Apple has just scheduled an event in Cupertino for February 28th where they say they'll be introducing some “fun new products”. Katie Marsal at AppleInsider reports today that an analyst at American Technology Research, Shaw Wu, is predicting the release of a widescreen MacBook (not MacBook Pro) next week and a new Mac mini. I bet he's right.
Apple bumped up the cpu on the new MacBook Pro a notch which gives them more room underneath for the Mac mini and MacBook next week. I think Apple wants a good quarter during this time of transition to Intel. A big bunch of pre-orders for the new widescreen MacBook should do the trick.
Any Intel Mac would probably sell at this point if priced correctly because there's a lot of pent up demand in the pipeline. For example, if you need a new iBook right now, you are waiting for the release of the new MacBook.
If you need a new 12” PowerBook, you are waiting for the new Intel 12” MacBook Pro (AppleInsider says a 12” MacBook Pro isn't on Apple's roadmap - but that might be because there's going to be a MacBook mini to replace it -- hope, hope).
People are waiting for the new Intel-based machines which is actually a good thing for Apple. What if no one wanted them? So, step one is going well. People want these new Intel Macs. No big problems have surfaced. So, striking while the iron is hot and before the quarter is over, Apple conveniently manages to produce a miracle and get more Intel-based models out the door early.
The more Intel Macs bought without incident, the more people will buy now rather than wait prudently to see how the transition goes. Excitement is building.