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Current Analysis
clients (and journalists with press accounts - contact me if you need one) have access to reports and
competitive assessments on mobile devices through the
Current Analysis
Consumer Portal, which also includes pricing, availability, features, and trending data
on nearly every handset in the U.S. market.
Apple 9/1/10 Event Predictions
I will be attending Apple's Special Event live on Wednesday. Here's what I
expect (please note: these are educated guesses. I've been pretty good at this
in the past - Apple is a highly disciplined product development company - but
this is SPECULATION. Journalists and bloggers, please do not quote this as fact
or from "a person familiar with the matter," or "an analyst briefed by Apple."):
 | Updated sales numbers on iPads and iPhone 4. They may have broken 5
million each, and I fully expect Steve to say that "we're selling them as fast
as we can build them." As far as the free bumper/case program goes, I expect
Apple will keep it going for another month or two, and then transition to
including an Apple bumper in the box. Is it possible that Apple will announce
a new iPhone with a coating on the antenna? Yes, but I don't expect that at
this event. |
| There will be a new version of iTunes. Possibly with web storage/download
aspect. |
| iPods:
 | Apple will introduce a new iPod nano with touchscreen controls instead
of buttons, which enables the nano to shrink down in size, going from
rectangular to square. The new starting price point will be $129. They will
be cute as all hell, they will come in four or six different colors, and I
will want one. |
| New iPods: the iPod touch will split into two lines: a budget model for
$199, and an iPhone 4-like line that starts at $299. The budget line will
keep the same screen, but will pick up a front facing camera for Facetime, a
microphone, GPS and a gyroscope. It may get an A4 processor as well; the
decision will hinge on price point - the entry level iPod touch is all about
hitting the $199 mark. The premium line will get all that plus the retina
display, A4 processor, and more memory. However, I don't think Apple will
put a 5 MP camera in the iPod touch because the camera unit would take up
too much space, and the new iPod touch will be magically thinner than the
last one. |
| New iPods: If Apple introduces a 128 MB iPod touch, they will probably
kill the 160GB Classic line. Otherwise, the Classic will get a price drop
but will otherwise remain unchanged. |
| New iPods: if there's a new shuffle, it will be a minor update. |
| Apple will note that these are the greenest MP3 players on the planet. |
|
| iPad: the iOS 4 release date should be announced (it can't come soon
enough if you ask me). If Apple could get more IPS screens it wouldn't
completely shock me if Apple dropped the price on the iPad ahead of the
holiday sales season - Apple did that with the original iPhone - but with the
current manufacturing constraints, I don't see it. I expect an iPad with a
front-facing Facetime camera early next year, but don't expect we'll get one
at this event. |
| Accessories: Apple will probably tweak its aftermarket headphones and may
launch a line of iPod touch cases. Or not. I can never accurately guess what
accessory markets Apple thinks are worth entering. |
| AppleTV: I am based on the East Coast, and Apple events are on the other
side of the country, so I am desperately hoping that this year's "one more
thing" will be an overhaul of AppleTV to save me an extra trip. If not at this
event, an update will be coming soon: the days of treating AppleTV as a hobby
are coming to an end. The new AppleTV will be positively tiny, and will run
iOS, enabling app developers to target the television. If this sounds like
GoogleTV, it's because it is fairly similar, only AppleTV will actually have a
deep content library behind it, rather than just being a search engine. The
price point will have to be $99 to succeed, and Apple will explicitly go after
Roku by showing off a Netflix app. |
Journalists and clients: to reach me live after the event, email me with
your phone number, or call me directly at +1 201 677 8AVI (8284).
8/25/10
My latest Slashgear column is up:
Nokia's
Featurephone Problem. My last Slashgear column was
Competing in a Heated Android Market
Prior Greengart.com entries: July10, June10, Apr10, 1Q10, Oct09, July09, June09, May09, Apr09,
Mar09, Feb09,
Jan09, Dec08, Nov08, Oct08, Sept08,
Aug08
Twitter
@AviGreengart
Slashgear Columns
Public* Product Reviews
*Public = here and on blogs I write for; Current Analysis clients have access to
hundreds of my reports and competitive product assessments
RCR Wireless "Analyst Angle" (2007)
As part of a rotating group of analyst contributors I was asked to write a column for RCR Wireless.
An index can be found here.
Current Analysis Spotlights (2005 - 2007)
Most of my reports on mobile devices are for Current Analysis clients only;
however, Current Analysis Spotlights was a report format that was free for all
from 2005 - 2007.
An Index to my Spotlight reports can be found here.
AskAvi Columns (2001 - 2004)
I spent most of the 1990's in marketing and product management; while I was
still at Intel I began writing weekly columns on consumer electronics. Those
AskAvi columns are archived here.
Current Analysis
Spotlights are copyright Current Analysis, Inc. and are reprinted with
permission. All submissions to Greengart.com become the property of Greengart.com.
For AskAvi submissions, Greengart.com retains all copyrights to both the questions and answers
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us anything you intend to copyright or patent. Not all submissions will be
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© 2002-2006 Avi Greengart
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