One more thought. Maybe they have a planned price drop of the iPhone G3 to free (8GB) and $99 (16GB). So, there's money lost there, plus maybe they'll be giving out some $100 store credits to current buyers.
Hmm, if all iPods go touchscreen, what's the point of putting touch in the name? Before the iPod touch was announced, the iPod classic was just the iPod, remember?
So, if Apple does as you say, seems more likely they'll just drop touch from the iPod touch, making it the new iPod and leave the iPod nano's name alone while transforming it into a small version of the full-size iPod. That'll leave us with the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod, and iPhone. Very simple.
.
I don't disagree... The point I'm making is not about the names, it's the products..
Yes, when the first iPod went color, it was called the iPod photo, then the iPod video came, then the iPod touch came.. They very well may drop "touch" fro the name. But this transition makes the most sense to me, especially because of the App store.
Maybe Apple has negotiated to eliminate AT&T as sole U.S. service provider for iPhone. Or, Apple comes out with new version that is not tied to the exclusivity contract with AT&T.
the mystery transition will drop Apple's gross margins from 34.8 percent in the spring quarter to just 31.5 percent in the July-to-September window in which the update takes place, ultimately settling at about 30 percent during Apple's fiscal 2009.
Ummm... okay
1) Apr-Jun gross margin 34.8%
2) July-Sep gross margin 31.5%
3) Sep-Dec gross margin 30%
Ummm... so if they released the new product(s) NEXT TUESDAY with only 2/3 of this quarter left... and got stable sales from then onwards, we'd get those kinds of gross margin effects
Of course - if they have the stock and it's going to be hugely popular so they expect it to sell double in the first month then stabilise, then it could be a month later.
I wonder when they're going to release?
edit: I didn't just guess next tuesday... I took the 3.3% margin drop in this quarter, vs 4.8% margin drop overall, worked out the number of days in the quarter required (assuming stable sales) and got Tuesday 29th July. :-)
I don't disagree... The point I'm making is not about the names, it's the products..
Yes, when the first iPod went color, it was called the iPod photo, then the iPod video came, then the iPod touch came.. They very well may drop "touch" fro the name. But this transition makes the most sense to me, especially because of the App store.
Sure.
What I have to wonder is if Apple would be having all these back-to-school deals if they plan on launching new iPods and, as I suggested, new slimmed down MBs and MBPs? Obviously they couldn't just not have these deals, they have them every year and it would totally give away their plans if they didn't, but they could endure some backlash from students. Just a thought.
I take it to just mean transition from old macbooks to the new ones, that clearly have more new features than originally thought. Key question is WHEN will refresh occur. The kiddies are going to college soon....
What I have to wonder is if Apple would be having all these back-to-school deals if they plan on launching new iPods and, as I suggested, new slimmed down MBs and MBPs? Obviously they couldn't just not have these deals, they have them every year and it would totally give away their plans if they didn't, but they could endure some backlash from students. Just a thought.
Yes, the very reason they DO have these deals is because new iPods and notebooks are in the pipeline. The same as it has been for the past several years.. And even when the new products arrive, I can't see much backlash from students.. After-all, the iPods in the promo are FREE.
If newbies here can join in baseless speculation, here's mine:
1) Refresh of the ipod touch with a 64 GB model and addition of some non-touch based controls for volume and advancing songs. I love my touch, and some of the new apps make it even better. But I got it for music - videos great, sound damn good (but not the best), and navigation easy if you have both hands and eyes available. In the car and while running, I want to be able to skip ahead in an album or shuffle and adjust volume without looking, just like on old school ipods. I am not alone and an easy upgrade. And that's why they have to keep the oldschool nano - better for hands off and exercise - and someone already pointed out a tiny touch screen (smaller than the touchpad on a laptop) doesn't make sense for a tiny ipod.
2) Refresh/transition for all computers. Look at those Montevida chips already winning the hearts of BTS kids for Sony and HP. Apple doesn't want to fall too far behind and besides lower power consumption and some speed, they already offer the intriguing possibility of a dual integrated and dedicated graphics solution that both imac and mbpros could use to finally break the windows advantage on big time gaming. Run non demanding apps (most) and use the integrated graphics to extend battery life (laptops) maybe past 5 hours. Want to play Crysis for an hour or two, zoom zoom with NVideo or ATI, but keep your charger nearby.
