Mac Breakfast Club

A recently reliable third party claims that Apple plans to launch some NVIDIA-based iMacs at Macworld -- including a possible 28-inch model -- and that Intel's new Core i7 platform may play a greater role in the Mac maker's lineup than expected.

Apple as early as Tuesday will introduce a 17-inch MacBook Pro with a fixed internal battery and a new version of the Mac mini, both of which will feature chipsets from NVIDIA, AppleInsider has been able to independently confirm.

Last-minute claims would have Apple launching an update to its largest MacBook Pro model as early as Macworld -- and potentially with a crucial change to the computer's battery.

Despite lessened expectations for next week's Macworld Expo, the Moscone Center venue for the trade show already sports roughly a dozen sprawling, cloth-concealed banners that hint at several product announcements.

Bringing its least expensive system up to par with features in the rest of its lineup, Apple is due to revamp the Mac mini with multiple video outputs, AppleInsider has learned.

Addressing the complaints of nearly every iPhone owner in a northern climate, Apple has filed for a patent that would cover a means of using a multi-touch device with gloves.

In spite of fears of a late-year plunge, Apple has again beat its own market share record in December and now has a record 9.6 percent of web traffic as Microsoft's own influence continues to fall.

While the verdict is out on whether Apple chief executive Steve Jobs will make some form of appearance at next week's Macworld Expo, the 'other Steve' that helped co-found the company more than 30 years ago will be on hand to throw his weight behind a third-party product launch.

FBR Capital Markets said Wednesday that it believes that Apple is gearing up to release several new products during the first half of 2009, including a new version of the iPod shuffle and cheaper versions of its flagship iPhone and MacBook offerings.

Apple may build on its success in delivering web-based applications for its .Mac internet service by taking its iWork productivity suite of applications online as early as next week's Macworld Expo.

Apple is in talks with one of its Taiwanese system manufacturers to begin manufacturing netbooks sometime next year, according to a recent report out of the Far East.

A much anticipated update to Apple's tiny Mac mini desktop computer is believed to be a lock for next week's Macworld Expo, according to some last minute reports.

Apple is indeed working on tablet-like device that may finally surface sometime next year according to a trio of sources who've been in touch with high-tech blog TechCrunch.

Gadget blog Gizmodo is causing a stir this afternoon with a new report alleging that Apple has misled the public about the reasons behind its exit from Macworld Expo, claiming Steve Jobs' deteriorating health is to blame for the matter.

While acknowledging that expectations for next week's Macworld Expo are running relatively low, one Wall Street analyst believes there's an outside chance Apple will surprise show-goers with a new consumer oriented device.

The wait for Apple's first retail store in the nation's capital will reportedly drag on, as local preservationists have been unable to see eye-to-eye with the Mac maker on a design for the new shop.

With Apple chief executive Steve Jobs skipping out on this year's Macworld Expo, investment bank Piper Jaffray isn't holding high hopes for new product announcements outside a pair of refreshed Macs, but said in a report Tuesday that a redesigned iPhone should surface in the months that follow.

With just days to go before the annual Macworld trade show, a second case maker has added references to an iPhone nano to its website.

Financial software maker Intuit disclosed this week plans to release a long anticipated update to its Quicken application for Mac users sometime during the summer of 2009.

Apple, along with fellow tech heavyweights Google and Microsoft, are accused in a new lawsuit of patent infringement for their use of icons that include a graphical representation of a file's contents.