The table is set for MacWorld in January 2008 and a tasty bowl of rumors is on the menu.

MacWorld, to an Apple Fanboy, is better than Christmas. Steve Jobs is like Santa Claus. Phil Schiller and Woz kinda look like elves.

Macs

This biggest news to be revealed on January 15th is a totally redesigned portable Mac. Since 1997, Apple has followed a very simple strategy for the Mac lineup. The strategy involves four quadrants of Macs.

• Consumer Desktop (iMac)
• Consumer Portable (iBook/MacBook)
• Pro Desktop (PowerMac/Mac Pro)
• Pro Portable (PowerBook/MacBook Pro)

The only exceptions to this strategy have been the PowerMac G4 Cube and the Mac mini.

Where this rumored new ultraportable will fit into Apple’s strategy is still up in the air. The MacBook Pro form factor is largely unchanged since the days of the PowerBook G4 so one can postulate that it is the professional consumer quadrant that will be see a major overhaul next month.

iPhone

There is speculation that disk-mode and voice recording are coming to the iPhone. Disk-mode would enable an iPhone owner to use the device as a portable mass-storage device. iPod users have enjoyed this feature for a long time.

Google’s integration of GPS-lite into thier Maps application suggests that Apple might enhance the iPhone map client too. Its not true GPS. Basically the iPhone will be able to tell you where you are by identifying nearby cell phone towers. Jailbroken iPhones have already had this ability thanks to Navizon.

If the iPhone is to get 3G, don’t expect it until at least summer 2008.

iPod/iTunes

Don’t expect much change to the iPod lineup. In a perfect world, the iPod touch would come with the capacity of an iPod classic. But this is not a perfect world.

“People want to own thier content.” This is the mantra that Jobs and Apple have claimed is why the iPod/iTunes Music Store model has been so successful. Subscription models don’t work on a large scale. Unfortunately, the ownership model has not migrated to TV and movies very well. Have you ever seen a retail chain built around renting music?

Offering movie rentals in iTunes makes sense. Price each movie at $3.99 and let it behave like a purchased movie for 10 days. DRM will probably have to be a necessary evil to get buy-in from production studios. Maybe this scheme will wake the AppleTV from its “hobby” status.

The Stevenote

A Stevenote is the model rock-star moment that a geek could aspire to acheive. Some try to imitate. The Stevenote will get going on Tuesday January 15th and 10am PST and typically lasts about 90 minutes. Let’s hope there will be no appearances by John Mayer. John, you’re good - but your presence at MacWorld gettin a little played out.

For the nostalgic Mac fan, here is a fine archive of Keynote videos in a downloadable torrent.