And all of them get a facelift (aluminum) and complete Apples move to the Energy Star Gold standard they don't quite reach yet.
3) Something new - the not so secret touch laptop with atom-ic power.
And all that in the next couple months. After the snows fly (i.e. new OS), quadcore nephalim and touchscreens for more models and who knows what else.
If newbies here can join in baseless speculation, here's mine:
1) Refresh of the ipod touch with a 64 GB model and addition of some non-touch based controls for volume and advancing songs. I love my touch, and some of the new apps make it even better. But I got it for music - videos great, sound damn good (but not the best), and navigation easy if you have both hands and eyes available. I
I already said this in another post.... But...
The non-touch controls already exist on the iPod touch.. You can start, stop and skip songs directly from the earbuds. Volume control is tactile and resides on the side of the iPod touch.
An iPod nano touch would not be a tiny screen if the click wheel is removed. Imagine the same size as the current nano phatty except the entire front would be a touch surface. It would not be much smaller than the full sized iPod touch. Very doable..
Instant music would be as simple as adding a "shuffle" icon to the home screen.
I really hope it's a new MacPro or a midrange version. I'm getting tired of Apple's main, and seems like ONLY, focus being on consumer toys. As someone who has used Macs for professional work for nearly two decades, it seems like they have forgotten who kept them afloat in the mid-late 90's.
They are starting to lose what ground they gained in the TV and Film industry. Avid has pretty much caught back up to them in software and price. They announced that Shake is basically dead over two years ago, while Phenomenon was rumored to replace it in 2008, yet I haven't heard anything about it in two years. Motion is hardly a pro motion design application. After Effects has and continues to own it since it was first released. And even though Blu-Ray is the clear winner in the HD wars, there isn't an Apple application to design and create Blu-Ray Discs yet... even though Apple has backed Blu-Ray since close to the start of the format war. What good is editing in HD, if the only medium you can put it back to is one that no one except professionals have?
It's time for Apple to start using some of those profits to put themselves back on the cutting edge of professional technology. Steve Jobs has left Apple before, and while almost all the consumers abandoned it, the Pros were the ones who stuck around. If Jobs retires or dies, I can see Apple becoming another Dell or Gateway in the next ten years.
Which product line has gone the longest without a refresh?
Which product was pulled from the market suddenly without explanation?
What product would compliment Apple TV and reinvent the way we communicate?
The product transition in question is for Apple's Cinema Displays. It's been years since they were updated; they'll have built-in HD iSight cameras via CCD sensors within the display. iChat will become available through Apple TV and accessible with iPhone/iTouch Remote.
Shutting out competitors requires something revolutionary.
Maybe Apple has negotiated to eliminate AT&T as sole U.S. service provider for iPhone. Or, Apple comes out with new version that is not tied to the exclusivity contract with AT&T.
I like the sound of that, but with the iPhone 3G just launching and everyone signing AT&T contracts, that might not be such a great idea. My guess? At Macworld in January they'll announce a partnership with T-Mobile, the other major GSM provider in the U.S. to start setting up iPhone contracts in the summer. Now that Apple no longer does cellular revenue sharing with AT&T, they probably don't have to sell the iPhone exclusively through them.
I'd be floored if they did that. Having used AT&T and T-Mobile, I strongly prefer the latter. If they wanted to undercut the competition, perhaps Apple could get AT&T to make switching from them to T-Mobile free, or at least allow T-mobile iPhone owners to use AT&T's GSM cell towers when out of range and vice versa.
The product transition in question is for Apple's Cinema Displays. It's been years since they were updated; they'll have built-in HD iSight cameras via CCD sensors within the display. iChat will become available through Apple TV and accessible with iPhone/iTouch Remote.
.
Yes, the Cinema Displays are due for an update. However, updated displays would be considered a feature set or product update, not a KEY product transition.
Out of all of Apple's products, the only ones I'd consider "key" are the Mac, iPod, and iPhone.
And if this "key" product transition is going to happen before the Sept quarter ends, the only logical product line would be the iPod line. It's going touch, nano and full size.
