Headline Feeds
While Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has said that the next version of its Mac OS X operating system, dubbed "Snow Leopard," will be more of a performance-based release rather than a cornucopia of new features, the latest builds of the OS that Apple has released to developers indicate it may include new location-based tools that can determine a Mac's location,as well as new multi-touch capabilities.
The next version of OS X includes the CoreLocation framework that was previously used in the iPhone software developer's kit, according to an AppleInsider report citing anonymous sources. The location framework would let the Mac identify its place on the globe. Other programs can then tap that info for all sorts of conceivable applications.
The iPhone 3G uses a GPS (global positioning system) unit to help pinpoint location, but first-generation iPhones used a WiFi network triangulation model to narrow down its place in the world at large. Macs don't yet have GPS hardware included, so it's likely that the CoreLocation framework would work on a similar principle as the first-generation iPhone.
Of course, no one outside of Apple's inner development circle knows whether the company will ever include GPS in MacBooks or new form factor devices ... but it certainly seems likely down the road.
Touch Me Here and Here
But wait, there are more tidbits revealed by the AppleInsider report: Third-party developers say they'll be able to write new applications for Snow Leopard that will let them access a new set of Cocoa-based programming interfaces for leveraging the multi-touch features of the latest MacBook and MacBook Pros from within their applications.
Applications that weren't written by Apple can still respond to multi-touch action.
So, is location awareness in a Mac all that important? Does anyone care where an iMac is located? How about MacBooks?
"We've been hearing a good bit about location services with a range of mobile 
devices. Most laptop vendors are starting to think around how a device fits that's generally used in a more mobile setting, outside of the office in Starbuck's, in a plane, in different cities -- how location awareness might add to it," Ben Bajarin, director of the consumer technology practice for Creative Strategies, told MacNewsWorld.
"It doesn't surprise me that Apple is starting to think about it, and we expect the Windows camp to be thinking about it as well. I also expect to see some software that starts to take advantage of location," he added. Netbooks, he noted, are starting to ship with embedded 3G-based wireless modules and pervasive connectivity services.
Prepping for the Future
"Microsoft has built multi-touch into Windows 7, and again, I'm not surprised that Apple would also be building that in, given what they already have with their multi-touch," Bajarin said. He added that he believes Apple wants to see their software innovations available across their line of devices -- and let developers get creative by adding touch features to their applications.
A case in point is how well touch has worked in the over 15,000 Apps that are available in the Apple App Store.
While it's unclear whether Apple will enter a sub-(US)$1,000 netbook-type market any time soon, Bajarin noted, "I think it's logical to think they are covering their bases for the future of how touch might be used, and they're going to have it ready in the underlying software layer."
The Next Gotta-Have-It Feature
As Mac and PC processors have become increasingly powerful and more than fast enough to handle basic Web browsing, word processing, photo tweaking, and emailing needs, the desire to upgrade to the latest and greatest new Mac has likely slipped a bit. After all, if the next generation of processors only gives a new buyer a 15 percent boost in speed, is it really compelling enough to shell out all that cash?
Consequently, device manufacturers seem to be realizing that increasing growth has to rely on new areas of innovation, and touch and location awareness seem to the next big things.
"Touch is taking off like a rocket in new tech gear," Laura DiDio, principal analyst for Information Technology Intelligence, told MacNewsWorld.
"And another thing about location awareness and multi-touch -- it's clearly an inducement to get people to buy in a down market," she added.
Talkback: 
