Piper sees dull Macworld, new form factor iPhone by spring

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
With Apple chief executive Steve Jobs skipping out on this year's Macworld Expo, investment bank Piper Jaffray isn't holding high hopes for new product announcements outside a pair of refreshed Macs, but said in a report Tuesday that a redesigned iPhone should surface in the months that follow.



"Predicting product announcements for this year's Macworld has been difficult with new iPods and Macs released in the fall and the relatively new iPhone 3G," analyst Gene Munster told his clients. "With [Apple marketing chief] Phil Schiller delivering the keynote, we believe it suggests there will not be any revolutionary products at this year's event."



Still, the analyst believes a couple of existing products could see a refresh at the annual conference, namely the iMac and Mac mini. Meanwhile, his hopes for a new iPhone -- at one time seen as having an outside chance of appearing at the show -- have been dashed with word that Jobs would not be delivering his traditional keynote presentation.



"While we believe it is unlikely that a new iPhone will be released at Macworld, we continue to expect a new model by the end of the March quarter," Munster wrote. "Specifically, we believe Apple could introduce a lower-end model that is slightly thicker due to the inclusion of a slider keyboard for students (texting) and business use (email) between $99 and $149."



Another alternative for a new iPhone could see Apple alter the value proposition of the $199 model by using a different material than plastic for the casing, or giving it a slightly thinner form factor, he added.



Munster, who maintains a Buy rating and $235 price target on shares of Apple, said his 45 million iPhone unit sales estimate for 2009 is largely predicated on his belief that the company will expand its iPhone lineup to include a lower-end model early in the year.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 36
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Wait- I thought the new iMac was "next generation" or a "remodel"- here now it's being referred to as a refresh?

    AI- Please make up your mind. Thank you.
  • Reply 2 of 36
    I would be interested to see if they use their new manufacturing process with a new iPhone.
  • Reply 3 of 36
    Is there absolutely NO hope for the 17" unibody MBP this coming spring/year? The 15" is nice, of course, but I really need the additional screen space. (Presently enjoying the 17" Duo Core MBP from September of 2007.)



    What do ya' think?



    Edited @ 9:12 AM MST:



    http://macdailynews.com/index.php/we...omments/19542/
  • Reply 4 of 36
    i believe he is wrong. apple has been known to surprise. why do you think they made a "surprise" announcement that steve jobs wasn't going to be giving a keynote? so people would go. now that they know a lotta people are still gonna go, they're gonna release something big. they want to prove to the public that even phil schiller can release something good, not just steve jobs alone. This is all part of their plan. fuck the analysts, they're almost always wrong.
  • Reply 5 of 36
    imacs should get a big update nvidia graphics & core 2 quads.

    iphone is all about WWDC,
  • Reply 6 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "Specifically, we believe Apple could introduce a lower-end model that is slightly thicker due to the inclusion of a slider keyboard for students (texting) and business use (email) between $99 and $149."



    This guy doesn't know a thing about Apple, does he?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by logic368 View Post


    fuck the analysts, they're almost always wrong.



    In this case, the word "almost" can be left out or replaced with "flat out".
  • Reply 7 of 36
    halvrihalvri Posts: 146member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Wait- I thought the new iMac was "next generation" or a "remodel"- here now it's being referred to as a refresh?

    AI- Please make up your mind. Thank you.



    They're not going to completely redesign the iMac. Every single other product Apple makes (with the exception of the base MacBook) has been brought in line with the design scheme developed for that Mac (and the Mac Pro in all honesty). Just look at the Mac Pro, that design has gone mostly unchanged for five years and the MacBooks rarely changed either. That iMac design is gonna be around for a while. After all, the aluminum design has only been around since mid 2007.



