Apple TV 3 seems the next most likely, given how stock of existing Apple TV 2 units has all but disappeared from the shelves. Apple didn't refresh the Apple TV 2 last fall, so it's getting a little long in the tooth, and if the iPad 3 brings iTunes 1080p, certainly a 1080p Apple TV should come along for the ride.

The "And touch." part of Apple's iPad 3 event invitation has gotten hopes up for an iPod touch 5. Like the Apple TV, the iPod touch went through all of 2011 without a major refresh (all it got was a white option). A bump up in specs to match the iPhone 4S and Siri could be in the cards, or an increase in screen size to 4-inches or so could make for an even better mini-tablet without putting too much of a strain on that Retina display.

Speaking of mini tablets, those iPad mini rumors just won't die. (Even after Steve Jobs basically stomped them into paste.) While competing at the low end with the Amazon Kindle Fire just isn't Apple's style, selling tens of millions of additional iPads certainly is. Could they really be considering a 7- to 8-inch iPad? And could they be considering it for tomorrow?

Like Apple TVs, the Time Capsule internet router + hard drive combo Apple sells is also conspicuously absent from Apple Store shelves at the moment. It's nowhere near as sexy as the iOS devices, but with iCloud being the backbone of Apple's plans for the next decade, could there be a big surprise coming in the form of an all-new, all-iCloud enabled Time Capsule?

And then there's the 36- to 50-inch elephant -- or unicorn -- in the room. The long rumored Apple iTV Television. We've heard Apple's working on it in the labs, and Steve Jobs said he nailed the interface before he passed away. Then again, he also said the go-to-market strategy was unclear. Has it finally cleared up enough for Apple to release their television? If so, could it be tomorrow?

Finally, could there be any surprises? A stripped down iOS-powered Apple TV controller? An Apple designed car integration kit? An all-new, all amazing Apple boom box for the iOS generation?

For a full rundown of all the rumors, check out our complete iPad event preview and join us tomorrow at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm GMT for commentary, coverage, analysis and more.

Now you know the drill! Vote up top and give me your full predictions in the comments below!

Apple has updated the Airport Utility for Mac OS X Lion to version 6.0, and once again went back to the Mac by making it look just like the iPhone and iPad version released earlier this year. Used to manage everything from the Airport Express and Airport Extreme Wi-Fi base station routers, to the Time Capsule router + hard drive Time Machine backup companion, here's what Apple has to say about Airport Utility 6.0 for OS X Lion.

Use AirPort Utility to set up and manage your Wi-Fi network and AirPort base stations, including AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule. See a graphical overview of your Wi-Fi network and devices. Change base station and network settings, or manage advanced features such as security modes, wireless channels, and more.

iOS for iPad and iPhone has taken huge strides in making all kinds of computing tasks easier and more accessible to mainstream users, and the Airport app for iPhone and iPad is no exception. OS X Lion, however, hasn't always successfully transitioned that accessibility to the older Mac platform, with some re-interpretations working magnificently and others feeling like they need a few more revisions worth of polish (or even a solid Snow Leopard-ing)

The Airport Utility for OS X Lion, however, looks solid and should make something as potentially intimidating as managing and Airport Extreme or Time Capsule

Source: Apple.com via MacStories

Information on Apple's new Airport Extreme 802.11n, dual-band routers has just hit the FCC, according to Engadget, who speculate:

it'll also arrive with support for the new three-stream standard for 450Mbps over both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands

Meanwhile, 9to5Mac has a source that claims Time Capsules could be bumped up to 2TB and 3TB models, and both the Time Capsules and Airport Extreme could drop in price as well.

The big news for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users is the continuing rumors that Time Capsule could serve as a local cache for iCloud, or at the very least [download and cache [iOS 5](http://www.imore.com/ios] (and OS X Lion) software updates](http://www.imore.com/2011/06/02/apple-time-capsules-cache-ios-software-updates/).

The new Airport Extreme and Time Capsules could hit any day now. Anyone planning on jumping on them?

Update: They're here! Head on over to the Apple Store to pick your up, then tell us how they're working for you!

[Engadget, 9to5Mac]

Cult of Mac's source claims to have the inside info on just how Apple's new iCloud service will work, and they're saying Apple's Time Capsule (Airport Extreme + hard drive combo) will serve as its local hub.

