ByMike Moffit

ECONOMY

  • Gas prices will reach a low of $1.40/gallon and then begin a sharp rise in the summer based both on increases in the gasoline tax and increases in demand.
  • Energy efficiency will be the mantra of US car companies and they attempt to re-invent themselves with the help of taxpayer money. Development and production of more efficient vehicles will begin.
  • The stock market will rally in January and February, decline in the spring and rebound by the end of the year. The Dow will break 10,000 by year-end.
  • Unemployment will rise to to a national level of 8.8% by mid-year and will decline to below 6% by year-end.

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  • I’m off to San Francisco on Sunday and a full slate of meetings all week. I’ll make time to get on the show floor, but it is the meetings that make this event special and what I will miss since this is the last year of Apple at Macworld.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Don, Kali and Ed_

  • Small Dog Macworld Predictions

    This year is the last year that Apple is planning to present at Macworld, and I feel a slight sense of mourning for the pomp and circumstance of the whole thing. However, on a more positive note, we’re betting it will lead to further innovation and inevitably, more exciting things from Apple.

    I’ve gathered the top three picks from Small Doggers in what will prove to be the last list of predictions for new Apple products at Macworld, so without further ado, here they are:

    *DON*
    * New iMacs with faster processors & new look (and Blu-Ray?)
    * New Mac mini
    * New Apple Cinema Displays with a look consistent with the 24″

    *ED*
    * New Mac mini with a cool black & silver enclosure and built-in Apple TV features. Larger SATA hard drives
    * New iWork and iLife applications
    * An updated and Apple-branded DeLorean DMC-12. While there is no built-in blu-ray, a Flux Capacitor is optional.

    *KALI*
    * New Apple Cinema Displays
    * Smaller/cheaper iPhone and more software features (native copy/paste, etc.)
    * Limited edition Steve Jobs black turtleneck and jeans combo auction for charity

    *TOD*
    * Update to Mac mini
    * Better MacBook Air
    * Steve Jobs will step down!

    *MATT*
    * Quad core imacs and/or unibody mac mini
    * Updated displays
    * 32GB iPhone

    *KELLI*
    * Touch screen notebook–or return of the “Newton” with a larger touchscreen–taking the touch to the next level of computing and rival the new touch screen HP.
    * A more powerful, economical, and aluminum cased Mac mini to keep a desktop model in the lower price range for “switchers”… and in response to the current economy
    * A lower priced addition to the MacBook family

    *MARK*
    * Apple buys GM for a song, and we will have really cool cars in a year or so

    *JON*
    * New line of Displays with larger sizes and better resolution and pixel depth
    * New iMacs and Mac minis
    * The illusive iPhone mini or a reduced cost iPhone product

    *GEOFF*
    * Apple TV update
    * iLife ’09
    * Steve Jobs playing a lesser role

    *BEN*
    * Mac mini redesign/upgrade: Black on Aluminum Case Design, Intel 9400M Graphics, Upgraded Processor/HD Capacities, HDMI Port
    * 17″ MacBook Pro: The 17” will adopt the new “Unibody” design released in late 2008. Might even have 2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo by default!
    * Quad Core iMacs: Upgraded processors, display port, case redesign (all aluminum with black–just like 24″ LED display!)

    *ROB*
    * Mac mini and Apple TV combined!
    * Changes to Channel Sales @ Apple
    * New iPod touch

  • APPLE Apple stock will recover with the economy and hit $175/share by July. Apple will continue to post record revenues and earnings despite…

  • POLITICS Barack Obama will embark on the most massive economic recovery in the history of the country, providing millions of new jobs and…

  • WEATHER Another good start to the winter, but temperatures will be unusually warm with little snow until mid-February with at least three dumps…

  • FEATURE OF THE WEEK | 01/02/09 – 01/09/09

    To kick off our new series about using your iPod, Mac and other technology to maintain health and fitness, we’re offering an “8GB iPod nano (3G) with the Nike+ kit, Belkin armband, and Marware sport pouch (to use the Nike+ with any pair of sneakers) for only $169.99”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag18710/.

    Already have an iPod nano or iPod touch 2G? You can order the Nike+ kit and pouch for only $34.99 “by clicking here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag18709/ Good luck and have fun getting shape and keeping your New Year’s fitness resolutions!