    As has been noted, this is a refresh. So, what I'm expecting is an LED backlit screen, quad core processors, DDR3 RAM, larger hard drives, and better Nvidia graphics for the lower end iMacs. I'm not really sure what to expect with the Mac Minis, though. Hopefully, I'll be pleasantly surprised.
  • Reply 8 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by VinitaBoy View Post


    Is there absolutely NO hope for the 17" unibody MBP this coming spring/year? The 15" is nice, of course, but I really need the additional screen space. (Presently enjoying the 17" Duo Core MBP from September of 2007.)



    What do ya' think?



    Apple must have something special for the 17inch probably why it never got updated

    probably core 2 quad and pray to god it can support 8GB ram
  • Reply 9 of 36
    citycity Posts: 522member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    we believe Apple could introduce a lower-end model that is slightly thicker due to the inclusion of a slider keyboard for students (texting) and business use (email) between $99 and $149."



    A.



    This sounds very unApple to me. I wonder who must be using his Blackberry.
  • Reply 10 of 36
    parkyparky Posts: 383member
    There is no way Apple will release an iPhone with a slide out physical keyboard.

    To do so would be an admission of failure that the touch keyboard is not fit for purpose.

    Apple will release a smaller iPhone nano - soon.
  • Reply 11 of 36
    So, if I read that right Gene Munster thinks that there will be a new iPhone that's thicker than the current iPhone. Or thinner. With a physical keyboard. Or not.



    Sheeesh.



    Never mind Gene Munster, we'd get more sense out of Herman Munster !
  • Reply 12 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by logic368 View Post


    i believe he is wrong. apple has been known to surprise. why do you think they made a "surprise" announcement that steve jobs wasn't going to be giving a keynote? so people would go. now that they know a lotta people are still gonna go, they're gonna release something big. they want to prove to the public that even phil schiller can release something good, not just steve jobs alone. This is all part of their plan. fuck the analysts, they're almost always wrong.



    I think people are forgetting that just as in the last two keynotes, Steve Jobs stood to one side and let others do large parts of them, Phil could just as easily say ...



    " ... and one more thing, here's Steve to present a new product."
  • Reply 13 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by VinitaBoy View Post


    Is there absolutely NO hope for the 17" unibody MBP this coming spring/year? The 15" is nice, of course, but I really need the additional screen space. (Presently enjoying the 17" Duo Core MBP from September of 2007.)



    What do ya' think?



    Edited @ 9:12 AM MST:



    http://macdailynews.com/index.php/we...omments/19542/



    Patience grasshopper.....
  • Reply 14 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macgareth View Post


    Apple must have something special for the 17inch probably why it never got updated

    probably core 2 quad and pray to god it can support 8GB ram



    Not necessarily....This isn't the first time the 15" Notebook from Apple got updated before the 17" model. When that 17" was finally released, it was basically the same as the 15" model, only obviously with a 17"screen. But you could be right.....



    They could be waiting for low voltage quad-core CPUs as Intel has just released some.
  • Reply 15 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by logic368 View Post


    they want to prove to the public that even phil schiller can release something good, not just steve jobs alone. This is all part of their plan. fuck the analysts, they're almost always wrong.



    I think you might be right about this. If the analysts are correct that Apple is beginning to transition leadership at the top, what better way to do that than to hand off a big product announcement to someone else in upper management. I don't think you will see any "revolutionary" new product, but a new look imac, mac mini and maybe a mac netbook and/or tablet (I guess some might consider the tablet revolutionary if done right) might not be out of the realm. I guess that would be the one more thing if it happens. I guess a new iphone is within the realm as well, but not confident about that one. I guess they will demo Snow Leopard and some of the iLife apps and iphone apps. Could be a strong event, even if it is not "revolutionary".



    Honestly, most of the apple events since the intro of the iphone have been lame for the most part, so if this one turns out to be lame, I don't think it will be because Steve is not there, but if something cool does come out, not having Steve there may turn out to be the setup that throws people off.



