Apple Let's Rock event: Banners out, Rumors rising & SlashGear will be there

The signs are out that Apple's upcoming Tuesday event – titled "Let's Rock" – is going to be a serious occasion on the Cupertino calendar.  While there's still over a day to go before the show kicks off in San Francisco, the company has already hung a huge iPod banner down the side of the city's Yerba Buena Center.

Featuring the same jumping silhouette as the iconic iPod adverts and the event invitation, the banner is the latest indication that Apple will be announcing new features in its PMP range.  Right now, the assumption is that we'll see new iPod nano models and an update to the iPod touch line, but other suggestions include new iTunes functionality, an iPhone firmware 2.1 announcement and even a new subscription model for downloading music.  All we know for sure is that Apple themselves have been telling the media that Tuesday is a "big deal" and that they really ought to come.

The new iPod nano 4G is expected to be a return to the tall'n'slim form factor of the 2G model, with a longer screen that – when held horizontally – is more suited to widescreen video.  As for the iPod touch, more storage capacity seems a given, but there's also talk of GPS being added after its success in the iPhone 3G and the proliferation of location-based software in the AppStore.

Something many people have been waiting for is an unlimited download option in iTunes, similar to Napster, whereby users subscribe for a monthly fee and can access as many tracks as they please.  Of course, that means that if you stop paying your tithe, your music disappears too.  Apple have been linked with such a model in the past, but are yet to announce anything like it; there's talk that it'll be a feature in iTunes v.8, which will get its debut on the 9th.

Remember, SlashGear will be bringing you all the news from San Francisco on Tuesday morning, so bookmark http://live.slashgear.com/ and join us at 10am EST on September 9th!  We'll also have analysis and full details of everything announced, and we'll be eager to hear whether you're dancing along or sitting these latest iPods out.