Apple, Sony and the Big Tech Rumours of 2009

by Dean Evans at Tuesday 10th March, 2009 at 3:41 pm [0 comments]

Rumours of a touchscreen mini MacBook resurfaced this week, otherwise known as a large-format iPod touch, a Mac Netbook or a Mac Tablet.

Nobody is quite sure what Apple will eventually launch. But a Chinese-language newspaper has suggested that Apple has already inked a deal with touchscreen manufacturer Wintek. Netbook builder Quanta Computers is rumoured to have been signed up to build the new device.

An Apple touchscreen device is just one of the big tech rumours doing the rounds this year. Technology enthusiasts are always looking forward to the next BIG thing. So what else is getting the gadgeteers frothing with excitement?

Next-gen consoles

An Xbox 720 and a PlayStation 4 have both been rumoured for a 2011-2012 timeframe, so it’s unlikely that we’ll get a sniff of either one this year. That’s if these next-next-gen consoles exist at all.

But that’s not to say that we won’t see any new gaming hardware in 2009…

Sony PSP-4000

According to VG247, Sony is prepping a radical revamp of the PSP. As the PSP-4000 mock-up illustrates here, this next-gen PSP is rumoured to have a larger screen that slides up to reveal the joypad controls beneath.

It’s been suggested that Sony could announce a fourth-generation PSP at this year’s Games Developer’s Conference in March or at the E3 show in June. We might see the device itself as early as Christmas or January 2010.

Apple iPhone 4G

If Apple isn’t working on a smaller iPhone nano to cash in on the skinflint end of the mobile phone market, then its engineers will surely have plans for a follow-up to the class-leading iPhone 3G.

True, the current iPhone improved on the original 2G model with the addition of a 3G chipset and integrated GPS. But with rival manufacturers producing iPhone clones that are getting better all the time, Apple needs to make another dramatic leap ahead to retain its market dominance.

What sort of next-gen iPhone could we expect? One with a higher resolution camera for starters (with video capture), not to mention a more efficient OLED display, 32GB of memory, a removable battery, multiple processors, wireless charging and a long-overdue cut-and-paste function.

3D TV

3D TV technology was all the rage at January’s Consumer Electronics Show. Several 3D TV prototypes were demonstrated by the likes of Sony, Panasonic, LG and Philips. While 3D gaming was showcased on the PC using GPU technology from Nvidia.

Most 3D televisions require the viewer to wear a pair of 3D specs to see the stereoscopic 3D effect. Thankfully, we’ve moved beyond the sort of cardboard glasses (with red and cyan plastic lenses) that were standard issue during the 3D fad in the 1980s. Instead, a new breed of LCD shutter glasses provide a clearer, sharper, more colour-balanced 3D experience.

Microsoft Zune phone

Considering Apple’s success with the iPhone, you’d have put money down on Microsoft producing its own smartphone. And when rumours of a Windows Mobile phone with a Zune interface bubbled up earlier this year, a so-called ‘Zune phone’ looked a nailed-on certainty.

Not so. At least not yet. Microsoft has consistently denied the existence of a Zune phone. While the recently announced Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade features a new menu system that has some definite Zune-ness to it. For now, Microsoft seems content to provide the software not the hardware.

Google Drive

Google has long been linked with launching an online storage application to complement its existing web-based services that include: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Maps and Google Reader.

According to the rumours: “GDrive provides reliable storage for all of your files, including photos, music and documents … GDrive allows you to access your files from anywhere, anytime, and from any device – be it from your desktop, web browser or cellular phone.”

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