Apple prepares to awe the devoted at Macworld Rumors point to new MacBook, 3G iPhone and support for Blu-ray format By Rex Crum, MarketWatch Last update: 12:01 a.m. EST Jan. 14, 2008Print E-mail RSS Disable Live Quotes SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple Inc., known for unleashing some bombshells at the annual Macworld Expo, has left some observers wondering whether the company has already emptied its cannons leading into this year's event. Macworld will kick off Monday in San Francisco. Chief Executive Steve Jobs will take the stage the following day to deliver one of his typical state-of-the-company addresses and show off what he believes will be the next big thing for the company that has quickly become a consumer electronics powerhouse with its Mac computers, the iconic iPhone and the massively popular iPod digital music players. The question is: What will Apple (AAPL:Apple Inc News, chart, profile, more Last: 172.69-5.33-2.99%
4:00pm 01/11/2008
Delayed quote dataAdd to portfolio Analyst Create alertInsider Discuss Financials Sponsored by: AAPL 172.69, -5.33, -3.0%) have left to announce only months after over-hauling the iPod line, updating its Mac products and launching the latest version of its operating system? In fact, the company made its latest product announcement less than a week ago. On Jan. 8, Apple debuted a new line of its Mac Pro desktops that sports eight processor cores and will sell for prices starting at $2,799. Comparisons will be even more difficult when considering last year's event, when Jobs unveiled the iPhone to nearly unanimous raves. The debut of that device helped spark a frenzy on Apple's shares that sent the stock up more than 130% last year. See full story. Those gains have made some Wall Street analysts woozy. Since peaking at an all-time high above the $200 mark over Christmas, Apple's shares have sold off more than 10%. "Given continued lofty expectations for Apple, even after last week's tech sell-off, we believe that Apple will be range-bound with downside risk near-term," Keith Bachman of BMO Capital Markets wrote in a Jan. 8 note to clients. Revamp of notebook line expected Since Apple finished the annual refurbishing of its product lines in September, speculation has grown regarding what the company could unveil to awe the show's assembled throngs of Apple devotees. At this year's show, the guesses seem focused on two things. The more likely possibility is a small, ultra-portable version of the MacBook laptop computer. Another popular rumor surrounds a version of the iPhone that would run on so-called 3G networks, allowing for a faster data transfer rate for the device's Internet applications. The CEO of AT&T (T:T News, chart, profile, more Last:
Delayed quote dataAdd to portfolio Analyst Create alertInsider Discuss Financials Sponsored by: T, , ) , which is Apple's partner in marketing the iPhone in the U.S., said in late November that Apple planned to launch a 3G version of the iPhone sometime this year. Gene Munster, of Piper Jaffray, believes Apple will put on a Mac-focused event, saying that "the timing is right for Apple to update most, if not all of its Macs" at the Macworld show. Munster said he expects Apple to unveil its smallest and thinnest MacBook, with a screen that measures between 11 and 13 inches, and a price tag somewhere between the current $1,099 consumer version of the MacBook and the MacBook Pro's cost of $1,999. Munster and other analysts speculate that the new MacBook could be the first Mac to use flash memory, citing Samsung's introduction of a 64-gigabyte flash drive, which Apple might consider large enough to use in a new laptop. Munster holds a buy rating and a $250 price target on Apple's stock. Bachman of BMO Capital said that, even with a re-vamped notebook line, "we don't think MacWorld will have the same 'wow' factor as recent years." A 3G iPhone? While the appearance of a new MacBook at the Macworld expo is considered a strong possibility, some analysts say it is less likely that Jobs will show off a 3G version of the iPhone, and if he does, it will probably be mid-year before the device is up for sale. Apple was criticized to a degree for not launching the iPhone on a 3G network, opting instead for doing an exclusive two-year partnership with AT&T and running the iPhone on AT&T's 2.5G EDGE network. And almost from the minute the iPhone was rolled out in June, speculation arose about if and when Apple would release a 3G version of the device. Despite the demand for a 3G iPhone, Shaw Wu of American Technology Research said that 3G wireless, "is still a relatively niche technology and not widely deployed, particularly here in the USA." Wu said that while there are a good number of 3G phones in use, "the untold reality is they utilize much more prevalent 2G and 2.5G wireless infrastructure most of the time." With this in mind, Wu believes that Apple has held off introducing a 3G iPhone because the devices typically require more-expensive components and need as much as 40% more battery power than other cell phones, which Wu says are issues for Apple to consider since the iPhone offers so many different functions. Still, Wu said a 3G iPhone is likely to come out by the second half of 2008. By then, Wu said, network coverage, price points and battery life issues should be addressed to a point where a 3G iPhone would be more feasible, and Apple can position the devices as a high-end smartphone while targeting the current iPhone at the general consumer market. The Apple rumor-mill was stoked over the Christmas break, when reports surfaced saying that thee company had reached an agreement with News Corp.'s (NWS:NWS News, chart, profile, more Last:
Delayed quote dataAdd to portfolio Analyst Create alertInsider Discuss Financials Sponsored by: NWS, , ) 20th Century Fox movie studio to offer film rentals through Apple's iTunes store. Neither Apple nor 20th Century has confirmed such a deal. News Corp. is the owner of MarketWatch, the publisher of this report. Another piece of speculation has the company throwing its support behind Blu-ray in the on-going war between high-definition DVD formats. Walt Disney Co. (DIS:DIS News, chart, profile, more Last:
Delayed quote dataAdd to portfolio Analyst Create alertInsider Discuss Financials Sponsored by: DIS, , ) -- in which Jobs owns a large stake -- already exclusively supports the Blu-ray format while chief Apple rival Microsoft (MSFT:MSFT News, chart, profile, more Last:
Delayed quote dataAdd to portfolio Analyst Create alertInsider Discuss Financials Sponsored by: MSFT, , ) supports the competing HD-DVD in its Xbox 360 gaming console. Rex Crum is a reporter for MarketWatch in San Francisco.
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