iLounge

Following Apple’s teaser invitation to a special event next Tuesday, analysts are weighing in on what they think the company will introduce. Speculation ranges from new Intel-based Macs to a movie download service to a tablet-size iPod with HD video.

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu expects an entry-level MacBook laptop and an updated Mac mini, but also says Apple could announce the availability of its first full-length movie downloads. “We believe there is a greater than 50 percent chance that Apple will announce its first, full-length feature films available for download on iTunes,” he says. Wu doesn’t believe the company will debut the so-called “true video iPod.”

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks the event will be Intel-focused, but could also bring new iPods. However, he says it is less likely that Apple will release the rumored touch-screen iPod. “While it is difficult to predict exactly what Apple will announce next Tuesday, it is easier to predict what Apple will announce in the next 12 months,” which he says could include new iBooks and Power Macs, a larger-screen iPod, a new iPod shuffle, Airport Express for video, an Apple-branded cell phone.

Bear Stearns analyst Andrew Neff says a new video iPod is likely, though it could turn out to be “tablet-sized or HDTV-based.” “As speculation begins to build around what Apple could announce on February 28, we think—focusing on the adjectives ‘fun’ and ‘new’—the most likely products are either a tablet-size iPod or a larger HDTV-based iPod,” says Neff. “While more Intel-based products (new iBook or iMacs) or a phone are possible, neither strikes us as ‘fun’ or ‘new’.”

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at the industry research firm Jupiter Research, reminds Apple watchers that no one really knows what to expect. “We’re talking about Apple, so it could be all of those things, none of those things, or something brand new,” says Gartenberg. Ross Rubin, an analyst at the market research firm NPD Group, said trying to speculate on what Apple might roll out at the event is a “fruitless guessing game.”