Apple announcement hype deja vu

Another day in technology, another impending Apple product announcement and .

Apple Computer on Tuesday sent a cryptic e-mail to journalists inviting them to the Cupertino, Calif., headquarters next week for the introduction of some "fun new products." The unveiling isn't until Tuesday, giving bloggers ample to play the guessing game, and spread and dispel a few good rumors.

In addition to analyst predictions that it might be a 17-inch MacBook Pro or a redesigned iBook with a 13-inch widescreen display, there are also a lot of bloggers out there predicting (or hoping for) everything from Apple's own iTunes phone to the return of the Newton to an iPod with a larger screen, touchscreen, or gaming capabilities.

Blog community response:

"Thinking about it I can't remember the last time we had a special event actually on the Infinite Loop itself, or when we knew so little about what was going to be announced? Either this is a really big announcement, or a really small one."
--The Daily Ack

"I'm getting sort of sick and tired of all the crap hype that surrounds Apple's 'next best thing'. You know what WOULD be the next best thing, Apple? If you paid attention to a little something called craftsmanship, and made your products built to last."
--Rick on Engadget

"It will be a combination iPod, DVR, and Media center that can sync back to a PC (OSX or Windows) via wired/wireless ethernet. Steve jokingly made reference to it during his last keynote as the "huge 15 pound iPod. That's my prediction."
--Paul R on CNET News.com's Talkback