Today it was confirmed that Apple will be hosting an event on September 9 in San Francisco. The wording and design of the invitation indicate that the event will focus on music, most likely the iPod line and iTunes.

Last year’s invite clearly showed a thin iPod, hinting at the return to the “narrow form factor” in the fourth generation Nano, which was indeed presented at this event. The rumored announcements for this year’s event include:

• The Beatles library will be added to iTunes Store. This has been widely speculated since The Beatles remastered catalog is being released the the same day, but the event’s invitation mimics a song from The Rolling Stones; could this be a smokescreen?
• There will be adjustments to the iPod product line including an video camera functionality to the iTouch. Capacity upgrades are expected as always.
• Similarly, there will be price adjustments across the lineup.
• Finally, iTunes version 9.0 will be introduced. It may include new music bundling options and social features. A less likely subscription music service has also been rumored.

Regardless of exact proclamations the event is undoubtedly meant to support Apple’s iPod sales, which are normally strongest in the fourth quarter. This year however expectations are somewhat lower since iPod sales dipped recently in the third quarter, a first on a year-to-year quarterly basis. This is why I consider this year’s September event to be a quick reboot; a moment for Apple to reiterate its lead in the music sector, while buying the company some time to develop in other areas.

The iPod division, or segment, was the strongest contributor at Apple in 2006. Since then Mac sales have grown more briskly. Other segments have also consolidated themselves.

This all demonstrates how Apple, despite the iPod’s success, has not rested on its laurels and has developed its other products while diversifying its business interests. Apple has expanded from computer and software to music, video, mobile and gaming. Moving forward it will be interesting to see which new products and services Apple launches to further expand its stake in each of these sectors.

I personally believe that while a music subscription service would be quite challenging, a video subscription service would be a more natural market fit. Although Apple has done well with iTunes video sales, consumers normally rent access to TV shows or movies, rather than purchasing them outright. I am certain that Apple will eventually present a video subscription option in the iTunes store, perhaps within the next year. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffrays, recently predicted that Apple launch an Apple TV set by 2011.

If the company does successfully move into music and video subscription services it could effectively become a media company, competing with the likes of Comcast, Netflix and Hulu. Apple is already leaves its digital music competitors in the dust. It is interesting to speculate how it would fare in the digital video sphere. I am sure the topic will be coming up in the months ahead, if information is finally revealed.