Apple: Inside the cult

Apple's iWork to go online?

Hi all! I'm back from my holiday jaunt and ready to guide you through the next week or so of PRE-MACWORLD RUMORS!!!! With Steve Jobs not giving the the keynote this year, expectations are a bit down (with no disrespect meant to Schillermania), but there are still a few intriguing possibilities afoot, which we'll cover over the next few days of lead-up. EXCITING!

One rumor that just started pinging on my radar in the last few days (which maybe means that it's a real, well-kept secret just now getting out?) concerns the potential launch of browser-based versions of the apps in the iWork suite. AppleInsider presumes that these will be based on the SproutCore JavaScript library, which has been billed as "Cocoa for JavaScript."

Apple isn't Google, and thus isn't in the habit of creating online applications for anyone to use for free, just for fun, so presumably online iWork will be bait to lure MobileMe subscribers. It's also possible that this will figure prominently into a future strategy for getting basic office app functionality onto a netbook/tablet/something bigger than than iPhone that runs the iPhone OS.

TOMORROW: A new Mac mini? How will this affect your humble blogger's home theater gadget plans? STAY TUNED!

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