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Barclay's analyst Ben Reitzes laid out his expectations for the event in a research note this morning; I've turned it into a bulleted list.
- Reitzes expects "a major upgrade" to the Mac line. His view is that the company will move aggressively ahead of the fall debut of Windows 8 and an accompanying raft of new super thin Intel-based utrabooks.
- In particular, he sees new MacBook Airs and Pros, and new iMacs.
- MacBooks should get Intel Ivy Bridge processors and retina displays.
- He sees cheaper pricing on the Airs, starting around $800.
- He expects new details on Mac OSX Mountain Lion, the next version of the company's Mac operating system software.
- Mountain Lion is scheduled will be released in late summer, he says.
- He's predicting deeper iCloud integration on Macs, iOS and Apple TV.
- He also expects a look at iOS 6, the next version of the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch operating system software.
- Reitzes says "software and services" will be the focus, with enhancements to Maps, iCloud and Siri.
- He expects better social media integration in iOS an OSX.
- He thinks Apple could release APIs for Siri and iCloud to app developers.
- He sees "an attractive Back to School promotion" ahead. His theory: free Apple TV with purchase of MacBook. He's totally guessing on that one.
Apple is down $2.35, or 0.4%, to $561.94.