It’s Official: Apple “Rock and Roll” Media Event On Sept. 9

Leander Kahney ()

apple_rockand roll_event

As expected, Apple is hosting a special “Rock and Roll” media event on Sept. 9 and is sending invites to members of the press.

The tag line for the event is: “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it” –  a play on the Rolling Stones song “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It).”

Some had speculated the event would be tied to the reissue of the Beatles catalog on the same day: 09/09/09. The band is re-issuing its entire remastered catalog and The Beatles: Rock Band game. But using a line from Rolling Stones now makes that seem unlikely.

The event is likely to showcase Apple’s holiday lineup of iPods, which are widely expected to get cameras, and a new version of iTunes with social networking features.

Although many are hoping the event will also see the introduction of an Apple tablet, that seems unlikely. But an appearance by Steve Jobs does not. If he hosts the event, it’ll be the first public appearance by Steve Jobs since his liver transplant earlier this year.

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The event is being held at 10:00 AM PST at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, the venue of several previous Apple media events.

9 comments »

About the author

Leander Kahney

is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac, and author of three books about technology culture: Inside Steve’s Brain, the New York Times bestseller about Steve Jobs; Cult of Mac; and Cult of iPod. Leander has written for Wired, MacWeek, Scientific American, and The Guardian in London. Follow Leander on Twitter @lkahney and Facebook.

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Posted in Apple, Music, News |

  • CaryMG

    See?
    It’s about iTunes 9, maybe The Beatles & camcorder iPods.

    NO TABLET.

  • http://www.ericadrayton.com Erica

    Just wondering, will there be a way to view the event live on the computer? I’ve always wanted to but could never figure out how. I’d really like to be able to see it live rather than constantly refreshing somebody’s blog that is telling me what is happening…

    Thanks!

    • http://cultofmac.com Leander Kahney

      Good question. Sometimes it’s possible. I’ll look into it.

  • CaryMG

    @Erica
    Just go to Apple.Com & click on it — it’ll open in QuickTime.
    A few hours later it’ll be available for download on iTunes.

  • PJ

    @erica

    9to5mac.com said they would try to have a video feed again this time, Lets hope it works out!

  • MacRat

    Forget the Tablet.

    Apple will announce the iCar which runs on music!

  • Weeman Wise

    I can’t wait! I’m looking forward to purchasing the new iPod Touch.

  • imajoebob

    My wholly specious speculations:

    It’s just a collection of “minor” changes, like a revamped iPod lineup (again?!); more memory, slight price drops, and if they can jam 64GB into a nano it’s the end of the classic. Upgraded Macs – especially the Pro. Don’t be shocked if the Air disappears. or lacks any real upgrades (beyond minimum available components). It’s barely a niche product. If the tablet is real, the Air is a goner.

    There might be some new “category” of digital product/delivery that only Apple has figured out. Which means I can let that nebulous comment stand on its own. Maybe they’ve figured out a reason for people to use FW800? It’s ironic that they killed FW on iPod to add video, since this was where it would have made a real difference. Rock And Roll seems to rule out something long overdue for Apple TV, but there’s always hope for the redheaded stepchild. A stackable DVR add-on, with an Apple-designed interface, would be great. Speaking of uses for FW 800…

    It seems a bit over the top, even for Apple, for the highlight to be a Steve lovefest, though just a picture of him will have the legions standing on their chairs screaming and weeping like teenage girls at the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan.

    One last thing… I doubt any announcement of a tablet. Unless it’s ready for Xmas, it will hurt sales of notebooks. The only way they could pull it off would be to announce a target date of June ’10. Would you spend 2 Grand on a MacBookPro in December if the tablet was coming in February? And if you’re as cynical as I am, you won’t believe June, and expect an “early” release in February. So you still wouldn’t buy a notebook for Xmas. Besides, holding it until after Xmas will just give Apple a huge Spring/Summer sales surge. Keep an eye on the Air for clues.

  • Chris

    This has to involve The Beatles. Having it on 09/09/09, the much anticipated remastered Beatles Catalog and rockband. Plus, Apple always has their events on Tuesdays, why push this one to Wednesday?

    iTunes 9, iPod w/camera, Beatles (full catalog and special edition ipod…)