WHAT “SIGNIFICANT” NEW PRODUCT WILL APPLE ANNOUNCE?

Apple is hiring new staff in advance of the company’s release of a “very big new product,” MacDailyNews.com reported Wednesday. Citing a source within Apple, the publication said that the new staff will receive an intensive four-week training course about handling this “significant” product. There was much speculation on Wednesday that Apple is planning a September 1 announcement of the release of a revamped iTV settop box along with deals from media companies that will allow users to watch favorite television shows on demand for about 99 cents per episode. There was also speculation that the company would introduce a new iPod touch using the “retina” display currently available on the new iPhone 4, but that would be in the nature of an improvement of an existing product, rather than a significant new one.