What's up Apple's sleeve for '03?

For those that closely follow Apple Computer Inc., true satisfaction comes rarely -- the focus instead always is on when chief executive Steve Jobs will introduce the company’s next product.

So despite a year when Apple introduced one major new product, the flat-screen iMac, and several significant upgrades to existing products, most Mac users are looking for at least one major announcement at the MacWorld computer industry trade show in San Francisco next week.

Apple made great progress in both its hardware and software in 2002, not to mention the rapid expansion of its retail-store chain, which grew from 27 stores to 51 -- and included one outlet in Towson Town Center, which opened in October.

Here's a brief look back at the year at Apple:

Hardware

Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., kicked off the year by introducing the long-awaited 15-inch flat-screen iMac at MacWorld San Francisco in January. The Luxo lamp-like design was a radical departure from the original egg-shaped iMac introduced in 1998.

Best of all, the machine was relatively powerful for a consumer-targeted machine: a G4 processor, the same powerful graphics card as Apple's professional desktop line and, in the top model, a DVD-burning SuperDrive.

But just six months later, the iMac received a major upgrade. The top-end model received a 17-inch flat screen, an 80-gigabyte hard drive and an even better graphics card.

Rumors abound of Apple placing orders for larger LCD screens -- indicating that a 19-inch version of the iMac could appear next year. Apple, however, does not comment on unannounced products.

Also at last January’s MacWorld, Apple announced an upgrade to its popular consumer laptop, the iBook. The move added a model with a 14.1-inch screen to complement the existing 12.1-inch version.

Despite being introduced in 2001, iBook unit sales increased by 14 percent in 2002, helping to offset an 18 percent decline in the unit sales of Apple's pro desktop line.

The new iMac helped along sales, too, with an 8 percent increase in unit sales that translated to a 30 percent rise in the amount of revenue generated over the final year of sales of the old iMac.

Meanwhile, consumers also were treated to upgrades to Apple’s acclaimed iPod portable MP3 player. The10-gigabyte version introduced in May doubled the capacity of the original to 2,000 songs; a 20-gigabyte version introduced in July can store 4,000 songs.

As of July, Apple started making Windows-compatible versions of the iPod as well.

For cash-strapped educators worried about the more fragile flat-screen iMac, Apple in April produced the eMac, a $999 computer based on the rugged 1998 iMac design but with a G4 processor and a 17-inch screen.

Nevertheless, the eMac struggled to compete with Windows PCs priced hundreds of dollars less.

Apple’s pro lines, however, also saw significant changes. The Titanium PowerBook G4 got a speed boost and an enhanced display in April.

But the real surprise was the slot-loading SuperDrive that accompanied November’s speed bump to 1 gigahertz, making the “TiBook” the first laptop from any manufacturer with built-in ability to burn DVDs.

In August, the pro G4 desktop towers, nicknamed “Quicksilver,” were revised with a slightly redesigned case (mirrored drive doors), dual 1.25-gigahertz G4 processors in the top model and some upgrades to the internal architecture.