I’m telling you, I’ve given up trying to predict what Apple will announce at its press events, such as the one that’ll happen tomorrow in San Francisco. Safe predictions (“The event is called ‘Let’s Rock,’ so it’s likely that it will involve new iPods”) are boring, boring, boring. Out-there ones (“Apple will release a touch-screen Mac tablet”) are too random. And the most interesting things that happen at Apple events are usually so unpredictable that nobody predicted them.

That doesn’t mean I’m not curious, though, or that there aren’t things I’d like to see announced. So in lieu of a list of predictions, here’s a wish list, in rough order of its chances of actually being announced tomorrow (that doesn’t count as a prediction, does it?).

Large-capacity iPods with the touch interface. When Apple released an model called the iPod Classic last year, it was clearly signalling that the days of the iPod in something close to its original form were numbered. (Yes, the company once made a computer called the Mac Classic II, but I tend to doubt there will be an iPod Classic II.) Two assumptions seem safe: Someday all iPods except the smallest and cheapest ones will have iPhone-like touch interfaces, and someday all iPods will use solid-state memory, not hard drives. It’s too early for Apple to offer an affordable 64GB or 128GB solid-state iPod Touch, so there’s room in the lineup for a hard-drive based model with a touch interface, plus Wi-Fi and support for apps.

A tethering plan for iPhones. I guess this is more of an AT&T thing than an Apple thing, but rumor has it that you’ll be able to use your iPhone as a wireless modem for a laptop. I hope rumor proves true.

Some sort of subscription plan for iTunes music. There are rumors of flat-rate all-you-can eat music for the iPod, but they don’t ring that true to me, and some of them sound like they’re associated with the purchase of a new iPod, which might mean you couldn’t apply ’em to the iPod you already own.

An announcement about more iTunes Plus DRM-free music. At the moment, Amazon.com and other purveyors of MP3s have a significantly better selection of DRM-free tunes than iTunes does, apparently because of the unwillingness of some major labels to do deals with Apple. I’d love to see Apple get the deals it needs to catch up.

A MacBook Air with a 160GB hard drive. I have no plans to buy a MacBook Air anytime soon, but I might someday…and not until the drives get roomier.

Macs with Blu-Ray. Actually, I have no plans to buy any Mac immediately, but I’d like the next one I get to have Blu-Ray. I’m just thinking ahead…

Some Macs that are cheaper and/or beefier in terms of CPU, hard drive, and RAM for the same price. Simply because it’s time, and so that every Mac looks competitive compared to comparable PCs.

An iPhone/MobileMe update that provides a to-do list on the iPhone with synching with iCal’s to-do’s. I think this’ll happen eventually, but I can’t say I’m optimistic that it’s that high on Apple’s own to-do list.

An iPhone update that lets you rotate the phone into landscape mode for e-mail. One of the more glaring issues with the iPhone as it stands, and you’d think a relatively easy one to fix.

A new version of the nifty Remote software for iPhones that doesn’t just let you control iTunes, but stream music from it to the iPhone. Letting you listen to anything in your music library on your iPhone, thus breaking the 16GB limit. I’m guessing that local streaming via Wi-Fi will happen at some point, though it would be fabulous if you could do it across the Internet.

An iPhone/MobileMe update that provides a to-do list on the iPhone with synching with iCal’s to-do’s. I think this’ll happen eventually, but I can’t say I’m optimistic that it’s that high on Apple’s own to-do list.

An Apple TV that records TV. I don’t see this happening now or probably ever, since Apple would have to wade into the murky waters of CableCard support to do it right. But if there were an Apple TV that was also a TiVo-style DVR, I’d snap it up.

Here’s one thing I hope Apple doesn’t release tomorrow:

A major, game-changing upgrade to the MacBook Pro line. I bought a 15-inch MacBook Pro just a few months ago, and I’ll be bummed if if’s rendered obsolete tomorrow. Hey, I said this was an intensely selfish list….

 
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