Apple’s Leopard delay announcement (delaying 10.5 OS release until October and devoting resources to finish up work on the iPhone’s upcoming (now late) June release) is causing a lot of consternation in the press and various blogs. The stock dropped a couple percentage points (hey folks, a good time to BUY). A lot of boo-hoo-hooing amongst the bleeding edgers and, I’ll admit to this, plans for workgroup
upgrades are getting reorganized.

Traditionally Apple has rolled stuff out on a fairly regular basis and as I’ve mentioned before about the iPhone, announcements without
products has not been their traditional (though it has happened) M.O.

So here’s a little bit of my imagination working overtime in trying to predict what Apple is up to:

1) iPhone will show up in June with LOTS of press and becomes a smash hit right out of the gate- (i know I want one…yipes..and I hate cellphones)

2) We will see some Amazing hardware come out. Many Apple products are due for a facelift: iMacs, Mac Mini,a touch screen laptop, new displays, a small business server, and and update of AppleTV should show up by August.

3) We’ll have a Leopard beta at the WWDC, but I would imagine an official release will happen well before October. The 6ish month
delay is a long time, and also- new hardware with new OS is probably better delivered before Schoolyear 2007-8 . Servers need
to be in place (oh yeah an update to Apple server would be nice- how about a mini-server with upto 3 tb and expansion>)

4) if the above is not possible with new hardware- how about a “Leopard Pass” that gets you the OS for 5$. (Ever notice those “proof of Purchase” coupons that come with your hardware? Let’s use ’em!)

5) Application updates are waiting for 10.5; iLife- iWork (with the xl killer), Logic Pro, –this would be nice…can we get them this summer?

We are not suffering with Tiger though-no matter what happens from here on with delivery schedules and announcements (Final Cut Studio 2 and Server look very powerful indeed) Tiger works very very well. And subsequent OS’s need to be as (or more) stable than
what Tiger is right now.

Don’t hold your breath- breathe easy –