Could be used to market iCloud, Lion

Apple Stores are currently in the middle of receiving "visual merchandising" packages, according to people at the locations. The term refers to the visual marketing material Apple clerks place in windows, on tables and on walls. A label on one package reads "ATTN: Visual Manager," with "Contents: TFA Window Elements" below.

Reports say, significantly, that the packages are not to be opened until Tuesday. The date is just a day after Apple's WWDC keynote, when Apple is expected to announce several products. Ones that could actually go on sale next week include Mac OS X Lion, and/or iCloud, Apple's new Internet service.

Another possibility is updated Time Capsule and/or AirPort routers. Apple doesn't normally do heavy marketing of the peripherals, though, so even a mention of them in store displays is unlikely. Lion is scheduled to ship sometime this summer, and work on iCloud has proceeded in secret for many months.

by MacNN Staff