The entire blogosphere and more than a few traditional news outlets are all saying that Apple is going to be announcing a tablet during the big event they've scheduled for 27 January 2010 (3.00AM on the 28th for those in Australia). While the idea of a tablet has some attraction to the market, I'm not convinced that they're going deliver one.

CES saw many many companies release and announce tablets and eReaders. At the moment, it's fair to say that on the eReader side of things, Amazon owns the market with a device that has the entire book buying and reading process refined. When Apple released the iPod there were other MP3 players around but none had high capacity hard drives and Apple managed to nail the usability through the iPod/iTunes ecosystem. In other words, they weren't first to market but they were arguably best to market.

With the tablet, Apple won't be delivering something new or something that hasn't already been well done by something else. For Apple to turn the hype of a tablet into market success they'll need to not only create a great product but fulfil a need that the market may not even know it has. Remember the hysteria surrounding the MacBook Air. Sure, the Air is a damn sexy product (I've owned one) but its limitations and the introduction of the 13-inch MacBook Pro have rendered the Air to all but obsolescence.

So, if Apple doesn't announce a tablet, what will they unveil. I suspect that it will be something from the shopping list below.

1 - A new Apple TV with integrated tuners making it a full PVR solution

I've got an Apple TV. If it had a high definition tuner and Apple applied its software engineers to the task of making this Steve Jobs hobby project easy to use then they'd have a winner. For the win, they could release a software update so that existing Apple TV units could install a USB tuner to the unused port at the back of the Apple TV.

2 - A netbook (they described this as a "nascent market" last year and hinted that they were doing some product development)

The establishment of the 13-inch MacBook Pro line basically made the MacBook Air into a firth wheel. I suggest that the 13-inch MacBook Air will be superseded by a lower cost 10-inch MacBook Air. However, if this happens, Apple won't be calling it a netbook in order to avoid the stigma that comes from some of the cheapest, more underpowered netbooks it would compared with. Also, unless it costs less than $800 USD it won't sell.

3 - The iPhone nano - a smaller, cheaper iPhone (fits their iPod strategy)

This one's less likely but still on the cards. While Apple might not be the biggest seller of handsets on the market, they practically own what David Pogue calls the "app phone" market. recent research from Gartner says that Apple owns practically all mobile application sales. While I'm not sure that Gartner's figures are 100% correct (What about the installed base of Palm and Windows Mobile apps? How about sales from independent software vendors?).

A second model, appealing to the portion of the market that wants a more compact form factor would be a sure-fire winner.

4 - A new iLife and iWork update (an anticlimax for all the hype)

iLife updates were typically released at the Macworld Expo. Although Apple is no longer attending the Expo, an iLife update is on the cards. iWork is less likely although the paintball effect on Apple's media invitation could point to an expansion of iWork to include a drawing program. The establishment of features like Instant Alpha in the other iWork apps makes me think this is a possibility.

5 - A huge shock: Steve Jobs to resign as CEO (stay on as chairman)

Let's face it - Jobs is a busy guy with many interests and the company didn't go belly up when he took his medical leave of absence in 2009

What's it for?: Copying stuff from your iPhone to your Mac
Score: 3/5
Pros: Easy to use, just works
Cons: No file syncing, wired connections only Mac only
Cost: $19.99USD
Buy from: Ecamm PhoneView

Syncing an iPhone through iTunes works well but there may be times when you need to extract data from your iPhone. For example, if the disk in your Mac dies then the photos or music on your iPhone might be your only backup. Ecamm's PhoneView application lets you connect an iPhone and browse its contents so you can copy data between your Mac and the iPhone without using iTunes

After installing PhoneView it automatically launched and was ready for my iPhone to connect.

After connecting my iPhone by its USB cable I was able to view its contents and copy content to and from its filestore. In addition I was able to read SMS and Notes, with an option to save them to my Mac (this may be important for business users concerned about record keeping), copy music and photos from the iPhone and use the iPhone as a portable disk. iPhone 3GS support arrived in the latest version so you can even copy your videos to your Mac.

Using the iPhone as a portable disk does add to its usefulness but it would be great if Ecamm developed an iPhone app so that copied files could be read on the iPhone. Having shelled out $20 I'd like to be able to read the data I've been able to copy. Given that the iPhone OS supports reading of many different file formats it's a little disappointing to not have a companion app for this purpose. However, the ability to store a backup of key files is very handy.

If only...

The one thing I'd really like to be able to do with PhoneView is create SMS from my Mac and have the iPhone send them. While I'm working, it'd be great to be able to use my Mac that way. But that's a small criticism.

Connection to PhoneView requires connection by USB - no Bluetooth or WiFi allowed. Given that the ability to connect over WiFi for data transfer is supported in a huge array of apps this is a serious omission. For me being able to connect my iPhone wirelessly would add significantly to PhoneView's utility as I could use it while commuting.

