There's a big ol' iTunes announcement coming tomorrow! Apple didn't leave us many clues as to what we can expect, but here are a few things that we definitely want. And we might even get a few of them.
• Streaming Music: We want it. Apple wants to do it. And since Apple's acquisition of streaming service Lala, all the pieces have been in place for Apple to let you stream your iTunes music library anywhere. The only holdup, presumably, was getting record labels onboard. Maybe the holiday spirit has got them finally playing ball. It's frankly the only announcement big enough to justify the hype. [Very Likely]
• Wireless Sync: You can already do it with a jailbroken iPhone or an Android device. So the tech is there. Let's just hope allows us the convenience of finally being able to get your phone and my MacBook on the same page without the umbilical cord. [Likely]
• Cloud Storage: Apple's not going to let that big ol' server farm in North Carolina go to waste. And tomorrow might well be the day that they free your music from your hard drive—and vice versa—letting you stash your cache in the cloud. [Very Likely]
• iTunes Subscription: I like the idea of Zune Pass, where a set fee per month gets you unlimited downloads and a few purchases, just not enough to actually switch to Zune. But if they could bring a comparable feature to iTunes, well, sign me up. [Unlikely]
• 90 Second Song Previews: Apple's already told the labels this is going to happen, and while I don't expect it to be the main focus of tomorrow's announcement it'd be a nice bullet point. Time to compile a list of my favorite 89-second-and-shorter tunes.
• Better Queue Management: Want to queue up your next song? You're pretty much stuck with iTunes DJ. That's ridiculous! There's got to be a better way to interface with iTunes on your desktop. This is just one (key) part of the overhaul we'd like to see. [Unlikely]
• Work With Non-iOS Devices: Putting iTunes on an Android phone or WP7 device? So great for customers, not necessarily a top priority for Google and Microsoft. [Unlikely]
• The Beatles on iTunes: Despite what Yoko Ono says, I still have hope that The Beatles and Apple can come to some sort of détente. It'd be huge mainstream news, exactly the kind that belongs on Apple's homepage and not in a wonky press release. Clocks in Tokyo and London could also be a hint. [Likely]
• Apple TV Apps: Why not? It's an iOS device that's already got the jailbreakers mounting a charge. There are certainly enough apps out there that we'd love to see on our Apple TV, and it's another arena for Apple and Google to take their battle. [Likely]
• DivX Support: If and when this ever happens, it'll be announced as a minor part of a larger update. But my goodness, it'd be a boon to people who use their iPad primarily for video. [Unlikely]
• A New Logo: Yeah, yeah, I know, we're stuck with it. But that new logo's hideous. If The Gap can backtrack on a design change, couldn't Apple? [Unlikely]