Files saved on your computer are backed up instantly to Time Capsule, which makes them available to remote Macs and iOS devices.

If you make any changes on any computer, those changes are updated through iCloud and stored on your Time Capsule. The Time Capsule archives and serves up your files even when your computers are off. When you get home and fire up your desktop computer or laptop, the files are automatically synced across your devices.

This service will also allow you to upload photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Time Capsule. The media will be stored on the device and be made available for other devices to sync. iCloud is the “conduit” through which everything moves, the source said.

“Your computer gets backed up to Time Capsule anyways,” said the source. “Now it’ll serve up your content when you want it, where you want it, right there on your iOS device.”

Rumors of a Time Capsule update have been circulating recently in regards to iOS updates. If this new source is accurate, it raises some important questions. Would the $299 1TB or $499 2TB Time Capsule be required for iCloud, or just be an additional option if you prefer to control your own data? If required, that's an expensive ticket for entry into the iCloud.

Time Capsule is also presented as a single drive, with none of the parity and redundancy of something like the RAID 6-like Drobo, and the offsite protection of something like DropBox. Will iCloud offer that?

If the base iCloud service is on Apple's data center, but you can keep a cache locally on Time Capsule, you'd get local + local backup + offsite backup, which is pretty much the magic formula. That would be a very interesting service. Wouldn't it?

[Cult of Mac, @arnoldkim]

9to5Mac is hearing that new Time Capsules -- the Airport Extreme and hard drive in one -- are on the way that might just be smart enough to download and cache iOS (and Mac) software updates for you, so they're waiting when you're ready.

What we do know is that Apple has been internally testing Time Capsules to cache Software Updates for both Mac and iOS devices. The way we’ve heard it works is that the new Time Capsule learns which devices connect to it via Wifi. It then goes out to Apple’s servers and downloads Software Updates for those products.

When the user wants to install the software update, the Time Capsule, which is also the router, routes you to the locally stored update, rather than downloading the whole thing over the Internet. This works for iOS updates as well, though the updating still happened via the Mac.

And perhaps vice versa, uploading Time Machine backups to the iCloud servers Apple will be announcing at WWDC 2011 this Monday.

Of course, not everyone may be fond of downloads happening in the background and potentially slowing connection speeds in the foreground while you're trying to stream video, play online games, or otherwise need your pipes at their fastest potential.

Either way, it looks like Apple has lots in store for us, and soon.

9to5Mac

Apple released firmware updates for both the AirPort Wi-Fi router and Time Capsule router + hard drive combo today to version 7.5.2, in part to fix AirPlay bugs that prevented some users from properly streaming content from their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to their Apple TV.

• General fixes to Wi-Fi base station stability
• General fixes with USB interoperability including connection to external storage devices
• Fixes some issues with NAT port mapping settings
• Disables TKIP security with 802.11n rates per the Wi-Fi Alliance specifications

Apple also updated the Airport Utility for both Mac and Windows to version 5.5.2.

• Resolves an issue that caused the DHCP settings tab to display incorrectly
• Resolves an issue that caused the application to quit unexpectedly when automatically launched
• Resolves an issue that prevented the network password from being stored in the Keychain when the network on the 5GHz band was named differently

Were you having any issues with AirPlay? If so, does the update correct them?

[TUAW x2]

Stealth update time in Apple-land this morning, as Time Capsule has doubled in storage to 1TB/2TB configurations ($299/$499). The dual-band routers inside the Time Capsule, identical to those in the latest Airport Extremes, support both fast 802.11n networking for modern computers, and simultaneously, 802.11g for mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod touch.

If you've been wanting to go dual-band and have a hankering to hunker down with a 2TB hard drive as well, Apple now has a glossy white option just for you:

Back up a lifetime's worth of memories with the Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive that works seamlessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard. It’s also a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station with simultaneous dual-band support.1 Choose from 1TB and 2TB models.

If it's a Tuesday, it's even odds Apple might be launching some new iteration of some wonderifical product. Could be something as small as a new iPod color or Mac processor speed bump, or as big as a complete re-design (without buttons, 'natch!). Or it could be nothing -- routine maintenance is such a Tuesday tease.