My guess is a tablet that is an "evolved" iPod Touch/iPhone. Bigger than either, but smaller than a 12" laptop. Students can have them on their desks in class to take notes on a nearly full sized virtual keypad while also listening to their favorite tunes during a boring lecture, checking their e-mail and visual voicemail, or playing a game. Cheaper than a laptop but more than a Pod or Phone while including the features and functions of both. Outputs to a printer. Best of all worlds. Fills the needs/price niche between pocket devices and laptops. Stands up on your desk at home while you plug in your chiclet keyboard for the old school typing experience.
I'm with those who think it could involve something with Apple TV. Perhaps sell them so cheaply (reducing margins) that a lot of people will buy them that otherwise wouldn't think about it. If Apple thinks that online distribution of movies is ready to take off then this is one way to make it happen while grabbing the lion's share of the market.
Comments
bring back the macbook pro photos ....
Hmm, if all iPods go touchscreen, what's the point of putting touch in the name? Before the iPod touch was announced, the iPod classic was just the iPod, remember?
So, if Apple does as you say, seems more likely they'll just drop touch from the iPod touch, making it the new iPod and leave the iPod nano's name alone while transforming it into a small version of the full-size iPod. That'll leave us with the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod, and iPhone. Very simple.
.
I don't disagree... The point I'm making is not about the names, it's the products..
Yes, when the first iPod went color, it was called the iPod photo, then the iPod video came, then the iPod touch came.. They very well may drop "touch" fro the name. But this transition makes the most sense to me, especially because of the App store.
the mystery transition will drop Apple's gross margins from 34.8 percent in the spring quarter to just 31.5 percent in the July-to-September window in which the update takes place, ultimately settling at about 30 percent during Apple's fiscal 2009.
Ummm... okay
1) Apr-Jun gross margin 34.8%
2) July-Sep gross margin 31.5%
3) Sep-Dec gross margin 30%
Ummm... so if they released the new product(s) NEXT TUESDAY with only 2/3 of this quarter left... and got stable sales from then onwards, we'd get those kinds of gross margin effects
Of course - if they have the stock and it's going to be hugely popular so they expect it to sell double in the first month then stabilise, then it could be a month later.
I wonder when they're going to release?
edit: I didn't just guess next tuesday... I took the 3.3% margin drop in this quarter, vs 4.8% margin drop overall, worked out the number of days in the quarter required (assuming stable sales) and got Tuesday 29th July. :-)
I don't disagree... The point I'm making is not about the names, it's the products..
Yes, when the first iPod went color, it was called the iPod photo, then the iPod video came, then the iPod touch came.. They very well may drop "touch" fro the name. But this transition makes the most sense to me, especially because of the App store.
Sure.
What I have to wonder is if Apple would be having all these back-to-school deals if they plan on launching new iPods and, as I suggested, new slimmed down MBs and MBPs? Obviously they couldn't just not have these deals, they have them every year and it would totally give away their plans if they didn't, but they could endure some backlash from students. Just a thought.
or maybe even a NEW device that utilizes some of that 700mhz bandwidth that Google bought?
Google didn't buy any spectrum. And even if they did, the spectrum hasn't been vacated yet.
Sure.
What I have to wonder is if Apple would be having all these back-to-school deals if they plan on launching new iPods and, as I suggested, new slimmed down MBs and MBPs? Obviously they couldn't just not have these deals, they have them every year and it would totally give away their plans if they didn't, but they could endure some backlash from students. Just a thought.
Yes, the very reason they DO have these deals is because new iPods and notebooks are in the pipeline. The same as it has been for the past several years.. And even when the new products arrive, I can't see much backlash from students.. After-all, the iPods in the promo are FREE.
I'm guessing the whole product line of LCD monitors transition over to the LED back lighting rather than florescent tubes.
And how is that something that the competition couldn't match as well?
Mac Mini becomes the xMac
Where you can keep your "X-Files"...
"The Truth Is Out There"
1) Refresh of the ipod touch with a 64 GB model and addition of some non-touch based controls for volume and advancing songs. I love my touch, and some of the new apps make it even better. But I got it for music - videos great, sound damn good (but not the best), and navigation easy if you have both hands and eyes available. In the car and while running, I want to be able to skip ahead in an album or shuffle and adjust volume without looking, just like on old school ipods. I am not alone and an easy upgrade. And that's why they have to keep the oldschool nano - better for hands off and exercise - and someone already pointed out a tiny touch screen (smaller than the touchpad on a laptop) doesn't make sense for a tiny ipod.
