So the rumors are flying about what Apple will be releasing this September. Alleged phone calls of insiders saying that financially they would be having an explosive quarter. And then it’s reported that Apple stores aren’t renewing iPod stock. Plus, subscription based iTunes and Leopard for PC’s!!!

Is it true and what does it mean?

iTunes Unlimited - The subscription thing sounds totally on the level, Apple is changing before it has to and that is always a good thing. It’s going to hurt current monthly music subscriptions like eMusic, Rhapsody, Amazon and other providers. If the reports of $129.95 for a year of the service are on the level I don’t think that’s too bad - but I may be on the far side of the pendulum swing. I haven’t bought a CD in years and my download dollars are in the thousands. Depending on how the service would work, users could see some real value. The ramifications would launch AppleTV well ahead of the pack. Even to the point that there wouldn’t be a need for regular cable, satellite, etc. It has potential to usher in the full TV On Demand model. If you gain access to all the shows listed on iTunes by paying for your subscription why wouldn’t the masses flock to get the HD Appliance. I tend to think there will be another shoe to drop on that. That’s too much to my benefit for what I think Apple normally does, but then again it would really do some hurt to Comcast and Cox and if they could do the same thing in the TV market as what they’ve done over the last year to the phone market - I’m in.

The 2nd quarter results - With the new iPhone 3G and over a million phones sold in 3 days kind of seals the deal, don’t you think?

New iPods - Pretty standard for September in Apple’s history. My guess would be that a newer larger iPod touch would only accentuate the iTunes Unlimited service. The larger size would accommodate for HD movies easier and allow for more music storage. Plus with touch, it allows all the 3G goodies of maps, GPS, and widgets.

Leopard on a PC - Why wouldn’t Apple make it’s move against Mojave, ahem, Vista? Microsoft got ginormous on software and with out the platform architecture limitation I think it’s a golden opportunity.

As with any kind of rumor there’s a good possibility that it’s all a house of cards and Apple is notorious for doing the “end around” drill. What do you think about Apple TV? What are the implications?