seem like a worthwhile purchase? Second, where does a Flash-based mini MacBook fit into the computing food chain. Palm's Foleo, which they describe as a "mobile companion," has many people scratching their heads wondering "you want me to schelp, yet another, device with me?" — and certainly hasn't garnered the response they were hoping for...Probability: Unlikely
Reality: Correct  |  Score: 7/9
(However, we'd love to see a multiprocessor MacBook Pro! —Ed.)

The Future: The new products that will ultimately be unveiled on September 5th by Steve Jobs and company will definitely set new high-water marks for the industry...an industry that just can't seem to catch Apple in the portable digital media player market.
Reality: On The Money!
The iPod Touch is a category killer, and will most likely sell out before the holiday season. If you want it, buy it now! No Beatles on iTunes was a serious disappointment, but no Logic 8 was devastating. Hopefully, we'll see the new Logic at NAMM 2008...