2) Refresh/transition for all computers. Look at those Montevida chips already winning the hearts of BTS kids for Sony and HP. Apple doesn't want to fall too far behind and besides lower power consumption and some speed, they already offer the intriguing possibility of a dual integrated and dedicated graphics solution that both imac and mbpros could use to finally break the windows advantage on big time gaming. Run non demanding apps (most) and use the integrated graphics to extend battery life (laptops) maybe past 5 hours. Want to play Crysis for an hour or two, zoom zoom with NVideo or ATI, but keep your charger nearby.
And all of them get a facelift (aluminum) and complete Apples move to the Energy Star Gold standard they don't quite reach yet.
3) Something new - the not so secret touch laptop with atom-ic power.
And all that in the next couple months. After the snows fly (i.e. new OS), quadcore nephalim and touchscreens for more models and who knows what else.
If newbies here can join in baseless speculation, here's mine:
1) Refresh of the ipod touch with a 64 GB model and addition of some non-touch based controls for volume and advancing songs. I love my touch, and some of the new apps make it even better. But I got it for music - videos great, sound damn good (but not the best), and navigation easy if you have both hands and eyes available. I
I already said this in another post.... But...
The non-touch controls already exist on the iPod touch.. You can start, stop and skip songs directly from the earbuds. Volume control is tactile and resides on the side of the iPod touch.
An iPod nano touch would not be a tiny screen if the click wheel is removed. Imagine the same size as the current nano phatty except the entire front would be a touch surface. It would not be much smaller than the full sized iPod touch. Very doable..
Instant music would be as simple as adding a "shuffle" icon to the home screen.
They are starting to lose what ground they gained in the TV and Film industry. Avid has pretty much caught back up to them in software and price. They announced that Shake is basically dead over two years ago, while Phenomenon was rumored to replace it in 2008, yet I haven't heard anything about it in two years. Motion is hardly a pro motion design application. After Effects has and continues to own it since it was first released. And even though Blu-Ray is the clear winner in the HD wars, there isn't an Apple application to design and create Blu-Ray Discs yet... even though Apple has backed Blu-Ray since close to the start of the format war. What good is editing in HD, if the only medium you can put it back to is one that no one except professionals have?
It's time for Apple to start using some of those profits to put themselves back on the cutting edge of professional technology. Steve Jobs has left Apple before, and while almost all the consumers abandoned it, the Pros were the ones who stuck around. If Jobs retires or dies, I can see Apple becoming another Dell or Gateway in the next ten years.
Which product was pulled from the market suddenly without explanation?
What product would compliment Apple TV and reinvent the way we communicate?
The product transition in question is for Apple's Cinema Displays. It's been years since they were updated; they'll have built-in HD iSight cameras via CCD sensors within the display. iChat will become available through Apple TV and accessible with iPhone/iTouch Remote.
Shutting out competitors requires something revolutionary.
Maybe Apple has negotiated to eliminate AT&T as sole U.S. service provider for iPhone. Or, Apple comes out with new version that is not tied to the exclusivity contract with AT&T.
I like the sound of that, but with the iPhone 3G just launching and everyone signing AT&T contracts, that might not be such a great idea. My guess? At Macworld in January they'll announce a partnership with T-Mobile, the other major GSM provider in the U.S. to start setting up iPhone contracts in the summer. Now that Apple no longer does cellular revenue sharing with AT&T, they probably don't have to sell the iPhone exclusively through them.
I'd be floored if they did that. Having used AT&T and T-Mobile, I strongly prefer the latter. If they wanted to undercut the competition, perhaps Apple could get AT&T to make switching from them to T-Mobile free, or at least allow T-mobile iPhone owners to use AT&T's GSM cell towers when out of range and vice versa.
The product transition in question is for Apple's Cinema Displays. It's been years since they were updated; they'll have built-in HD iSight cameras via CCD sensors within the display. iChat will become available through Apple TV and accessible with iPhone/iTouch Remote.
.
Yes, the Cinema Displays are due for an update. However, updated displays would be considered a feature set or product update, not a KEY product transition.
Out of all of Apple's products, the only ones I'd consider "key" are the Mac, iPod, and iPhone.
And if this "key" product transition is going to happen before the Sept quarter ends, the only logical product line would be the iPod line. It's going touch, nano and full size.