Who would have thought that after all the years of Microsoft Office that it would be banned from sale due to patent infringement.  After a ruling back in May for the same issue, Microsoft appealed and this time lost.  The infringement i for Word’s handling of .xml, .docx, and .docm files of which infringed upon i4i’s patented XML handling algorithms.  Since Microoft was found guilty of infringement, Office and Word are banned from sale after January 11th, 2010.  It’s still unclear if they will just pay the company and continue use, but for now Microsoft is preparing versions of Office 2007 without the XML features it infringes upon.  

Imagine a world without Word and Office.  What we use, Open Office, Google Docs or perhaps iWork?  Either way we are sure this is not the end of MS Office as it bring Microsoft a bit too much cash flow for them to just set it aside.

[The Wall Street Journal]

  Apple has given us updates for iLife and iWork which improve stability and has some fixes.  The updates do not specify what exactly is being updated other than what is previously mentioned here.  Apple also updated the Keynote Remote App for iPhone.  You can getthe update now via software update.

• iPhoto 8.0.1 which "improves overall stability and addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including internet connectivity, keyword import, and slideshow export."
• iLife Support 9.0.1 which "improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users of Aperture, iLife ’09, and iWork ’09."
• AirPort Client Update 2009-001 for Intel Macs, which "addresses issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments."
• AirPort Utility 5.4.1 (Mac) for managing the Airport Express, Extreme, and Time Capsules.
• AirPort Utility 5.4.1 Windows - the same for Windows
•  

  If you are wanting to use iLife 09′ and iWork 09′ and still need OSX leopard, this set is for you.  Apple has conveniently included them all in one set for just $169.  The new iWork and iLife 09 suites require Leopard, so this could be a more affordable way to get everything you need without paying an arm and a leg.

  Apple will be holding their event in Cupertino, California tomorrow morning at 10am Pacific, 1PM Eastern as most of you know.  There is one thing we know for sure about the event as Apple has already notified us of the upcoming notebooks.  

The upcoming notebooks have been revamped with a nice "Brick" of Aluminum.  We can see below what the new notebooks will look like as far as their trackpad and keyboard are concerned. 

Many rumors have hinted at an $800 dollar price point which would make sense to make the MacBook even more competitive.  Maybe they will call it the MacBook Light?  Although that sort of name implies cheapness and we doubt Apple would want that image about anything they sell.

The next rumor is that the new MacBooks will offer an option for Blu-ray.  This rumor seems to make sense and Apple has backed blu-ray from the start.

The Mac Mini was rumored to be the "Brick" to begin with, but later turned out to be a process.  We would still love to see a Mac mini revamp as they are notebook based. 

One of the other rumors we seem to know for sure is that Apple will be making the switch from Intel video chipsets to NVIDIA chipsets.  This is not really a rumor at this point and we only have to guess which chipsets they are using.

An Apple HDTV being in the works is a rumor, but we are doubting you will hear or see anything about it tomorrow.  

Finally there have been rumors about the release of iWork and iLife ’09 coming out.  We tend to think this is speculation as Apple has been on a 2 year release schedule for the i-suite of apps.

We would like to see more of Snow Leopard and see what benefits may come our way.  Check back for full coverage of all the releases and announcements from the event.

If you haven’t viewed all the leaked case pictures we have 6 or so of them here