You’ve heard about Apple’s September 9th event called Let’s Rock. The event has most people convinced we’ll see new nano or an extended version of the Bobby versus Satan Kids in the Hall skit. But it can’t just be a new nano, that would be far too boring. Plus Steve saves nano announcements for times he finds himself on stage with Motorola CEOs.

So there has to be something more to event than Steve whipping out an even smaller nano. Though if he does it like he did the first time it will be pretty cool:

what else could be going on? If you’re a podcast maker or listener you know that you can create enhanced podcasts. You also know that record companies are looking for ways to add value to your music buying experience. Well, that last part isn’t true. Mostly record companies seem to want to complain that they need more money but bands are being smarter and at least one is releasing an enhanced version of their album to increase your enjoyment.

The band is Snow Patrol and their iPod/iPhone album will:

“nable fans to access a raft of extra content including artwork, behind-the-scenes images and lyrics via the touch screen of their handsets, marking the first time a music artist has made use of the iPhone’s extra capabilities”
from Music Week

It is easy to image a lot of music offerings getting the same treatment. That is, if fans will go for it. Do you bother taking advantage of enhanced podcasts? The bonus features on DVDs? I think spicing up an album was a lot easier when bands could put pop guns inside the record sleeve.

Okay we’ve got a new nano and enhanced albums. Does that seem like enough to get people’s salivating for a new iPod? Probably not. So let’s think about what is missing from the nano. The nano can’t download Apps from the App store. Apple makes a lot of money from the App store. So the next nano has to be more touch like and less nano like. Can Apple keep the same size for the next nano? We’ll have to wait until the 9th. Other rumors include a subscription model for iTunes (seems likely), new MacBook Pros (very unlikely but people want them) and a nano iPhone (hahaha, keep dreaming). Just remember, this intro is all about the Christmas buying season so Apple is going to be showing off things you can stuff under the tree.