As we draw ever nearer to Phil Schiller's Macworld keynote, we've been privy to more rumors than a high school cafeteria. What's the fun of a juicy tidbit that you can't share? Here's our roundup of the latest Macworld Expo rumors. Just don't tell anyone we told you.

AT&T Tethering A little birdie flew into TUAW headquarters earlier this morning and suggested that tethering between an iPhone and an Apple laptop was imminent. Specifics were sketchy, but MacBlogz suggested that a 5 GB data cap and $30/month supplementary cost is likely. For an additional $30/mo, I'll wait until I find a Wi-Fi hotspot. But I'm a cheapskate.

MegiPod Techcrunch suggested that a larger touch-based iPod is in the works. Supposedly all current apps will run on it, which suggests resolution independence or serious hocus-pocus. That's a technical term.

Unibody 17 inch MacBook Pro This one seems likely, as the 17 inch MBP is the only Apple laptop without a sleek, new body. The juicy part of this rumor is the addition of a slim, non-removable and long-lasting battery. That should get the community fired up.

New iMacs The iMac has been the star of many Macworld Expos, and we wouldn't be surprised if it happened again this year. It's a consumer show, the iMac is Apple's consumer desktop and it's certainly due for a makeover. Rumors suggest that the new iMac will feature a similar form factor and a new 65W, low-power, quad-core desktop chip from Intel. There are also questions about a new cooling system, but we couldn't learn any more about that (read: the Magic 8 Ball said, "Ask again later.").

New Mac mini Probably the most reliable rumor of the bunch is the new Mac mini. We're glad that rumors of its discontinuation have been greatly exaggerated, because the diminutive mini is a great little workhorse. This rumor is twofold. First, it seems that the internal optical drive will changing to a SATA optical drive, which can be replaced with a second SATA hard drive. Secondly, the new mini will sport an aluminum body topped with black plastic.

Update: SeeFile pretty much spilled the beans on the new mini.

We've also compiled a wish list of things not necessarily floating around as rumors. First, an update to the AppleTV would be nice, especially if it came with Hulu support (think of an Apple version of Boxee). iLife '09 seems likely as well, though we haven't heard any rumblings. The iPhone nano case leaks are interesting but we haven't seen anything definitive there.

I hope we get a full demo of Snow Leopard and a release date. Sure, it won't have a lot of demo-friendly, whiz-bang new features, but we feel certain the changes that make the cut will please just about everyone.

That's what we've got so far. If you want to pass us a note in study hall, we're all ears.

Ars is reporting that software company SeeFile may have exposed at least a part of Apple's plans for the new Mac mini. According to a poorly timed press release (it's actually dated January 6th, the same day as Phil's keynote), the "New Apple Mac Mini hardware [will] be supported by revolutionary SeeFile web sharing DAM software." The SeeFile software is used to build a no-fuss, digital asset manager accessible via a web browser and starts at $499US.

Here's where it gets interesting. Towards the end of the press release, we find this

"Complete bundled server systems including a Mac mini server with 1 terabyte of storage are available starting at $1,495. The hosted Web service will be available starting in February 2009 at several pricing tiers, starting at under $50 per month."

We can only assume that SeeFile will be selling minis bundled with their software and not Apple. Many people use minis as home servers, and with the rumor of 1TB of internal storage all but confirmed by this press release, building a similar, web-accessible setup should become very easy indeed.

Either way, the lesson here is the same: Don't hit your web editor's "Publish" button unless you really mean it.

It's been under the rumor banner for some time now, but we've been told by a trusted source that the long-awaited AT&T iPhone-as-modem tethering plans (preliminary details in MacBlogz' post from November: 5 GB data cap, $30/month supplementary cost) may be ready for prime time during Macworld Expo this week. The tethering announcement might not rise to a keynote-worthy level; it could simply be publicized as a press release during the show.

While $30 is a steep charge on top of an iPhone data plan, it's still cheaper than the $60 you'd pay for an EV-DO or HSDPA card plan for mobile data; for some users it may make more sense than a standalone device. Granted, you can already tether a jailbroken iPhone, but that may get you stomped on by the traffic cops rather promptly.

