Apple seen unloading new MacBook Pros and (possibly) iMacs at WWDC

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
With new product expectations weighing in its favor, Apple Inc. at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference will complement a showing of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard with new MacBook Pros and quite possibly new iMacs, according to one Wall Street analyst.



Previewing the annual developers conference for investors, PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster on Wednesday dismissed rumors of an iPhone launch at the traditionally Mac-focused event but said new versions of the company's professional MacBook Pro notebooks are a near certainty.



MacBook Pros and iMacs



"While there may be rumors of an iPhone launch at WWDC, we expect Apple will host a separate event in late June to launch the device. But Apple will not fail to deliver new products at WWDC," he wrote. "Apple has announced that a full-featured version of OSX 10.5 Leopard will be demonstrated and handed out at the event. This means that we will finally see how Apple will integrate Windows operability into Leopard."



Munster added that he "expects" new MacBook Pros (1, 2) to make a showing at the developer conference and that it's "also possible" that Apple will introduce a redesigned iMac. He notes that on average, the Cupertino-based company has updated its professional notebooks every 182 days, with the most recent generation having launched 209 days ago (data presumably gathered via help from the MacRumors buyer's guide). Similarly, he said, iMacs have traditionally seen updates every 168 days but the current generation is now a whopping 257 days old.



No iPhone delay



Within weeks of WWDC, Apple will also launch iPhone. Due to the hype surrounding the device, the analyst acknowledged that there have been rumors of delays. However, he says he has confirmed with Apple that the launch will indeed take place in late June, and sees no reason why the company would fail to deliver.



"The iPhone launch is set to be one of the largest product launches in company history," wrote Munster. "Both Apple and AT&T stores will sell the device (nearly 2,000 combined storefronts) and both companies will sell iPhone on their websites."



He added that, initially, he expects lead times (estimated wait for delivery) for the iPhone through Apple's online store to be about 2-4 weeks.



How will investors react?



In his report to investors on Wednesday, the PiperJaffray analyst also took a detailed look at the closing price of Apple shares before and after launch events such as Macworld and WWDC. He was expecting the maxim "buy on rumors, sell on news" to hold up alongside a pattern where Apple shares were sold-off after the much-hyped events.







"But instead, we found that historically it has been beneficial to own shares of Apple heading into and out of launch events," the analyst explained. "Apple consistently delivers, and investors respond positively."



Specifically, by using the closing price the day before events as a base, Munster found that shares of Apple have risen an average of 1 percent the day of an event, and rise 3 percent in the week after the event. Using the closing price the week before events as a base, shares of Apple have risen 6 percent on average between the week before and the week after an event, he said.



Munster maintains an Outperform rating on shares of Apple with a price target of $140 per share.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 106
    andrewcodandrewcod Posts: 19member
  • Reply 2 of 106
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,438member
    Quote:

    le has announced that a full-featured version of OSX 10.5 Leopard will be demonstrated and handed out at the event. This means that we will finally see how Apple will integrate Windows operability into Leopard."



    Ummmm Bootcamp.
  • Reply 3 of 106
    slugheadslughead Posts: 1,169member
    The investor reaction looks pretty erratic to me.



    It also looks like the significance of the products has little to do with investor reaction.



    For instance, the iPhone announcement got a huge response, but it was just about the lamest keynote ever. Moreover, it was obvious by the lack of anything else being released at that time that Apple was farting around when it came to its other products (including the cash-cow known as iPod).



    Of course, this was later driven home when Leopard was delayed in favor of the iPhone.



    We can really see from this that a significant portion of Apple investors really have no idea wtf is going on, and are probably just Apple fans who read too much into things and have emotional investment in Apple. I would argue these numbers mainly reflect this fickle viewpoint.



    All that being said, if Apple upgrades their entire product line this time around, it'll be a good show. The Mac Pros, especially, need more graphics cards and need the promise of a across-the-board octo core by July. Sales are WAY down for their computers because they're in dire need of updates and Leopard's delay.
  • Reply 4 of 106
    andrewcodandrewcod Posts: 19member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    Ummmm Bootcamp.



    Yes, but there has been some speculation that Apple will also include a virtualisation solution, similar to the likes of Parallels. Personally however, I'm more looking forward to the new Finder UI that everyone keeps suggesting will happen.
  • Reply 5 of 106
    19 days... Seems like such a long time.
  • Reply 6 of 106
    idleidle Posts: 49member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by andrewcod View Post


    Yes, but there has been some speculation that Apple will also include a virtualisation solution, similar to the likes of Parallels.



