Macworld: Apple expected to surprise at Macworld Expo
An unusual level of uncertainty over product announcements expected from Apple Computer on Tuesday will likely to allow chief executive Steve Jobs more room to surprise, one Wall Street analyst says.
"We believe this is likely because Apple is plugging leaks better as protecting its secrecy remains a top priority for the company," Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, told his clients on Monday. "We therefore believe there will likely be more surprises this year."
Wu anticipates the Cupertino-based company will focus its announcements on two areas -- Macs and home entertainment. He told clients that supply chain sources have indicated that both video iPods with Bluetooth stereo headphones and cell phones are "near/at" their respective manufacturing stages.
"The very successful vPod has not had a major update since August 2005 when it was first announced," he wrote. "Our analysis in the supply chain indicates that its successor has been under development for some time and recent data indicates shifting component order dynamics."
Still, Wu said he does "not have high conviction on timing" for the availability of the devices. Similarly, he is unsure of the company's go-to-market strategy and provider model for its cell phone initiative.
Meanwhile, the analyst said its likely Jobs will announce new movie content partnerships with one or more studios during Macworld Expo on Tuesday, adding that his checks also indicate internal development of large-screen technologies to complement iTV.
"We believe iTV will be the first of many products that will place Apple in the home entertainment business in more direct competition with leading consumer electronics companies like Sony and Samsung," he wrote. "In our view, iTV is a logical extension of its iPod + iTunes and Mac franchises giving Apple a sizable head start in home entertainment with its FrontRow software, large TV content and growing movie library."
On the Mac side of the equation, Wu believes the key feature Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard will have over its predecessors is much better Windows compatibility. Despite repetitive denials on the subject from Apple's leadership, the analyst said he is "picking up the potential for full-blown virtual machine capability that will allow seamless use of Mac and Windows at the same time."
Wu recommend clients buy Apple on dips in share price. "We continue to rate Apple shares Buy with a $99 price target," he wrote.
"We believe this is likely because Apple is plugging leaks better as protecting its secrecy remains a top priority for the company," Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, told his clients on Monday. "We therefore believe there will likely be more surprises this year."
Wu anticipates the Cupertino-based company will focus its announcements on two areas -- Macs and home entertainment. He told clients that supply chain sources have indicated that both video iPods with Bluetooth stereo headphones and cell phones are "near/at" their respective manufacturing stages.
"The very successful vPod has not had a major update since August 2005 when it was first announced," he wrote. "Our analysis in the supply chain indicates that its successor has been under development for some time and recent data indicates shifting component order dynamics."
Still, Wu said he does "not have high conviction on timing" for the availability of the devices. Similarly, he is unsure of the company's go-to-market strategy and provider model for its cell phone initiative.
Meanwhile, the analyst said its likely Jobs will announce new movie content partnerships with one or more studios during Macworld Expo on Tuesday, adding that his checks also indicate internal development of large-screen technologies to complement iTV.
"We believe iTV will be the first of many products that will place Apple in the home entertainment business in more direct competition with leading consumer electronics companies like Sony and Samsung," he wrote. "In our view, iTV is a logical extension of its iPod + iTunes and Mac franchises giving Apple a sizable head start in home entertainment with its FrontRow software, large TV content and growing movie library."
On the Mac side of the equation, Wu believes the key feature Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard will have over its predecessors is much better Windows compatibility. Despite repetitive denials on the subject from Apple's leadership, the analyst said he is "picking up the potential for full-blown virtual machine capability that will allow seamless use of Mac and Windows at the same time."
Wu recommend clients buy Apple on dips in share price. "We continue to rate Apple shares Buy with a $99 price target," he wrote.
Comments
If Apple announces a cell-phone, finish your glass.
If Apple announces they're releasing OS X for use on non-Apple computers, finish the whole bottle.
And of course, take a shot for every prediction Shaw Wu makes. Take two shots if it turns out to be true....
Case for:
1. Easy, affordable virtualization is critical to Apple continuing to gain market share.
2. MS or another could buy and undermine the service Parallels is providing.
3. Without Parallels, VMware Fusion is too expensive to attract home users.
case against:
1. even with parallels, MS wouldn't control market given VMware.
