Apple has confirmed it will hold its traditional invitation-only media event on Sept. 9 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. An announcement of the rumored Apple tablet computer is unlikely, but Apple is expected to announce new iPods.
Invitations with an iPod-style silhouette holding what appears to be an iPod touch were sent to members of the press, with the words “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it,” a play on the title of a Rolling Stones song. A keynote address will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
Rumors have focused on an Apple announcement about cameras being added to new versions of the iPod nano and iPod touch. Some have also suggested a camera might be added to the iPod classic.
Another possible announcement could be an update to iTunes 9 with social-networking features. The company might also discuss Cocktail, its new interactive music-album format.
An interesting side note is that Sept. 9 is also the date The Beatles will release the band’s music catalog, along with the video game The Beatles: RockBand. The game will be released for Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3, and Nintendo’s Wii gaming consoles.
It may be significant that Sept. 9 is a Wednesday and Apple has used Tuesdays in early September for music-related announcements since 2005. Some observers expect The Beatles catalog to be available on iTunes.