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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  • 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

  • SMALL DOG ELECTRONICS Small Dog Electronics will open one large and one small new store in 2009. Small Dog will post record revenues…

  • 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_

  • Free Shipping On All Orders Over $200!

    To ring in the new year, Small Dog Electronics is offering FREE ground shipping to the contiguous 48 States on every order over $200–every day, all the time!

    As always, Small Dog does not charge sales tax on any orders that ship out of Vermont! Plus, we ship 99% of orders on the same business day as the order is placed.

    It’s part of our commitment to keep your business by providing excellent value and award-winning customer service!

    “Shop our specials!”:http://www.smalldog.com/specials

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

  • WORLD The US will begin withdrawing troops from Iraq with less than 50,000 troops left by Christmas 2009. Troop build-up will continue until…