Handicapping the Last-Minute iPod Rumors

Tomorrow's the big day for iPod fans, and the rumors are flying fast and furious ahead of Wednesday's media event. So, what's the latest (totally unconfirmed) word? The Beatles are probably out, but iPhone ringtones, a new Nano, and Wi-Fi just might be in.

Of course, Apple hasn't said anything specific since last week, when it sent out invites to tomorrow's media event. Apple rumors being what they are—that is, almost always unreliable—you're probably best off just waiting for Wednesday's announcements to get the real skinny. But what's the fun in that? So, once again, here's your iPod-rumor cheat sheet, grains of salt not included.

• Touch-screen iPod and/or new Nano: It's the Holy Grail of iPod rumors—a touch-screen, wide-screen iPod that runs Mac OS X. Spy shots of a squat, Mac OS X-running iPod Nano (with flash storage up to 16GB) popped up on the Web and were then yanked after warnings from Apple's legal department, which just threw gas on the fire. And now Think Secret, a reliable source for Apple dirt in the past, claims that we'll see a hard drive-based, touch-screen iPod with a 3.5-inch display. The Nano drumbeat has been so insistent over the past several weeks that I'd be shocked it it didn't come to pass; however, while a hard drive-based, touch-screen iPod seems logical (especially for those of us who want 160GB of storage rather than just 16GB), several sites claim that Apple is moving away from hard drive storage on its iPods altogether, so this particular rumor looks murky. Odds: almost certain (new Nano), 3-1 (touch-screen HDD iPod).
• iPod goes wireless: Again, another rumor that's refused to die, with the latest iteration being that the iPod will get a wireless radio service, complete with a "buy now" button for snapping up tracks that you like. The wireless radio service sounds appealing, but there's heavy skepticism across most of the gadget blogs; indeed, it sounds more like someone's bright idea rather than honest-to-goodness leak from Cupertino. Now, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on the iPod—here's a rumor that's gaining traction, although details are few and far between. Odds: 10-1 (wireless radio), 3-1 (Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth).
• Ringtones for the iPhone: Seems inevitable, and several major news outlets are reporting that they'll be announced tomorrow. The story goes that you'll be able to turn any track (and any segment of a track) on iTunes into a ringtone for an extra fee (no details on how much more). Considering that Apple took a serious drubbing for not having iPhone ringtones for sale at launch, I'd be surprised if this rumor doesn't become fact. Odds: 50-50.
• The Beatles come to iTunes, at last: Everyone freaked when the Apple media invite came with tagline, "The beat goes on." Why, that's the last line in the final press release from the Beatles! Jobs is telling us something! Well, while there have been a million hints that the Beatles catalog would eventually land on iTunes, rumors of an announcement tomorrow have cooled off considerably, and there have been so many false alarms on this front that I wouldn't get too excited. Odds: 5-1.

Don't forget: the Apple event is slated for tomorrow at 10 a.m. PST tomorrow, so be sure to check back around then for the details.

Related:
'The Beat Goes On' Rumor Roundup [Updated] [MacRumors]