Should you buy it>?

PhoneView is a very useful piece of software. The ability to copy data from your iPhone is very handy and the $20USD price tag is reasonable. I picked up PhoneView as part of a recent MacHeist bundle and it's proven to be one of those handy little apps that I'd probably not have purchased on its own. However, I really like this app and find it very useful.

If you're anything like me, your music collection from ripped CDs and iTunes Store purchases has far outstripped your iPhone or iPod's storage capacity. While the iPod Classic delivers a massive 160GB, I suspect that that vast majority of people run with 32GB or less. Although that used to be a massive amount, 32GB is really quite a paltry amount. That means that, somehow, we need to find a way to carry the right music. Here's how I do it.

Step 1: Create a Random Playlist in iTunes
One of iTunes niftier features is the ability to create Smart Playlists. A Smart Playlist is a playlist that's assembled based on a set of criteria that can dynamically update.

As you can see from mine, I've simply set the content to include files smaller that 5MB (I'll need to bump that up to a higher number now that I think of it. 10MB might be better), exclude anything spoken (I have several audio books) or played in the last couple of days and randomly filled with 500 songs.

Step 2: Use the Recently Added Smart Playllst
When you install iTunes a Smart Playlist for recently added items is created automatically. You can fiddle with that by to ensure that you sync the content you want. For example, by limiting the file size, you can ensure you don't sync videos.

Step 3: Sync your new Playlists
Now, connect your iPod or iPhone and change the sync settings so that the Smart Playlists.

One of the reasons I love this approach is that it lets me rediscover music I'd even forgotten I had. For example, today I listened to The Alleluia Chorus from Handel's Messiah, Whitesnake, Michael Jackson and Eminem.

I recently interviewed Melbourne man Doug Retchford and talked about his home audio setup.

The story is at The Age.

 Home Theatre • Sonos

Over at "The Age" I've penned a comparison of four online music services.

It's worth noting that The Sanity LoadIt service was shut down between my writing of the story and the publication.

Here's the story for your reading pleasure.

 Online Music Stores

I was just browsing the iTunes Store and caught this little gem.

Apparently the name "Dick" is a rude word in the Appleverse.

 iTunes • Political Correctness

After opening with a meager ration of TV shows last week, my friend Angus Kidman has broken the story that Australians will be able to buy movies over the iTunes Store next month.

This is good news for Australians and even better news for iiNet customers as the downloads will be unmetered meaning that they won't be counted towards any download caps.

 Australia • iTunes • Movies

With no fanfare Apple has opened a new new aisle in the iTunes Store. Australian customers can finally access episodes of some of their favourite TV shows.

Popular American imports Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives are there as well as Bit Torrent favourite Lost. Local productions from Channel 9, McLeod's Daughters, Sea Patrol II and Canal Road are also available with the ABC represented with Chris Lilley classics We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High there as well. That's interesting as those shows were freely available from the ABC when screened through their vodcast service.

There's plenty for the kids as well with Blues Clues, Hannah Montana and Cory in the House.

The full list of shows is

Blues Clues
Canal Road
Cory in the House
Desperate housewives
Double the Fist
Foreign Correspondents Postcards
Grey's Anatomy
Hannah Montana
Laguna Beach
Lost
McLeod's Daughters
My Super Sweet Sixteen
Pimp my Ride
Scrubs
Sea Patrol: The Coup
Sleek Geeks
South Park
Summer Heights High
Surfing the Menu
The Hills
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Urban Magic
We Can Be Heroes

Individual episodes are priced at $2.99 - that's a hefty premium on the US prices of $1.99USD. Full series cost start at around $40 but range up to over $60. Depending on what you're after it may be cheaper to buy the DVD. All the series available are complete so there's no sign that we'll be able to download episodes the day after they air as it the US practice. A look at a current series such as Sea Patrol II shows that you can download all the current episodes for $17.94 (the cost of the six individual episodes that are available) even though the series is intended to run for 13 episodes.

OK - so it's not as good as the US store but it's a start.

 Apple • iTunes • TV

Over at Hydrapinion I ponder the question - Is a hacked iPod touch the best ever non-phone handheld ever made?

Stop by for a read.

 iPhone Jailbreak • iPod touch • Ziphone

Almost two weeks ago I posted on an application I'd stumbled past called JoikuSpot. If you're running a cell phone that uses the Symbian S60 operating system and has WiFi then JoikuSpot is a must have. It converts your humble 3G phone into a portable WiFi access point.

This evening, on the drive home from work I had my nephew in the car. We fired up JoikuSpot on my Nokia N95 and he spent some time surfing the Internet using his iPod touch.'

How cool is that?

The only danger is that mobile data costs can accumulate quickly, particularly as the iPod touch uses a fully featured web browser that supports most rich content (except for Flash).

 JoikuSpot • Nokia N95 • s60 • Symbian • WiFi