Rumor Mill: What you'll be buying from Apple next

Hey there, this is Jason's twin brother Jake.

Jason asked me to pen a quick column on Apple rumors, so here goes... Released products are fine, but what about what's coming out next week, next month or next quarter? Here's a fun Friday peek into Apple's labs, skunkworks and dumpsters.

Unlimited music. This rumor has been around since I was walking my pet dinosaur. This go around is courtesy of the Financial Time (via Mac Rumors). Word is that Apple is considering an unlimited music option for iPod and iPhones in which the cost of music is embedded into the cost of the device itself. The all-you-can eat model allegedly being mulled by Apple is different than the music subscription services offered by AOL, Napster, Rhapsody, Virgin and Yahoo where you pay a monthly fee for unlimited downloads and the music expires if you stop paying courtesy of Microsoft’s PlayForSure DRM

3-D display hardware. Imagine Leopard. In 3D. Apple's patent filing on autostereoscopy display technology could put three-dimensional images visible by multiple users without the need for special headgear or glasses on a Cinema Display near you. Alioscopy is nothing new, NEC already makes a 3D panel. Perhaps this is what's holding up the new Apple monitors? Shhh, don't tell my brother, he just bought a Dell 22-inch panel.

Double-sided panels. I'm not much of a flip phone guy, I prefer the candy bar format but according to more Apple patent filings, Apple could be heading in that direction. This latest filing discusses several uses for a "capacitive array element [that] may be a dual-sided panel that is capable of sensing touch from either side." Suitably vague as usual but either way, a two-sided touch panel sounds pretty sweet to me.

I'm also tracking rumblings of the mythical Apple DVR, iPhone 3G upgrades via firmware, and of course, The Beatles on iTunes so stay tuned for them in another installment.

What's your favorite Apple rumor?