Surely you’ve marked your calendars for the annual, and now final, Macworld Expo keynote on January 6. But, what Apple keynote  would be complete without its own string of bustling Internet rumors? This year, we’re hearing that Apple might upgrade some of our favorite products, including the Mac mini and the iPhone. Read on to check out what Macworld Expo 2009 could have in store for Apple fanatics.

According to sources over at Wired, we can expect the unveiling of a new Mac mini to replace the compact Apple computer that we all became so fond of. The mini hasn’t seen an upgrade since August 2007, with most Apple computers receiving hardware upgrades every six months or so.



Speculators believe that the Mac mini will come equipped with either an Intel 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo or a 2.3 GHz Core 2 Duo, with the ability to upgrade from the standard 2GB of RAM to 4GB. The higher-end mini is alleged to contain an Nvidia chipset, following in the trend of its MacBook brethren. The minis will cost $500 and $700, respectively. However, don’t count on any Blu-Ray drives—Mr. Jobs isn’t too fond of the technology.

The likelihood of an iPhone nano has also managed to penetrate the rumor mill. With the success of the iPhone, it’s no wonder such a theory exists. The idea of a bite-sized iPhone came from iDealsChina, a site that claims XSKN is manufacturing skins for the device. Though the source seems unreliable, iPhone nano rumors have been circulating for some time. There are also theories on whether or not the handheld will include the App Store or possess GPS capabilities, considering its compact size.



And finally, there’s the possibility that Snow Leopard might be shipping earlier than expected, based on whether or not the new Mac OS X upgrade will debut at Macworld. An article over at The Guardian overseas mentions Snow Leopard’s integration of both Grand Central and OpenCL, both of which will dramatically improve processing performance.

What about Apple TV? We've been wondering that ourselves. We have heard a few murmurs about a Mac mini/Apple TV hybrid. We can't find any real evidence, but it would be nice to have an Apple TV with a DVD drive and DVR capabilities. 

Also, if you haven’t heard, this is the last year that Apple will exhibit at Macworld. Unfortunately, Jobs won’t be there to deliver the keynote either. Hopefully, Apple will make its last year at Macworld one of the most memorable.
 

Heard an exciting rumor? Drop it in the comments below.