Apple has sent invitations to select media outlets, inviting them to “see what’s new for the Mac on October 20, including a sneak peek of the next major version of Mac OS X.”
As opposed to Apple's recent raft of iOS-based announcements, this one will mostly be about Mac OS 10.7. The new version of OS X will apparently be referred to as "Lion" if the not-so-subtle image on the invitation is any indication.
And what's with the use of "Back to the Mac" anyway? Is Apple just being cute or is it a not-so-subtle hint that MobileMe's "Back to my Mac" remote-access technology could be getting an upgrade?
CrunchGear's got a good rundown of the current Apple hardware rumors, including touch-based iMacs and MacBooks, a revved MacBook Air and CPU/GPU bumps including the Nvidia Optimus. While we probably won't see a new iPhone, iPod or iPad next Wednesday, that doesn't mean that we won't see iOS at the event.
I love Devin Coldeway's theory that iOS could find its way into Mac OS X in the form of an iOS dashboard replacing the current (and disastrously unusable) Dashboard. It would be a great way for Apple to capitalize on the success of the App Store and begin to converge the two platforms.
While the announcement of an updated version of Mac OS X might not seem exciting initially, the prospect of touch-based Macs iOS integration should pique the interest of developers and users alike.
You're the CEO: how would you converge OS X and iOS?