Type of Article: MacTech Blog

This is the final part of a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple’s product line-up for 2012. Today we’ll look at the company’s Mac desktop line-up.

The Mac desktop that receives the Big Love from Apple in 2012 will be the iMac. The Mac mini will continue to be updated. As for the Mac Pro, my tea leaves say it will receive one last update in the spring — this will be the last upgrade for the high-end tower before it fades into oblivion.

This is part five of a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple’s product line-up for 2012. Today we’ll look at the company’s Mac laptop line-up.

There have been rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air. My crystal ball says it’s coming, along with a 17-inch version. In fact, the entire Mac laptop line will evole into Airs. The 11-inch and 13-inch models will be dubbed MacBook Airs, and the 15-inch and 17-inch versions will be called, simply, MacBook Pros.

By Rick Sutcliffe

Our persispacious reader may have noticed that this column is a little late. Chalk that up to health issues, including bouts with a rather violent gastroenteritis over Christmas, ongoing sciatica that make standing up and sitting down difficult, and a nasty cold. The joys of getting old. Ah, but what’s a little pain? It never hurt anyone. The top line: brevity shall be the order of the month.

Apple wants to make it easier to share and store data between a handheld device and Macs, per a patent (number 8090767) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Apple is working on a wireless communication headset with both wired and wireless modes, according to a new patent (number 8090132) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Per the patent, the wireless headset can include a headset connector assembly that can be coupled to a cable connector of a cable, which can in turn be connected to a telephone. When the wireless headset is coupled to the telephone, it can advantageously be operable to exchange audio information with the telephone through the cable, receive electrical power from the telephone through the cable, or both.