What will MacWorld 2008 bring?

With the MacWorld Expo taking place in mid-January, MacWorld predictions have become something of a new year's tradition. So what's on tap for this year? For the safe bet, I'll take new MacPros and updated cinema displays. Both have essentially remained stagnant since August 2006 and are sorely in need of an update, if Apple has any interest in staying competitive in the high-end segment of the market. Expect the new MacPro to top off with a 3.2Ghz Penryn and the new displays to sport higher resolutions, contrast ratios and more connectivity options.

For the risky bet, I'll take the ultraportable MacBook Pro. Sure, I got this one wrong last year but the second time's the charm...right? Fact is, we've been hearing way too much chatter on this one for it to be a complete fabrication and given that Apple hasn't had a true ultraportable in its notebook lineup for more than a year, the time seems ripe. We're expecting a machine with a 12" or 13" display, a SSD in lieu of a mechanical hard drive and an external optical drive, if any. 

Finally, for my outlandish prediction, I'll take the 3G iPhone. While there hasn't been that much talk about the next iteration of the iPhone, we do know that it's coming at some point this year and what better time to announce it than on the one year anniversary of version 1.0's unveiling? Expect 3G, GPS and 16GB of storage at that familiar $599 pricepoint...if I were a betting man I'd say it'll land on store shelves in late July.