iPad Accessories

Select press organizations on Monday April 5th received an invitation from Apple that they would be holding a special media event on the 8th of April. Apple typically taunts the press with a cryptic image related to the event, but this time, the shadow of a ‘4′ can be seen with the words “Get a sneak peak into the iPhone OS”. Here’s a copy of what was sent out:

Little is known about what iPhone OS 4.0 will include, but a number of rumors and potential elements have surfaced from reliable and ‘other’ sources over the past few months. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs replied to an e-mail from a concerned user of the iPhone’s multiple in-box system for its Mail App, regarding whether the iPhone will have a primary Inbox for all e-mail addresses, much like  how Mail operates in Mac OS X 10.6.3 today. Steve replied with a ‘Yep’. So, that’s pretty much a certainty.

Up next, most sites out there and users alike are clamoring for a true multi-tasking OS for iPhone OS devices (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad). With that said, we’re also aware that Windows Phone 7, due for a Fall 2010 launch, will not initially have Multi-tasking either. Top that off with a media event scheduled by Microsoft on April 12th, most likely for their ‘Pink Phone’ product, and Apple is dutifully expected to beat MS to the punch with an OS X Expose-like system for the iPhone OS. So, I think this feature is a given as well.

Lastly, it is expected that Apple will include some user interface improvements, likely to leverage both the enhanced screen real-estate of the iPad and to better deal with the hundreds of free and paid Apps that most users have on their iPhone OS devices.

As is typical with these Media Events, this will likely be an announcement, with a vague ’ship date’. The iPhone is due for a refresh in June or July of 2010, and the iPod touch sees a refresh usually around September of each year. Screenshots in the iPad code has revealed that Apple has five new products with internal product numbers, so I think it’s safe to say we’ll see an entirely refreshed iPod and iPhone line-up before this Fall.

Maybe that will include a redesigned iPod Nano with a pared down iPhone OS 4 interface? Full-screen Nano with no touch-wheel? Now that would be something!

We will be covering the April 8th Apple Event with all the nitty gritty.