Apple's 2013 product pipeline to feature new iPhones and all-Retina iPad and MacBook Pro lineups
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has made his Apple hardware predictions for the upcoming year, and expects a bevy of new iOS and Mac product releases will help the iPhone maker address a wider swath of the market
Source: KGI Securities
Kuo, who has seen previous success in predicting future Apple products, says the company will introduce a number of new iOS devices in 2013, including an inexpensive iPhone 5, upgraded iPhone 5S, Retina display-toting second-gen iPad mini and a redesigned fifth-generation iPad, among others. He goes on to say that Apple will retire the non-Retina MacBook Pro line and replace it with an all-Retina lineup at a lower price.
Kuo is quick to note that none of the product forecasts are expected in the first quarter of 2013 and says "many" will be introduced in the second half of the year.
According to the analyst, Apple will release both an iPhone 5S with updated internals as well as an inexpensive version of the current iPhone 5 design with a thicker plastic chassis available in six colors. The iPhone 5S, which Kuo believes will launch sometime in June or July, will have largely the same aesthetic as the existing model, but will boast a built-in fingerprint sensor, improved camera and more powerful A7 SoC. A slightly revamped "new design" iPhone 5 is expected to go on sale as a less-expensive alternative to Apple's flagship handset at around the same time, with the affordable price tag attributed to a plastic exterior that will be available in multiple colorways.
Kuo believes a new fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad will launch with lighter frame and a more refined look, borrowing the narrow bezels seen on the iPad mini. In turn, the smaller tablet will move to generation two and get a Retina display that sports the same 2,048-by-1,536 pixel screen resolution as the existing full-size iPad. By using an identical resolution, app makers won't have to make software changes to fit a new native format. The same thinking was used when the iPad mini was released with a resolution identical to the iPad 2.
As for Apple's MacBook, the analyst sees an end of life for non-Retina MacBook Pros, which will be replaced by an all-Retina lineup that eschews optical drives. Pricing should be reduced to help move units. The MacBook Air will see little change besides a bump in internal specs as sizing down the high-resolution Retina display is seen as too steep a challenge at this time. Because the Air will not see a significant design change, the tweaked models are expected to arrive earlier in the year, with the all-Retina MacBook Pro line coming in quarter three.
In respect to the iPod product line, Kuo isn't expecting much in the way of revolutionary changes. With the fifth-gen iPod touch released, Apple will likely introduce a cheaper variant of the current design without a camera and less built-in memory to reach a target price of $199.
Finally, 2013 is expected to be the last year in which the Apple TV is considered a "hobby," but Kuo doesn't believe the company will introduce a full-fledged television set in the next 12 months. The existing media streamer is likely to morph into a serious business -- possibly a full-fledged HDTV -- in 2014, as Apple already has the infrastructure to support such a device with iTunes, the App Store and iCloud services. What the company lacks, however, is experience in the industry, especially concerning the establishment of a reliable supply chain. Kuo looks to the much-rumored "iTV" as a source of growth in the coming years.
Source: KGI Securities
Kuo, who has seen previous success in predicting future Apple products, says the company will introduce a number of new iOS devices in 2013, including an inexpensive iPhone 5, upgraded iPhone 5S, Retina display-toting second-gen iPad mini and a redesigned fifth-generation iPad, among others. He goes on to say that Apple will retire the non-Retina MacBook Pro line and replace it with an all-Retina lineup at a lower price.
Kuo is quick to note that none of the product forecasts are expected in the first quarter of 2013 and says "many" will be introduced in the second half of the year.
According to the analyst, Apple will release both an iPhone 5S with updated internals as well as an inexpensive version of the current iPhone 5 design with a thicker plastic chassis available in six colors. The iPhone 5S, which Kuo believes will launch sometime in June or July, will have largely the same aesthetic as the existing model, but will boast a built-in fingerprint sensor, improved camera and more powerful A7 SoC. A slightly revamped "new design" iPhone 5 is expected to go on sale as a less-expensive alternative to Apple's flagship handset at around the same time, with the affordable price tag attributed to a plastic exterior that will be available in multiple colorways.
