My Favorite Apple Rumor
There have been some memorable rumors courtesy of the Mac rumor mill, haven’t there? The long awaited (and highly disappointing) two button mouse immediately springs to mind. As does the switch to Intel and the much beloved iPhone. The most recent longstanding rumor to finally be dragged kicking and screaming into the harsh light of reality would have to be the new flash-based laptop, the Air. Yes, these rumors once provided a great deal of material for some truly excellent speculation and prognosticating. However, that is all behind us now because all of the aforementioned rumors have come true. Indeed most, if not all, of the most popular rumors have been realized in recent years. All except one. Can you guess which one I’m thinking of?
I’ll give you a hint: it probably started on January 9th, 2001.
Still thinking?
Here is another hint: “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better.”
Hopefully even the most musically challenged amongst us have guess that I am referring to the Beatles. Or more specifically, the Beatles on iTunes, that oft wished for bit of fantasy that seems ever out of reach. Every year since iTunes first launched there has been someone (I’m looking at you, Think Secret) who claimed to just know that any day now the Beatles were going to appear on iTunes. Why, Apple was even going to have Sir Paul perform on stage with him and they were going to sell custom iPods in the U2 theme.
Only it never happened.
And that is why it is my favorite rumor. Because, let’s face it, all the other rumors out there kind of suck. What else do we have left to pine for? What else do we have to wish for? Faster processors? A bigger hard drive in our Apple TV? Come on, I know that Apple isn’t perfect and they will always have room for improvement, but we are in dire need of some good rumors here people! Things have just gotten too easy. That is why I love this rumor, it is big and bold and it will never come true. Why, maybe if I’m lucky, I will be able to trick my grandchildren into believing this!
Maybe this is the last of the great rumors. If so, I will mourn its passing when the Beatles finally appear on iTunes. But until then, I just can’t get very excited about this new crop of rumors about new phones and thinner computers. Flash in the pan rumors is what they are. Sometimes a man just longs for the days when he has to wait 20 years for Apple to release a damn two button mouse. Sometimes he just needs something to hope for as he goes out and buys his Logitech mouse.
But those days are behind us now. All we have is this one last rumor from the glory days. So Sir Paul, I say hold out. I realize you could probably buy all of Manchester if you so desired, but damn it man, hold out for more money. Stay strong out of sheer orneryness if that is what it takes. But keep your music off of iTunes, I beg you. Keep us Apple writers in the business of hotly debating unverified rumors, if only for another day.
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Comments
No more great rumours? I’d rate the iTablet/Newton or a remake of the eMate as long standing interesting rumours.
I never quite got the appeal of the Beatles rumours - I figure any huge fan will have the CDs and can load them themselves drm free. Then again, I’m not a huge beatles fan, maybe I’m missing something
The rumors make it fun to be an Apple fan. I don’t know of any windows users who care what Microsoft is going to come out with in the near or distant future. All they have to do is look at what ever Apple is doing now, and they have an instant Microsoft copy rumor.
“I figure any huge fan will have the CDs and can load them themselves drm free”
I never understand this argument, Greg. Why doesn’t it apply to any other artist on iTMS? U2, for example, have been around much longer than iTMS, so why bother putting their pre-iTMS stuff up?
iTMS is chockers with old music that fans already have on CDs. But someone must still be buying them off iTMS.
I was a huge Beatles fan in the early ‘80s and had all their stuff on either cassette or record. But my fandom waned a bit and when CDs came out, I never upgraded my collection.
If The Beatles appeared on iTMS I’d probably buy a few of my favorite songs of theirs, but I’m not interested in buying any “best of” CD.
Many of the older pre-"remastered for Digital” CD’s of 60’s and 70’s artists sound better, although (because they weren’t subjected to destructive digital limiting to make them LOUD) they’re not nearly as loud as the versions out today. And they sound softer when played in rotation with modern CD’s. You can thank the Volume Wars in the music industry for that.
Why do we need a two button mouse? I can both right-click and left-click with my mighty mouse.
WetcoastBob