A smaller, lighter notebook for travelers, with solid-state memory instead of a hard drive, 13-inch display, external detachable optical drive, and multitouch track pad.

Probability: Medium.

Analysis: What would be really interesting is if this were a sub-$500 device. Jobs famously said over the summer that Apple isn't interested in selling cheap PCs, because "we can't ship junk." Since then, though, the $399 Asus EEE demonstrated that a low-priced notebook computer can be well-made, even if it is low-powered.

Tablet PC

Kind of like an iPhone or iPod Touch, but without the phone bits and bigger. Use it to play media, including Office documents, PDFs, and e-books, with Flash storage and secure wireless networking access back to your main computer.

The tablet might actually be the same device as the subnotebook, with a hideaway keyboard like tablet PCs running Windows.

Sources: Macworld and too many others to list; it's all over the Apple blogosphere.

Probability: Zero.

Analysis: I don't care how cool it sounds, Apple was burned by the Newton and this just isn't going to happen. The demand is just too small.

Second-Guessing: This is the prediction that'll make me look stupidest if I'm wrong about it.

New Desktops

Midrange screenless Mac, somewhere between the Mac Mini and Mac Pro, for people who don't want an all-in-one desktop system like the iMac, who don't want to pay a premium for the MacBook Pro, but who need more juice than the low-end Mac Mini.

Source: Macworld

Probability: Medium.

Analysis: Sounds like a good, solid tactical move for Apple; not really all that exciting but a product people will like.

New Notebook Dock

Apple patented a docking mechanism that allows you to slide the notebook vertically into the side of a display, like you now slide a DVD into an iMac display.

Source: Gizmodo, which has a mockup image and screenshots of the patent application.

Probability: Medium.

Analysis: Awesome! I can just see the crowds lined up at the Apple booth, taking their turn putting the notebook in, popping it out, putting it in, popping it out, over and over again. And sounds like it would be a nice complement to the subnotebook.

iPhone Software Update

Apple is releasing firmware update 1.1.3, with has several impressive new features, including movable icons on the home page, and the ability to save Web bookmarks on the home page. Also coming: a GPS-like upgrade to Google Maps, allowing users to mark their location to an accuracy of 2,200 meters (1.4 miles) by triangulating off cell phone towers.

Source: Gear Live

Probability: High -- maybe not at Macworld, but it'll be here this month.