Kuo believes a new fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad will launch with lighter frame and a more refined look, borrowing the narrow bezels seen on the iPad mini. In turn, the smaller tablet will move to generation two and get a Retina display that sports the same 2,048-by-1,536 pixel screen resolution as the existing full-size iPad. By using an identical resolution, app makers won't have to make software changes to fit a new native format. The same thinking was used when the iPad mini was released with a resolution identical to the iPad 2.
As for Apple's MacBook, the analyst sees an end of life for non-Retina MacBook Pros, which will be replaced by an all-Retina lineup that eschews optical drives. Pricing should be reduced to help move units. The MacBook Air will see little change besides a bump in internal specs as sizing down the high-resolution Retina display is seen as too steep a challenge at this time. Because the Air will not see a significant design change, the tweaked models are expected to arrive earlier in the year, with the all-Retina MacBook Pro line coming in quarter three.
In respect to the iPod product line, Kuo isn't expecting much in the way of revolutionary changes. With the fifth-gen iPod touch released, Apple will likely introduce a cheaper variant of the current design without a camera and less built-in memory to reach a target price of $199.
Finally, 2013 is expected to be the last year in which the Apple TV is considered a "hobby," but Kuo doesn't believe the company will introduce a full-fledged television set in the next 12 months. The existing media streamer is likely to morph into a serious business -- possibly a full-fledged HDTV -- in 2014, as Apple already has the infrastructure to support such a device with iTunes, the App Store and iCloud services. What the company lacks, however, is experience in the industry, especially concerning the establishment of a reliable supply chain. Kuo looks to the much-rumored "iTV" as a source of growth in the coming years.
Comments
Hope Tim proves him wrong - sooner rather than later.
I go along with the rest of it tho'
QFT - nice work if you can get it !
Hang out at AI - make a couple calls to "select inside sources". Be seen having lunch with someone somewhere - bit more schmooz hey write it up.
No Apple isn't going to redesign a phone that came out last year and cheapen every part of it.
If apple does an affordable iPhone they need to work from the ground up (of course I realize they'll use older chips and technology).
Let me fix that for you.
Thanks !
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobM
Nice compilation of existing rumours - with one DIRTY BiG OMISSION, no MAC PRO !
Hope Tim proves him wrong - sooner rather than later.
I go along with the rest of it tho'
I think it will be later this quarter is my guess.
Your guess is better than any analyst since NONE of them mention the Mac Pro at all.
Yep - they all focus on whatever is making money. They've written off the Mac Pro believing the rumours that Apple will ditch it because its not profitable.
[Beware WARSTORY] And I know APPL is a marketing company but some products you have to support, even if they do not make money, simply because they are central to a core philosophy that was believed by customers that carried APPL through the hard times. You know, back when the company was Apple Computer. Now I realise that means NOTHING to most of APPL customers these days but having a flagship that is not a consumer product is immensely valuable to employees. A focus or belief that the mothership is a valid player in the space of art, design and technology - not just gadgets.
I for one would be greatly saddened if they if ever did drop it. G4s, G5s and Mac Pros made me a lot of money and really in many ways changed my life - sounds weird now I write that, but they have been a showcase product that has always been expandable, able to cater for future development in tech and well manufactured. [Beware WARSTORY]
edit to insert war story tags :-)
But, "We're Apple, we do plastic right."
Right? One can hope, at least
Not only that but such a high pixel density in a Mini might actually lead to a poorer user experience. The GUI could literally draw lines or dots on screen that most people won't be able to see. On the flip side iOS is somewhat resolution independent so you won't get the same results anyways as you get with iPad.
