Tom’s Hardware (no, a different Tom) is speculating that the long-expected new Mac Mini will use the Atom-powered NVIDIA ION platform. The new ION Platform is a reference design that uses NVIDIA’s GeForce 9400 GPU and Intel’s new Atom processor to create a small form factor PC able to deliver full 1080p high-definition video and run popular graphics-intensive games.

Courtesy of Apple

While the increased graphics performance of the ION platform would be a boost to a new Mac Mini, the use of the Atom processor would be a step back in performance. The Atom doesn’t provide the same performance as the current two-year-old Core 2 Duo processors used in the Mac Mini.

If Tom’s Hardware’s speculation is correct, that a product based on the NVIDIA ION platform is coming, I think a better candidate is the Apple TV, which is also in desperate need of an update. The ION’s ability to perform hardware-based video decoding and deliver full 1080p high-definition video would be a perfect match for the Apple TV. Not only that, the ION platform can be built much smaller than the current Apple TV, allowing Apple to either create a smaller version or use the available space of the current model to add much-requested DVR capabilities.

In either case, a new Mac Mini or new Apple TV, the speculation calls for an announcement in the March timeframe.

Yesterday when reporting on Steve Jobs’ health issues, I found myself in a bit of a quandary. I have to admit I lean toward the ‘private’ side of the public vs. private debate, but as a Mac journalist, reporting Mac-related news is part of my job.

Courtesy of Apple

I’m curious to hear your opinion on this topic. Let me see if I can get the ball rolling by laying out arguments for each side.

Public:

Steve is the CEO of a major technology company, one whose products and designs have had profound effects on the entire computer and consumer electronics market. Unlike the vast majority of companies in any industry, Apple’s perceived value is based largely on the abilities of a single person: CEO Steve Jobs. Because of this, the state of his health directly impacts the market value of Apple’s stock. Apple is a publicly traded company, so its investors, and by extension the general public, have a right to know about the health of anyone who affects the company’s performance.

Private:

Although publicly traded, Apple is nevertheless a private company, in the sense that it is owned by individuals, not the government or a public trust. Because of this, an inherent loss of privacy is not a requirement to work for Apple, whether you work in the mailroom or at the top of the corporate ladder. The argument that Steve’s health affects stock value, thus making it a public concern, would not fly with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). The SEC currently has no rules requiring disclosure of health status for any corporate officers of a publicly traded company.

Public:

Steve chose to be the front man for Apple and therefore tacitly agreed to live a public life. Like a rock star or movie star who enjoys the benefits of celebrity but despises the loss of privacy, Steve doesn’t deserve special treatment. He knew what the job was when he took it.

Private:

Steve may be the front man for Apple, but at the end of the day, he should be able to leave behind the trappings of CEO and showman, and enjoy the private life he has steadfastly maintained.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts via the Comments link below, as well as by voting.

In a letter distributed to Apple employees this afternoon, Steve Jobs announced that he is taking a medical leave of absence, after learning that his health issues are “more complex than I originally thought.”

Apple has made the letter public. Below is the letter in its entirety:

Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day-to-day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

Steve

Steve’s health has been an ongoing topic of concern for many in the Apple community, ever since his bout with pancreatic cancer in the summer of 2004, when he underwent surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy) to remove a tumor. Steve recovered well and is thought to be cancer-free.

During the 2008 WWDC, Steve appeared to have lost significant weight. At the time, he was reported be suffering from a common bug. Now it appears there is more cause for concern. In a previous letter, Steve indicated that he would be devoting most of his time to addressing the root causes of his medical issues and recovering from their effects. While never specifically naming the problem, he said that his doctor had uncovered a hormone imbalance that was preventing him from properly absorbing some nutrients from food.

We hope Steve recovers soon, and that if the problem is more complex than originally thought, he is able to return to the work he enjoys before long.

Tom

One of my (and many others’) top predictions for Macworld was an iPhone nano. Apple let us down and failed to deliver this much-anticipated diminutive new iPhone.

Courtesy of Apple

But all is not lost. It appears that the iPhone nano may make an appearance in June, at least according to DigiTimes, which reports that two Taiwan-based companies, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) and UMC (United Microelectronics Corporation) will receive orders to build the chipset that Apple will use in the low-cost iPhone nano. Both companies expect to receive the orders in March, with shipments to commence shortly thereafter, in time for a June announcement.

This may be good news if you’re looking for a new iPhone model, or it may not. Right on the heels of the DigiTimes article comes Brian Marshall of American Technology Research, who notes that currently no new iPhone device is undergoing testing at AT&T; labs, something that would need to occur before a new product would be made available to AT&T; customers. Brian believes this means that the new iPhone nano won’t be released in the U.S., but will instead be released elsewhere, most likely starting in China, which has more than 600 million wireless phone subscribers.

Of course, it’s also possible that AT&T; isn’t testing an iPhone nano because it won’t be the carrier. Although unlikely, it is possible that a new iPhone model wouldn’t be subject to the existing agreement between Apple and AT&T;, and that Apple might choose to make it available to other carriers. This seems like a long shot to me, because as far as I can tell, things are going well for both AT&T; and Apple under the current agreement. Why rock the boat?

I guess we won’t know until we actually see an iPhone nano announcement. What do you think?