Another tidbit from our source lends credence to the MegiPod rumor (a larger form factor for an iPod touch device) floated by TechCrunch last week. No timeframes were discussed, so the late 2009 on-sale date is still in play. It's not clear how the hypothetical unit would achieve this feat, but the suggestion is that it would have "full application compatibility" with currently available iPod touch apps ... puzzling, as it implies either resolution-independence for the apps or some pretty impressive scaling tricks to accommodate the larger screen size.

Both 9to5Mac and AppleInsider are reporting on rumors that a 17-inch, unibody MacBook Pro will debut at this week's Macworld Expo. Most interesting is the rumor about the machine's battery.

Specifically, the alleged laptop's battery would be non-removable, very slim (consider the MacBook Air's battery) and able to run "...much longer" than the current model. The announcement of a new 17 inch MacBook Pro wouldn't be a very big surprise, but a non-removable battery would. People like removable batteries for obvious reasons.

Mike Rose guessed that we'd see a new 17 inch laptop when we all listed our predictions. We'll all see what happens in just a couple of days.

For full Macworld Expo coverage, bookmark the TUAW Macworld Expo 2009 landing page.

[Via Engadget]

Even though Steve Jobs has opted out of giving the keynote at this year's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, and Apple will not be attending another Macworld after this one, there will still be a keynote presentation -- it will just be given by Phil Schiller instead. Of course, since the keynote must go on, even without Mr. Jobs, there will also be speculation and predictions as to what Apple will announce during the keynote.

We at TUAW are not immune to this phenomenon and even though we will be liveblogging the keynote to provide you with the news as soon as it's actually announced, that won't stop us from engaging in a favorite pastime of the tech press: Macworld Expo keynote predictions. Of course, when considering this event and the impending announcements, especially in light of this being the last time Apple will take part, these questions, and many others, come to mind.

Will Phil be as entertaining as Steve? How long will Phil talk about the success of iTunes and the iPod before moving on to the other more exciting announcements? Who will be the musical guest? Will Phil be wearing a black turtleneck and jeans or will he try to start a new fashion trend of his own? Will Phil and Apple do anything "special" to commemorate the last keynote? What will be the "one more thing"? And, most importantly, will Phil talk about where Steve Jobs is and why he isn't doing the keynote?

Your intrepid TUAW writers have considered those very questions, and many more, through long days and nights of deliberation, discussion and discourse. In so doing, we have come up with some interesting, perhaps even controversial, prognostications, pre-visualizations and predictions of what new products and services will be announced at this this year's keynote. Read on for all our (at least partly serious) expectations.

For full Macworld Expo coverage, bookmark the TUAW Macworld Expo 2009 landing page.

With just under a week left before Macworld 2009, the rumor mill is turning out many rumors. One new rumor, proposed by 9to5 Mac, suggests that Apple may be taking their iWork suite of software online. iWork is Apple's answer to an office suite, and combines a word processor (Pages), presentation software (Keynote), and spreadsheet app (Numbers).

Just as Apple took mail, calendars, and contacts online with MobileMe, 9to5 believes they might do the same with Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. Apple definitely wouldn't be the first company to take office applications into the "cloud," but they might be the first to make web apps that tie into MobileMe.

Google Docs (formerly Writely), Zoho Office, and Microsoft are just a few of the companies currently offering web-based solutions for office products.

[via MacRumors]

When it comes to the Mac mini, there are people out there who know everything there is to know... and now, those savvy sources are telling TUAW that they are confident a new Mac mini is set to be announced at Macworld Expo 2009 next week. While many details are still vague -- we still have no idea if the dimensions of the new mini are at all different from the existing model -- some details are starting to emerge.

First, the internal optical drive is changing to a SATA optical drive that can be swapped out for a second SATA hard drive, probably as a build-to-order (BTO) option. For those using Mac minis as departmental / small business servers, having a second internal hard drive adds a great deal of utility to the mini in a server role; RAID 1 mirroring becomes simple. Companies like MacMiniColo.net that colocate thousands of Mac mini servers will save rack space as external drives will no longer be mandatory for backups.