The other problem is that retina does impact performance of the computer it is installed in. Since I'm not expecting a process shrink again for 2013 it is hard to imagine excellent performance in an iPad Mini. The only thing we could hope for is Sharps IGZO screens which might allow for a clock speed bump in the processors. As for Mac Book AIR there you have an Intel GPU running at a low clock rate, that would need to be upgraded to support Retina.
Are we supposed to take this seriously just because there's a graph?
These people make money making predictions, I want to do that job!
And as someone noticed, no Mac Pro, which is almost sure to come out this year... fail
I don't see why Apple couldn't make a plastic iPhone. The 3Gs were plastic. They wouldn't sell it as low cost, but as an intermediary between the iPhone and the Ipod Touch I guess, hence the colors.
Beyond that the majority of the owners end up putting the iPhone in a case of some sort no matter what. So if the norm is to put the iPhone in a case then it really doesn't matter what the case is made of.
The reality is that plastics are a most interesting technology. There are some really impressive resins out there like the Ultem series that are extremely tough. They are not cheap nor are they easy to process but they are possibilities that could lead to cheaper but actually more rugged iPhones. IPhone 5 is basically a Unibody iPhone which is nice and all but is hardly the best solution for mass production at low cost.
I'm not sure why people are afraid of a low cost iPhone. One of Apples big problem is its one size fits all mentality, it just doesn't jive with reality. Even a customer that owns an iPhone 5 could have good reason to want a cheap iPhone. There are any number of activities that can justify a low cost phone as a secondary phone, for example going sailing, hiking in the mountains, dirt bike riding or skydiving. People often save their old iPhones for such activities that put the phone at risk but let's face it not everybody has an old phone laying about.
The above is just one example of a use for a cheap iPhone. Personally I'm getting to the point that my iPad is taking over. As such the importance of a cell phone with all the features of iPhone is waning. A cheaper iPhone might make a lot of sense if it has the right features.
I just don't see when Apple could deliver a cheaper iPhone. There already are cheaper iPhones, they are previous gen.
So soon we won't be able to (easily) replace any hardware (i.e. hard drives and memory) in Apple laptops? I think it's a bit sad. But of course it's great with thin machines, but does that have to rule out user replaceable parts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flaneur
But, "We're Apple, we do plastic right."
Right? One can hope, at least
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClemyNX
Are we supposed to take this seriously just because there's a graph?
These people make money making predictions, I want to do that job!
And as someone noticed, no Mac Pro, which is almost sure to come out this year... fail
I don't see why Apple couldn't make a plastic iPhone. The 3Gs were plastic. They wouldn't sell it as low cost, but as an intermediary between the iPhone and the Ipod Touch I guess, hence the colors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
They could do plastic right. It seems like no matter what Apple uses for a case, be it plastic, aluminum, glass or whatever people complain. I'm constantly hearing people dis the glass backs on iPhone 4 but I've yet to have a problem and know of nobody else of having a problem.
Beyond that the majority of the owners end up putting the iPhone in a case of some sort no matter what. So if the norm is to put the iPhone in a case then it really doesn't matter what the case is made of.
The reality is that plastics are a most interesting technology. There are some really impressive resins out there like the Ultem series that are extremely tough. They are not cheap nor are they easy to process but they are possibilities that could lead to cheaper but actually more rugged iPhones. IPhone 5 is basically a Unibody iPhone which is nice and all but is hardly the best solution for mass production at low cost.
The idea of a plastic phone isn't so bad. Of course beautiful phones can be made of plastic like the Galazy S3.
But the idea of a "redesigned" plastic iPhone 5 thats cheaper doesn't add up at all. Who would buy the 5S is the 5 does almost everything for half the price. If Apple is going to make a cheaper phone it needs to have a greater differentiation from their flagship phone, hence why I suggested designed from the ground up.
But even if Apple took an iPhone 4S and "redesigned it" with a plastic enclosure I think even that would be more acceptable and make more sense.