Report: Apple Has “Something Big” Planned For January

Leander Kahney ()

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The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco; Apple's favorite venue for product announcements.

“Apple has something big up its sleeve for next month,” says the venerable Financial Times of London.

The company has rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for several days in late January, according to people familiar with the plans.

Apple is expected to use the venue to make a major product announcement on Tuesday, January 26th.

The prospect of a three-day event is tantalizing, but why would Apple need three days to announce a new product — like the long-rumored the tablet, say? My guess is the company needs a day to set up and another to break down. The 26th is a Tuesday: Apple’s favorite day for new product announcements.

Note, neither Apple nor YBCA would comment to the FT, but the center’s online calendar says the venue is free on January 25, 26 and 27. IE. there are no artsy events scheduled for those three days on a calendar that is otherwise full.

Having pulled out of Macworld, these days the YBCA stage is Apple’s favorite venue for product announcements. With CES in January, and the Apple-less Macworld in February, a January 26 event would be sandwiched right between.

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The rumor comes on the back of reports that Apple is wooing TV studios for a new online TV service, which conjures the Apple TV to mind, but perhaps a new TV service would be tablet-centric? In addition,  the company is reportedly talking to magazine publishers about repurposing content for the upcoming tablet. Earlier this year, iLounge predicted the tablet would be announced in mid-January with a May or June sell date to build iPhone-like hype.

Via 9to5Mac.

8 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, Apple Tablet, News, Rumors |

  • Sayam Aggarwal

    There are about 4 different rumors on a January product announcement, which means Apple is definitely up to something!

  • porkchop1234

    Let’s hope the hype for this event measures up to our expectations. If all this is just to announce something minor such as maybe the next Mac Pro refresh or a crappy camera being added to the touch I’ll be one disappointed blogger. After 2 plus years of tablet rumors it would be nice if they finally announce the damn thing as the real deal just so the rumors would finally stop. In my mind two things are very certain, one Apple definitely had a hand in getting the internet rumor mill buzzing so as to hype up the mac and techie communities and secondly if it really is the fabled tablet I highly doubt it will be anything we expected. Guaranteed they will have done something to it that will throw their customer base and competition for a loop. Lets just hope we aren’t all disappointed.

  • Alex

    I can see the invite now… Better Slate than never.

  • http://www.toxicspark.com Andrew Macdonald

    My guess is they will announce the Apple Tablet, and also their intention to go into the living room with more options for Apple TV.

    I.E. they have brought major networks on board, and are about to offer a subscription based service.

    I know both the Tablet and the TV Networks has been long-running rumours now, so the January booking would be an ideal time to launch either, or both products.

    Im looking forward to the tablet. Ill be first in line ;-)

  • nsfw

    I doubt they are staging this event to announce a processor upgrade to the Mac Mini. Just saying.
    I’ might be the only one, but I’m not really excited about a $500,6,7,800 tablet. The iphone give me what I need multimedia wise when i’m on the go. A laptop isn’t too far away when i return from being on the go.
    I’m someone who lives in NYC and a frequent traveler. I’m not sure who this device is for? City people? People in San Jose who drive everywhere they go? When is anyone in the bay area using this?

  • Daniel

    They will announce the resurrection of eWorld. Hehe.

  • CaryMG

    SHIEDOG !!!!

    Here we fuckin’ GO !!!!

    I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO am gonna be the first on line ta get one.
    I’ll even deem it worthy to step inside the abomination evetyone’s so frothed over — the GlassCube.

  • andy

    Dress Steve Jobs up as MOses and have him coming down a mountain with the tablets in his hands