2. the speed and focus of Parallels development might suffer within a larger OS-development team at Apple.
thoughts?
...Meanwhile, the analyst said its likely Jobs will announce new movie content partnerships with one or more studios during Macworld Expo on Tuesday...
"one or more studios"??? WTF? What good is looking for movies from iTunes with just a handful of movies/studios onboard? I watched the CES keynote this morning and they appear to have a lot more networks signed up for movies than Apple does. Apple better figure out how to get the content on iTunes or just take the whole Movie section off. It's kindof shameful how little movies there have been added since iTunes started the movie downloads.
There could always be more, but I think they are off to a great start in the features realm. Hardly a reason to sound a death knell.
It doesn't really matter what other players in this market are out there...they aren't making any money.
Can anyone point me to the website with the Apple prediction drinking game?...
I'm sure that if the Keynote went on around 6 or 7, there would be plenty of drinking games. Who's drinking at noon...on Tuesday?
Who's drinking at noon...on Tuesday?
The British.
I'm sure that if the Keynote went on around 6 or 7, there would be plenty of drinking games. Who's drinking at noon...on Tuesday?
Bill Gates??
What are you talking about? Disney is there, all of it. The #1 & 2 movies of 06 are there, not to mention all sorts of children's/family movies. There is a lot of crap on iTS, so much so that I think they need to revisit site navigation--but that's another topic. Needless to say, there's a lot of stuff on there.
Plus the same thing happened with TV programming, there was very little to start and it took a while to get what they have now. The movies section probably has more than the TV did this far along. As long as the store does well, the studios will feel pressure to join. Even one additional studio signing up is huge news.
Who's drinking at noon...on Tuesday?
Sheryl Crow?
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/sheryl+..._20124150.html
The British.
Who's being a nob? You! Yeh that's right immature....
Na I reckon they've got something up their sleeve- a surprise is not a surprise I you go and give it away is it? Apple have obviously realised that as soon as they put up banners and posters images will be posted here and every other Mac rumour-mill site on the net. In my opinion Apple are going to reveal something pretty big and they really want a loud cheer for it at the Keynote.
Expect the unexpected!! And I will say I told you so!
From yesterday and I will repeat it today! Expect the unexpected............no really do!
BENj
No, "to complement iTV."
The British.
Actually, most of Europe might have a lunchtime sniff.
However, since the keynote is on in the evening here, it's not like it's totally a social faux pas to be drinking during the keynote.
The British.
And the Irish, Germans and Ducth.
Seems like if Apple is really looking into HDTV's (as appears to be rumored today), wouldn't it make sense for iTV to be incorporated into the Apple HDTV? Sort of like a giant iMac, right? So you'd mount the Apple 46" HDTV on your wall, and iTV would be built into to (somewhere behind the screen). No box needed. Mac streams right to the TV. Maybe I'm connecting the dots a bit too much, but doesn't this seem plausible?
How original.
I'd also like to point out that the title of this thread is a contradiction in terms. "Apple expected to surprise."
"to compliment iTV."
No, "to complement iTV."
You know, I never noticed that before. Hurray English, the FrankenTongue.
How original.
I'd also like to point out that the title of this thread is a contradiction in terms. "Apple expected to surprise."
SOOOO sorry for not reading every freakin' post.
If TelePort (iTV) is as small as it is already, why would Apple go through all the effort of R&Ding HD TVs in order to simply integrate it with a television and then sell the damned thing? Truly, there isn't anything Apple can do about picture quality (since they aren't manufacturing the screen itself) and there is a minimal amount that Apple could do with a TV's built in UI... for adjusting menial things like brightness and contrast, woohoo.
"Redesigning" the TV will produce a product nearly identical to what is offered today. Therefore, trying to break into the HDTV market is really irrelevant. I'd just assume get a third-party TV and plug in a TelePort. The thing has such a small footprint, I couldn't care less that it wasn't integrated... and neither would anyone else.
Shaw Wu is wrong this time.
-Clive