September 5 confirmed for Apple announcements

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 29 August 2007 13:25

Your IT - Home IT

US-based journalists and analysts have received invitations to the predicted Apple event on September 5.

The artwork confirms the expectation of music related products, and the size of the venue - San Francisco's Moscone West - implies that it's going to be a substantial announcement.

Some pundits have suggested that the invitation's tag line "The beat goes on" is a reference to The Beatles, but how often have we heard that rumour? It's hard to believe that the Fab Four's music will never be available on iTunes, so presumably it will come true sooner or later.

And with the British government's rejection of a proposal to extend copyright on sound recordings from 50 to 70 years, time is running out for the commercial exploitation of recordings made in the early sixties.

Having said that, "The beat goes on" can be just as easily linked with other artists such as Madonna or Sonny and Cher.

The generally accepted tip is that Apple is set to release new iPods with software based on the iPhone's OS X, including a touch-screen model. The CoverFlow-inspired media invitation suggests at least one iPod will include CoverFlow.