We'll know soon enough. In the meantime, we'll just speculate it might be a new 2TB version of the iPhone friendly Time Capsule router+hard drive, or maybe Apple has finally decided to sell their iUnicorn tears directly to the public?

We'll know soon enough, but please do drop your guesses, expert and outlandish, in the comments...

Owner of a previous generation Airport Extreme or Time Capsule WiFi router and jealous of the newer versions Apple dropped this week? Well, while you can't shove the drool-inducing, iPhone-friendly dual-radios into the older tech, you can now upgrade them to firmware 7.4.1 which includes the new MobileMe / Back to My Mac sharing feature for AirDisks.

Fire up Software Update and go get it!

(Via @TUAW)

UPDATE: MacRumors also found remote file access for MobileMe users:

Access files on a networked drive from anywhere - Allows MobileMe subscribers to register their AirPort Express Base Station or Time Capsule with their MobileMe account, providing them access to their files from anywhere via the Internet. Drives will appear in the Finder sidebar like any other attached drive, acting just like a personal file server with remote access.

ORIGINAL: It was rumor, it is now fact. Apple has released new versions of their Airport Extreme (WiFi router) and Time Capsule (WiFi router + HD) base stations, with simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi:

For maximum range and compatibility, AirPort Extreme works simultaneously on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, allowing all the devices on the network to use the most efficient band automatically. And AirPort Extreme uses the latest 802.11n wireless technology so you can enjoy up to five times the performance and up to twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks.

Think of it as having 2 lanes on your WiFi highway. While your 802.11g iPhone is out taking a Sunday drive on your network, it's no longer blocking traffic in front of your screaming fast 802.11n MacBook.

The only other new feature we could find was Guest Accounts:

Now you can set up a separate Wi-Fi network with a separate password for your visitors. Simply enable the new guest networking feature, and your guests can use the Internet but can't access other parts of your private network, such as your computers, printers, and attached hard drives.

Anyone going to upgrade? Anyone in the market for a new router going to consider one of these?

Mac Mini, iMac? Check. Check. Mac Pro. Check. Airport Extreme. Check. Time Capsule. Check. Yep, that's the rumor list Apple just plowed through one after the other, with nary anything resembling a "Spotlight on Desktops" Event in sight.

Nary anything, aside from the friendliness of the new routers, approaching iPhone updates either -- though we imagine new developers eyeing Macs to get into iPhone App-making with have their hands, and charge cards, full today.

You getting anything?

Since all current and previous iPhone (and iPod touch) devices have 802.11b/g WiFi, if placed on a faster, wider-range 802.11n network, they typically cause such networks to downgrade to 802.11b/g speeds for compatibility. This means your hyper-fast router will slow down your iMac or MacBook whenever your iPhone hits the network...

...But maybe not for much longer?

Apple Insider reports that the FCC has just been hit with new versions of the Airport Extreme (802.11n Router) and Time Capsule (802.11n Router + HD for Time Machine backup) that handle things a tad more gracefully:

The documents appear to indicate that Apple is adding a combined mode, allowing its AirPort base stations to simultaneously support iPhones and other 802.11b/g devices operating at 2.4 GHz, while also broadcasting 802.11n wide signals in the 5GHz band to maximize throughput for notebooks and devices such as Apple TV. Existing models can only run in one mode or the other, providing either wide compatibility or the highest possible network performance, but not both.

While only the most power-mad of power users will likely ditch their old Airport Extreme or Time Capsule for the latest/greatest, the new features should appeal to iPhone users looking for high-quality routers to round out their setups.

Now who wants one?

Another countdown to Macworld, another rumor! This one says that Apple is developing a turbo-boosted version of Time Capsule that would offer HP Media Smart Server-like capabilities. Some of the more nifty, iPhone related features, according to 9to5Mac, could include:

The device will tie in MobileMe with an Apple built-in Dynamic DNS system. For instance, if your MobileMe account was "9to5mac", your domain name would be "9to5mac.me.com". This is how you'd reach your filesystem throughout the Internet. Your media would also reside here. [...] Sharing media with iPod Touch and iPhones both over the Internet and while at home. AppleTV as well.

Hey, if multiple drives and RAID-5 (RAID-6!) are in the cards, it might even be a viable Drobo alternative -- something that's already the darling of the Apple community...