#FF00AA

@apple@

I guess I should get moving and post this now — before the Wall Street Journal scores and publishes yet another exclusive on Jobs Eve. I’m using Siracusa’s bingo card as a starting point and working from there.

 

Leopard GUI: Same graphics as the iPhone, dark unified all the way (“all the way” meaning it will finally deserve the term “unified” and it’s not too soon). Nothing more spectacular; with luck, they’ll even have toned down the flashy pink Core Animation stuff since last year.

New Finder: I wish, but no. The later Leopard builds showed (welcome) adjustments in the View Options window, and I don’t see why they’d have been working on that for no reason. It might be more reliable, or even rewritten from scratch, but I doubt it. And, even if it were, I don’t think it would warrant a mention by Steve.

ZFS: It’s far too late in Leopard’s beta cycle to switch the system to a completely different filesystem. I think it will be supported, but switching the whole OS over should be expected for 10.6. Leopard’s secret features will be more cosmetic — or, at least, less deep. Something that can work with a short beta.

Virtualization: I don’t see it getting downright integrated into the system, and definitely not an Apple-made solution (there are already two very competent alternatives, no need to make their own) — they could, however, ship a licensed version of Parallels, either with the system or with every new Mac, just like they include other programs. That would be low-impact (they can switch partners at any time) and convenient at the same time, especially with Parallels being able to use a Boot Camp partition.

Vista installed: Selling an OEM Windows means you have to support it. Can you imagine Apple training all their AppleCare staff to handle Vista trouble? I can’t.

iWork, iLife: Yeah, whatever, don’t care.

.Mac on Google: We’ve been praying for this for so long, now. I don’t think there’s any specific reason for that to happen this time rather than another, but why not?

iMac: According to one of the D5 transcripts (I couldn’t find a full video of the Mossberg interview), he strongly hinted at new desktop Macs — and the Mac Pro is not a desktop Mac, it’s a workstation.

Brushed metal iMac: That’s just stupid.

MacBook Slim: Mhh, I don’t think so. Portability is all about the iPhone this year.

Cinema Displays: Maybe they were waiting for resolution independence before they introduced them. Or maybe they were waiting for LED backlighting (in which case it’s not ready yet, as it’s only available for the 15-inch MacBook Pro for now). Or something else altogether. Let’s say a 50% chance — and, yes, with integrated iSight. But no multitouch: once again, nobody’s allowed to steal the iPhone’s thunder.

Mac Pro: I don’t think Jobs cares much about those — they’re definitely workstations, so they might as well keep their current design for a few more years.

Mac mini: I think the idea of discontinuing it is just absurd. But, hey, I also thought removing the $500 model was stupid, so what do I know. In any case, the Apple TV doesn’t really replace the mini — it only acknowledges one of the several uses geeks found for it.

iPhone dev kit: No way. Not even widget development guidelines. The more I think about it, the more I think it’s a good launch decision: software developers are not ready to make truly native iPhone GUIs — it would turn into a race for converting OS X apps to the phone. By (initially) releasing it as a closed platform, Apple ensures that people have time to get used to how its apps works and how paradigms can be different.

VoIP/iChat on iPhone: Forfeiting that has to be the one compromise Jobs accepted to make for AT&T. Don’t expect it.

Mystery 12th app: I can’t imagine the iPhone shipping with en empty slot in the 12-icon matrix — that would mean something went totally wrong and unexpected in the development process. Here’s an interesting speculation, though: YouTube?That would also explain why they’re bothering to convert all videos to H.264: the Apple TV is definitely able to handle Flash video, but the iPhone is probably optimized to for QuickTime.

Touch-screen iPod: Nope, not before November — or, more likely, second quarter of next year. Once again, it’s all about the iPhone now, and not cannibalizing its market.

New iPods at all: Well, that’s not really the point of that keynote, is it? I know Steve tends to forget what WWDC stands for, but still — he should have his plate full with more computery stuff (including the iPhone).

Wishlist: A MacTablet (not this year). Multi-touch Cinemas (not this decade). A Drobo clone (too bad Apple’s lost interest in Firewire). A 7-inch MacBook mini designed to be used with an external screen most of the time, so you can carry your workstation everywhere with you by plugging into any available monitor. New keyboards with trackpads replacing the mouse.

 

All in all, I guess I’m not expecting much. I don’t want to try and guess Leopard’s seeeecret functionalities, mostly because I want to be surprised. All I’m asking for, really, is that Steve honor his commitment to the Mac by not making the whole show about the iPhone. That’ll already be a lot.