There were a lot of rumours around after the 2006 MacWorld keynote that something big had been missed out of the presentation - some new product or products had been removed from the presentation, because it wasn't (or they weren't) ready for launch yet.

Apple Insider, Think Secret and other Apple rumour websites were convinced, mostly thanks to a story on Wired News with a mysterious source telling them something "much cooler" than the new Intel-based Mac computers was omitted at the last minute.

Apple Insider are betting their reputation on this secret something being a range of companion devices to the iPod - devices which could extend Apple's reach into the living room and home entertainment. They predict that one of these will be the iPod Boombox, a name which Apple recently registered as a Trade Mark in some territories.

They claim to have some details on what the iPod Boombox might actually be - a sort of super-dock for your iPod, incorporating not just speakers but also a large-capacity hard drive for storing massive music and video collections. The story goes that content on this Boombox could be updated from your computer via iTunes, just like your iPod.

So, basically, what Apple Insider are claiming is that the iPod Boombox will be a giant, non-portable iPod. Which you can dock your regular iPod into, to take away whatever portion of it's massive content will fit.

I'm not convinced. That doesn't sound "much cooler" than what we already have, to me. Maybe Apple have something more up their collective sleeve.

[Via Apple Insider]