Cocktail part of Apple's September event

Peter Kafka at All Things Digital reported Thursday that Apple is planning to make a major announcement the week of September 7, and that was a big scoop.

Expect a next-gen digital album experience, including cover art, from Apple in September, music insiders say.

(Credit: Polydor/Jimi Hendrix: Bold As Love)

But much of the substance of Apple's announcement--at least as it relates to music--is old news, according to multiple music industry sources. Last month, the Financial Times broke the story that Apple is working on the next-generation album cover, code named Cocktail.

Whatever else Apple intends to announce at the still not officially announced event, expect Cocktail to be part of it. An Apple spokesman declined to comment on Friday.

It would also be a surprise if Apple didn't update its iPod Touch line, or at least cut prices to match the pricing of Microsoft's new Zune HD, which goes on sale September 15. It's also reasonable to think that some of the features from the iPhone 3GS, such as its video camera, might make their way over to the iPod Touch.

Some are still holding out hope that Apple will introduce a tablet, which many think will be akin to a large iPod Touch. However, that is appearing less likely, with several Web sites saying a 2010 launch is more reasonable.

And there's plenty of speculation that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will make an appearance at the September event.

Cocktail will feature interactive material, including photos, lyric sheets, liner notes and clips from music videos, according to the Financial Times. As first reported by CNET News, the labels are planning a revamped digital album experience called CMX, which would be offered to other online music stores.

The music industry is trying to reinvigorate the digital music experience while at the same time encourage people to buy albums, or at least pay more for packaged songs.

Music fans once enjoyed poring over liner notes or album art from their favorite acts. The idea now is to offer some of the same kinds of experiences but use digital technology to modernize it.

Update: Also of note, Apple has current promotion that offers educational buyers a free iPod Touch with purchase of a Mac runs. And that promotion just happens to run through Sept. 8. Hmmm....

CNET staff writer Ina Fried contributed to this report.

[Mr. Dee]

Everything I read in this article, I already ready last month on Macrumors and AppleInsider.

[solitare_pax]

Agreed - nothing new here. Just more pixels and electron inconvenienced for another ad click.

[iertry]

I think that if they are going to release a tablet in early 2010 that they will unveil the device and sdk at either this event or one in October or November (which they normally have for macs). This would give developers time to make more appropriate applications for it such as word processors, image editors etc. Things that cannot be done on an iPhone. I don't see how iphone applications could be scaled to the table without developers doing a bit of work to produce tablet specific apps. (for example any images used in apps would get pixelated on a larger screen if just scaled.)

[Perry_Clease]

Well there is already a Cocktail for the Mac http://www.maintain.se/cocktail/index.php

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

we are going to have to see what this cocktail stuuff is going to be exactly like fully before ppl decide whether they want to buy albums again

[jlopezcnet]

I had heard that Apple is going to announce a major step in the chip direction going head to head with intel. They plan on buying Sun's chip specification and swtich over to this new processor...

Of course this is what some guy begging for change on the side of the road told me so I am not sure how reliable the source is.

[Vegaman_Dan]

A new album cover format? I'm not sure exactly how sweeping or dramatic of a change this is. I don't look at liner notes in albums so this wouldn't be of any appeal to me. I think I'd rather see this sort of content on the group's web page instead. It sounds more like all the extra 'features' and 'dvd exclusive' content that is put out on DVD's.... that I also ignore. You know, Disc 2 of that special edition.

I'll have to evaluate this special feature as: 'meh'

[C0mmanderB0nd]

Cocktail???? Cocktail????

What if MS tries to block the cocktail announcement?

They really need to rethink that name. But seriously not amount of fluffing is going to convice people who only dig a song or 2 to pony up 7 songs worth of scratch just for liner notes and music videos.

The industry really needs to wake up and focus on putting out more hits to sell instead of banking on garbage to pad their numbers. The album ship has sailed!!!!

[ReasonableGuy]

On September 8 the "Buy a Mac for college and get a free iPod touch" promotion ends.

So, I have long expected the new iPod touch to not be available until September 9th, at the earliest.

The new touch should add a camera with video, and a built in microphone, bringing it closer to the iPhone in its capabilities, except without the phone. And it would be a good time for Apple to increase the flash memory in each model to stay in line with the decreasing cost of flash memory. (Decreasing any price advantage for the Zune).

Whether Apple will introduce the iTablet (MacTablet?) then, or a few weeks later, is harder to predict -- if it really exists.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

i think it will be called the MacBook Touch

[Constable Odo]

No way Apple is going to cut prices to compete with the Zune HD. The Touch will be upgraded and last years models will drop their usual amount. The Touch is a on a proven platform and there's no reason for Apple to start playing that "I can make mine just as cheap as yours" game. The Zune is just going to have to prove it's as good as the Touch on it's own merit. As good as the hardware on the Zune HD is, I really think Microsoft is going to have a difficult time selling it against the marketing prowess of Apple and the Touch, especially if the Touch is going to have a camera built into it. I'd prefer OLED over a camera anyday, but I believe most users would prefer a camera. I'd only want the Touch to have an OLED display as battery saving technology. I'm looking forward to 64GB of memory and a faster processor and that's enough for me. If the Touch offers voice recording and a microphone then that's just icing on the cake.

[sanjayb]

Constable Odo - How are things on @ DS9?? :-P

If anything, I hope the ZuneHD forces Apple to add some of the HD features into the IPOD line. I would also hope for an OLED screen, HD playback and better wireless syncing. Expanding to 64 GB is nice but a huge draw for me. A camera doesn't do anything to want me to upgrade.