What will Apple and Jobs pull from it's hat at MacWorld 2002?

Apple is adding to the speculation swirling around next week's Macworld Expo by promising the show will be better than most.

On Tuesday, the front page of Apple's Web site boasted, "Six days to Macworld San Francisco. Count the days. Count the minutes. Count on being blown away." A day earlier, the site read, "This one is big. Even by our standards," according to Mac enthusiast sites. The site, with 5 days to go now says "Beyond the rumor sites. Way beyond."

Speculation for next week's show in San Francisco has centered on whether CEO Steve Jobs might use his keynote speech to introduce a flat-paneled successor to the three-year-old iMac, which analysts say is due for an upgrade. Apple has already placed orders for components that could be used in a desktop computer with an LCD monitor, according to Wall Street brokerage Morgan Stanley.

Such a product has reportedly been under development for some time, but there are indications Apple may finally be ready to release such a device. An Apple representative could not be reached Tuesday, but the company routinely declines to comment on unannounced products.

As another indication that an iMac upgrade is imminent, Apple's online store now lists a seven-day shipping time on all current models. That means the units would not ship prior to Jobs' Macworld presentation.

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, will deliver the opening keynote in the heart of San Francisco on Monday, January 7, 2002 at 9:00 am.

News source: CNet News