Apple's tune resonates throughout CES

Apple's big trade show kicks off today in San Francisco, but signs of the Mac maker's influence were omnipresent at last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

There were plenty of new video services to rival iTunes and new MP3 players looking to dethrone the iPod.

Well-known and little-known accessory makers alike were sporting new iPod add-ons. Belkin was showing off its latest gear, while Speck Products used the trade show to display its first electric accessories, including cables, car chargers and FM transmitters. Numerous newcomers were looking to get in on the iPod act as well.

And when Microsoft chairman Bill Gates demonstrated Windows Vista, the operating system's new Photo Gallery feature bore a startling resemblance to Apple's iPhoto.

But of course the big event in the Apple world is this week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, and Mac fans everywhere are eagerly awaiting the product or products that CEO Steve Jobs will announce. The most persistent speculation has centred on Intel-based Macs, while other common rumours have addressed new iPods or an expansion of the video service within iTunes.

There has been little solid evidence of new products to come, though a slip-up on Apple's Web site did strongly suggest that an update to the iLife suite is forthcoming, as is something dubbed iWeb, which some enthusiast sites surmise could be a Web content creation program.

Apple also suggested that changes to .Mac could be coming with a note that the service will be down during the time of Jobs' keynote.

".Mac will be undergoing scheduled maintenance from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM PST on 1/10/06," Apple said on the .Mac page of its Web site. "All .Mac services will be affected. We apologise for the inconvenience."

The juiciest rumour landed over the weekend on Jason O'Grady's Powerpage. The Mac enthusiast site says Apple is poised to launch a line of high-definition plasma televisions. According to Powerpage, Apple will launch both a 42- and 50-inch display, both of which will have a Mac built-in as well as a 12-button remote with an LCD display.

There have also been reports that Apple's iPod Shuffle, which has been out of stock in many places, will be replaced, either with a lower capacity iPod nano or with a smaller version of the Shuffle.

There was one snippet of Apple news announced ahead of the show. Car maker Chrysler said on Sunday that it will include iPod integration as an option on most of its 2006 models.

"We're thrilled that over 3 million Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge automobiles will offer great iPod connectivity in 2006," Apple vice president Greg Joswiak said in a statement. "Over 40 per cent of all cars sold in the US in 2006 will offer iPod connectivity."

Chrysler's iPod kit will cost $175 (£100), the companies said, and can also work with some 2005 models.

For those keeping track, Jobs used the Macworld Expo keynote last year to introduce the first Mac Mini, the Shuffle and iWork, its bundle of productivity software. Some expect Apple to add a spreadsheet program to iWork that could be called Numbers, given Apple's trademark of that word.

Visit our CES 2006 Special Report for more coverage.