    I personally am hoping for a netbook of some flavor. I am holding off of a netbook purchase right now until I see what happens at Macworld. I am realistic that this probably will not happen, but I think it is wise to wait a week to make sure.
  • Reply 16 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by logic368 View Post


    i believe he is wrong. apple has been known to surprise. why do you think they made a "surprise" announcement that steve jobs wasn't going to be giving a keynote? so people would go. now that they know a lotta people are still gonna go, they're gonna release something big. they want to prove to the public that even phil schiller can release something good, not just steve jobs alone. This is all part of their plan. fuck the analysts, they're almost always wrong.



    i can agree and disagree with the analysts.



    I agree that it is possible, perhaps even probable, that there won't be any brand new items on the release list. but there could be a ton of new updates. Like:



    iMacs with the new graphics cards (like the refreshed macbooks), perhaps quad core processors or at least faster dual core, bigger hard drives standard in the lower setups, display port to link them to the new LED display for extended screen work.



    major update to the mac mini's. faster processors, superdrive only, 2 GB ram only (no more 1gb waste of time setups), bigger harddrives, perhaps even a new form for aftermarket updates (like changing ram or even harddrives)



    32 GB iphone. i could actually see them not releasing a new model iphone this year since the cellular 4g is totally embryo at this stage but releasing bigger capacity could happen. also who knows what is up ATTs sleeve in terms of extended coverage or even lower rates. I don't think anyone with an iphone would be upset if ATT reacted to the Congressional investigations into cell phone rate gouging by cutting their unlimited SMS plan in half, knocking $5-10 dollars off their data plan, setting up a tethering option etc.



    the new rumored home media server could be announced or even just addressed via an update to the Apple TV.



    17in unibody MBP still hasn't appeared.



    refresh to the Air for better hard drive and processor wouldn't be sneered at.



    more sizes to the LED screen and adapters to use the LED screen with older macs



    and so on. only the super geek fanboys that need something new to jerk off over really need a brand new never before seen toy. the rest of the world is more than happy with more bang for their bucks.



    as for what I disagree with



    I disagree with this notion that Steve Jobs is the frakking messiah and the only brain at Apple and everyone else is just a robot set of hands doing as the Borg King Jobs thinks. Folks like Piper Jeffery are part of this problem because they see anyone buy Jobs and push the notion that nothing good is going on, that Jobs has died and the world is being fooled by a clone, whatever.



    If this was a last minute deal and no one but Jobs had ever been on the stage, maybe there would be something to it.



    but Steve has been sharing the stage for a while, this is just the last step. He and Apple have been trying to show the world some of the other brains that do exist in the company. Brains that are more than capable of running the company without Steve there holding everyone's hands, making all the decisions and wiping the company's collective butt.



    but Jeffery etc don't see this and so they chicken little everything and the company stock drops way more than can be blamed on the crappy economy
  • Reply 17 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gee4orce View Post


    Never mind Gene Munster, we'd get more sense out of Herman Munster !



    Or cookie munster.....
  • Reply 18 of 36
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post


    I think people are forgetting that just as in the last two keynotes, Steve Jobs stood to one side and let others do large parts of them, Phil could just as easily say ...



    " ... and one more thing, here's Steve to present a new product."



    I'm not going to be surprised if something like that happens. the company is clearly moving towards showing the world that Steve Jobs is not the whole of Apple. that there are more than enough smart people who have been there all along to run the company when Steve retires and goes back to Pixar full time. so all this 'steve looks like hell. he's dying and not telling us, the world is ending' nonsense is just that, nonsense.



    Apple managed to stay afloat for 10 years without Steve and this time around he's picked new and better people and taught them well so there's no reason to believe that Apple can't survive again without him.
  • Reply 19 of 36
    What is the point including a physical keyboard to iPhone? That really defeats the purpose if you ask me.
  • Reply 20 of 36
    Well i just hope that if they was to come out with slider keyboard for the iphone for it to just be a separate model cause if i would have wanted that i would have gotten a freggin sidekick in the first place, i think that most of the people that complaint about the virtual keyboard are also people that won't even get it if Apple made it happen
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