The second detail is that the new Mac mini won't be made of topped with white plastic like the current model seen above; instead, it will follow Apple's new design meme by using black plastic and aluminum. No more smooth sides, either -- the new mini has a "lip" similar to the Time Capsule. The optical disc slot is hidden under the lip so it won't be obvious in case the owner chooses to have two hard drives instead of a hard and optical drive combo. The lip also provides cooling, so the vents on the back of the mini are no longer needed.

For those of you who have been hoping for a new mini, there are many signs that your dreams are about to come true.

Thanks Mr X!

Citing "three independent sources close to Apple" including "one source that has actually held the [prototype] device," TechCrunch is stepping into the pre-Macworld Expo rumor fray with the possibility of a large-format iPod touch device coming in the fall of next year. The hypothetical MegiPod would sport a 7" or 9" screen and, naturally, play media content and run apps from the iTunes App Store. Production conversations are ramping up now, say TC sources.

Why an iTablet, and why now? The post cites the presence of the App Store as the primary determinant that the market is ready for a touchable Apple product in supersized form: "Apple has been experimenting internally with large form tablet devices for years, one source says, but there was concern that users wouldn't like the device. The difference now is the iTunes app store, which has thousands of games and other applications that are perfect for a touch screen device with an accelerometer." TechCrunch says the big pod may not be a done deal, as we've seen a zillion Apple tablet rumors come and go -- but that Apple is still planning to move forward, this time.

I'm not sure I would personally be in the market for a 7-inch, unpocketable iPod touch with the text input system featured on present-day devices; however, the expanded screen real estate and advances in the touch tech might combine to make a true typeable surface with room to finger-breathe. The more pressing question, then: since it's hard enough now to keep other commuters and bystanders from peeking over your shoulder to see what you're watching -- how much worse would it be with that massive screen?

Meanwhile, we've made a conscious effort to steer clear of the other Macworld-related rumor today, floated by Gizmodo and irately attacked by CNBC. Whatever the source and whatever the motives, publishing unconfirmed Steve's-health stories is (as we've seen) not a particularly prudent game to play.

Just when we thought we were done with rumors for the day, another one pops up. 9to5 Mac is reporting that Apple could be working on a media server that might rival HP's MediaSmart Server. They suggest the server will be similar to a Time Capsule, only with more functionality.

According to 9to5, the new product will include a Dynamic DNS system to tie in with MobileMe; this will provide username.me.com domains for easier access across the Internet. In addition, the device will include AFP filesharing and Time Machine backup stores. The device will not run off of Mac OS X Server, as you might suspect; rather, it would run the same system and processor that the Time Capsule does.

You can read more about this rumor, and read more details about the rumor on the 9to5 Mac website. Do you think Apple is about to jump further into the NAS market with a supercharged Time Capsule?

[via MacRumors]

It seems that an upgraded iMac is a shoe-in at Macworld Expo in January. It's a consumer show, and the iMac is Apple's consumer desktop. Plus, it hasn't received a significant change in a while, so it's due. Now that the winter holidays are just about over, the Expo rumors have begun to circulate.

AppleInsider has posted a few iMac rumors. First is mention of a new "...magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis," as well as a "cooling module." That's all the details there are, folks, so your guess is as good as ours if the current fan system will be replaced. We all know Steve and Jon Ive like quiet machines.

The more solid rumor is about the new 65W, low-power, quad-core desktop chips Apple is expecting from Intel. Along with Acer, HP and Dell, Apple has decided to make use of these chips, according to DigiTimes, though their target machine has not been identified. DigiTimes claims that these chips are suited to small form factor and all-in-one PCs.

Rumors of a smaller "iPhone nano" have been flying around the blogosphere since mid-summer. Earlier this month, a TUAW post detailed how a Chinese manufacturer was allegedly starting production of a case for a diminutive iPhone.

Now a source that has accurately leaked information about the iPhone 3G and 4G iPod nano has jumped into the fray. XSKN began selling iPhone 3G cases in mid-May of 2008, almost 2 months prior to the release of the 3G. In early September, XSKN was showing off new 4th Generation iPod nano cases.

