MANILA, Philippines -- The blogosphere is awash with rumors about Apple's alleged next moves. The next iPhone, the next iPod, the next iPad, the next MacBook, the next Mac OS, the next Steve Jobs — you name it; it is most probably there somewhere.

But what makes the whole thing funnier (or sadder, depending on which side of the blogging fence you're on) than what it warrants is that mainstream media is in it, too. Newspapers, trade magazines, and TV news programs all want to have their time at the crystal ball.

Columnists and opinion-generators both are throwing around their own takes on what the world's currently coolest tech company is most likely to be doing in the next few months or so.

How much these so-called seers often get their forecasts wrong most of the time makes the whole thing worth a chuckle or two. Their predictions more often than not end up at least a couple of miles off how things actually turned out.

Despite these instances of freedom from accuracy, there remains an overabundance of prognosticator-wannabes willing to risk whatever is left of their reputation for a shot at predicting Apple's next moves.

iTV

Analyst Gene Munster believes Apple is cooking up a market-redefining TV product. Munster is so confident of his prediction, he is even toting a likely release period, which he claims would likely be in late 2012.

The US Patent and Trademark Office's May 11 publication of Apple patents related to television technology seems to back Muster's assertion. Also, Muster claims an iTV or any similar device can greatly enhance the market-changing march by Apple's core products, such as the iCloud and the App Store.

iPhone 5, High and Mid

Quoting unnamed sources that claim familiarity with Apple's plans, a Bloomberg report claims that Steve Jobs' company plans to release high-end and mid-market versions of the iPhone 5, the next iteration of the Mac kingdom's bestselling smartphone.

The phone, which the report claims will be released in September, will come equipped with Apple's A5 processor, will include an 8-megapixel camera, and will run the company's iOS 5 mobile operating system.

So far, Apple seems to be following the same script it used in launching the previous editions of the iPhone.

Meanwhile, rumors have resurfaced about Apple's alleged development of a mid-market version of the iPhone. The phone, according to unnamed and, hence, unreliable sources, will come with processors and screens similar to those of the iPhone 4. Most likely, the device will also look a lot like the iPhone 4.

These rumors are as wild as they come. It would be great if they would turn out to be true. If they do not, well, it was fun reading about them.

That's all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.