4. Snow Leopard

It seems odd to give so high a ranking to a yet-to-be-released OS update that merited and a sketching out some of the features. But Snow Leopard, the code-name for the next major update to OS X, figures to have a heavy influence on Mac users in 2009. Apple says to expect the update, which is focusing on performance enhancements as opposed to the marquee features that Leopard delivered, by the middle of the year.

3. Rumors about Steve Jobs’ health

It’s nothing but gossip—and particularly distasteful gossip at that—but there’s no denying the impact that ongoing Internet chatter about Steve Jobs and his future at Apple have had on the company. Whenever he appeared at an Apple press event this year, Jobs was subject to the kind of scrutiny about his appearance that an American Kennel Club judge would find intrusive. Every decision Apple makes——is now viewed through the prism of speculation about the CEO’s health. And there’s a more immediate impact too— posted in a CNN user-generated content site caused Apple’s stock to tumble 10 percent in , raising the specter of stock manipulation.

2. iPhone 3G goes global