The XSKN site is currently showing a heading for the iPhone nano (see screenshot at right), although there are no actual cases displayed. Given the track record of this manufacturer for inadvertently or deliberately spilling the beans, this might be pointing towards an announcement of the iPhone nano during the Philnote at Macworld Expo 2009.

Since TUAW readers are the smartest and best-looking Apple fans on the planet, I thought I'd ask your opinion on whether or not the iPhone nano is going to become reality soon. Take our iPhone nano poll and give us your thoughts on the mini-me of the iPhone world.

Update: Sharp-eyed reader William went to http://www.iphonenano.com, and lo and behold the URL resolves to the Apple iPhone web page!

[via MacRumours]

AppleInsider is reporting that the speculated refresh for the iMac and Mac minis lines might include NVIDIA graphics chips. This information was discovered while an InsanelyMac forum poster found some extension files included with the new MacBooks/MacBook Pros. The exentions were named, "iMac9,1" and "Macmini3,1."

Currently shipping iMacs and Mac minis have the model numbers of "iMac 8,1" and "Macmini2,1," respectively. The kernel extension .plist file is part of the SMC (System Management Controller) and ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface), and made reference to "CFG_MCP79."

The MCP79 is a graphcis chipset offered by NVIDIA that is found on the current line MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. For more information, you can read the forum posting at InsanelyMac.

[via AppleInsider]

Over at Ars Technica, Chris Foreman dives into yesterday's story that Imagination Technologies Group, developer of the PowerVR chip for mobile device displays, has a licensing agreement with Apple for its chip designs (long suspected by AppleInsider but only just confirmed) and that Apple has picked up a chunk of ITG stock; cnet puts it at $5 million worth for a 3.6% stake. The 'smoking gun' press release from Imagination that was linked yesterday has mysteriously disappeared from the company's press page, which does lead one to wonder if the news wasn't quite ready for prime time -- but the speculation about what future iPhones might be capable of in the video-out department is still quite enticing. (You can see the Google-cached version of the PR blurb here.)

Foreman notes that the ITG chip designs Apple might use (the PowerVR SGX and VXD) would provide a dramatic boost to 3D performance, with Open GL ES 2.0 support, and also allow for HD-quality video out via the dock connector. Adding the playback power of an Apple TV (or better) to a mobile device, while reducing the power consumption required to pull off the trick? Add in a low-power 802.11n chipset for wireless streaming and you've just turned the home theater and set-top box market completely upside down.

If your iPod touch or iPhone could take over all your video playback needs at HD resolutions, would it find a home on your media center shelf? Mine would.

Wired's Brian X. Chen writes that Apple will release a new version of the Mac mini at Macworld Expo early next month.

Chen's unnamed source didn't disclose any details about the Mac mini, but Chen offered plenty of specification speculation.

Based on "trends seen in Apple's latest products," Chen expects the new Mac mini to feature a unibody enclosure with speeds and video specs that closely match the new unibody MacBooks.

This follows another rumor of a budget-priced, small-form-factor iPhone that could be announced at the same time. Nilay Patel, of our sister blog Engadget, notes that this may be a reaction to slowing sales numbers, and an overall reticence by consumers to drop large amounts of money on a new computer system.

We'll see next month: The keynote presentation is scheduled for January 6. Macworld Expo typically announces by now if Steve Jobs will give the presentation, but they've been keeping mum about his involvement so far.

Our sister site Engadget notes that iDealsChina found this rendering of a silicone case for a new iPhone-like device with a smaller form factor.

iDealsChina says the case is "in production," and has many 3D images of a variety of angles. The device may be unveiled during Macworld Expo next month. The site also claims the "iPhone nano" will have three "sensors," a camera, a "mirror screen" and no 3G. The device will allegedly start production on December 20th at a rate of 60,000 to 80,000 units a day.

This falls in line with unsourced rumors of a wireless product slated for announcement at Macworld. It could wind up being the magic $99 Walmart iPhone that we've heard so much about.

The look of the new iPod nanos was leaked (famously by Kevin Rose) earlier this year as a result of a supplier showing off renderings of new cases for the device. According to iDealsChina, "...once one company starts making a mold their information is passed onto other mold companies or accessory companies through a China underground network."