    If they did that, hopefully it would be after buying Parallels, Inc. I'd hate to see them force the company out like that, especially since Parallels has been so integral in luring switchers over in the first place. But then, I really doubt Apple will ultimately integrate anything other than a bootcamp solution because that would (likely) be the only way to ensure full compatibility with all Windows applications.
  • Reply 7 of 106
    phizzphizz Posts: 142member
    "Apple seen unloading new MacBook Pros and (possibly) iMacs at WWDC"



    That title makes it sound like someone caught a picture on their camera of delivery men carting boxes through the back doors of Moscone West...
  • Reply 8 of 106
    jawzzyjawzzy Posts: 4member
    Is it just me, or does it seem like that analyst checked out the MacRumors Buyer's Guide?



  • Reply 9 of 106
    kenaustuskenaustus Posts: 924member
    There are probably two groups of Apple investors. Some get into Apple for a short term after reading what a hot stock it is. They will sell on news, happy with their return, at least for a brief period - then they moan that they should have held longer. the other group is for people who, at some point, realized that Apple was doing a better job than anyone else in the tech industry and they are holding their stock for the long term - and are very pleased that they are!



    Now if Apple would just give out a 3 for 1 stock split . . .
  • Reply 10 of 106
    patsfan83patsfan83 Posts: 156member
    Exactly my thoughts. Very misleading. How about "Apple plans to update MacBook Pros and iMacs"?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Phizz View Post


    "Apple seen unloading new MacBook Pros and (possibly) iMacs at WWDC"



    That title makes it sound like someone caught a picture on their camera of delivery men carting boxes through the back doors of Moscone West...



  • Reply 11 of 106
    abster2coreabster2core Posts: 2,501member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Munster maintains an Outperform rating on shares of Apple with a price target of $140 per share.



    Very pleased with Munsters outlook. Well analysed. Highly positive.



    …positive analysis = higher 'buy' recommendations = greater investment = continued research/development = more innovation = better/newer products = higher sales = positive anlaysis…



    And Apple is right in the center of a Great Circle to be in.
  • Reply 12 of 106
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Laptops are for chumps. If they update the iMac I will buy one...
  • Reply 13 of 106
    But I'd like to see this:







    A MacBook Pro (RED).
  • Reply 14 of 106
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kenaustus View Post


    Now if Apple would just give out a 3 for 1 stock split . . .



    I still don't quite understand the infatuation behind stock splits other than companies that do them do so because their stock is doing well and have a (misguided?) mentality that if the price is 'too high' it could scare investors away. People would understand that the action of a split (by itself) doesn't really "DO" anything...



    Heck, why not wish Apple would pull a reverse stock split? Say 1 for 4, then your Apple shares would be worth $450 bucks each!!!



    Back on track... I for one am for the 1st time in a long time anxious to see a new Mac Book Pro... My trusty 1st gen 17" PowerBook G4 1.3GHz (I think) is on it's very last leg... The power cord is all but shot (hanging together by a wish and a prayer) and just two weeks ago I dropped (fell from the couch actually) it and the panel that rides over the LCD cracked and ... while it still works it's like looking a screen thru a cracked window.



    Dave
  • Reply 15 of 106
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    Laptops are for chumps. If they update the iMac I will buy one...



    Yep and now that Airlines give us so much extra room pulling out a 20" iMac is **so** nice.
  • Reply 16 of 106
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveGee View Post


    Yep and now that Airlines give us so much extra room pulling out a 20" iMac is **so** nice.



    Airplanes are for chumps too.
  • Reply 17 of 106
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    Airplanes are for chumps too.



    lol



    D
  • Reply 18 of 106
    Quote:

    "Apple has announced that a full-featured version of OSX 10.5 Leopard will be demonstrated and handed out at the event. This means that we will finally see how Apple will integrate Windows operability into Leopard."



    This guy needs to buy a freakin clue. Apple's world does not revolve around Windows. If it did, Legacy BIOS would have been a feature of the Intel Macs from the start, not an afterthought firmware update.



    Boot Camp and Parallels are both great ideas for those poor schmucks who still need Windows occasionally (like myself) But with that done Apple has it's own stuff to worry about. And Leopard is going to be about Leopard, not Windows. Apple has already confirmed this.
  • Reply 19 of 106
    There are 30 or 40 high-end Macs at my office that weren't there a year ago. It's not about poor schmucks; it's about the corporate market. It's large, and it can afford the best stuff.



    Certainly Apple's world should not revolve around Windows, but supporting it is strategic, not a mere sideshow.
  • Reply 20 of 106
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Munster maintains an Outperform rating on shares of Apple with a price target of $140 per share.



    and i have been waiting since january to buy but can't until after june, funds tied up till then, it looks like i have really missed the boat on this one
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