Piper Jaffray analyst predicts Sept. MacBook updates

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is speculating that Apple will hold a special event in early September to announce new iPods and MacBooks, according to a research note he released.

Munster is bullish on seeing Apple enter the sub-$1,000 market for its MacBook line, and has been saying so since last month. He also anticipates a new form factor for the MacBook Pro line, noting that its exterior design (and that of its predecessor, the PowerBook G4) has only slightly changed over the last five-and-a-half years.

In the same note, he suggested that larger-capacity iPod shuffles and nanos are on the way, but with no change in pricing. He said that the iPod touch could even be redesigned and priced at $199.

Looking into the future, Munster said he thinks a touchscreen Mac portable isn't ready now, but could be available closer to 2010, while a redesigned (even smaller) MacBook Air could hit store shelves next year.

[Via Barron's.]

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Source: http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2008/08/06/apple-pi…

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Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is speculating that Apple will hold a special event in early September to announce new iPods and...

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juniper

The new MacBook Air may be getting a new processor...
http://www.apple-group.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3722

August 17 2008 at 1:40 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Sam

I have it from a good source that the new macbook pros will feature the new quad core mobile chip from Intel, which will be fully utilized at the beginning of next year when Snow Leopard is released with its grand central technology.

They may differentiate the macbook and macbook pro models by continuing to use dual cores in the lower-end macbooks, which will now also have aluminum bodies.

I am an analyst.

August 07 2008 at 7:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

boarder4021

Can someone please tell me how or in what way they could possibly update the iPod Touch? Speaker? Maybe, but they won't put in Bluetooth.

All it would be is a $50 price drop and a memory upgrade.

August 07 2008 at 2:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

nxiv

his predictions are basically a coinflip, just like every other "analyst":
http://www.applerumortracker.com/piper.html

refreshed macs and ipods in the 3rd quarter?!?! thanks mr. obvious.

August 07 2008 at 1:42 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jonathan Kressaty

It seems that Apple always announces notebooks in late Sept/early Oct. because they deplete their stock of current gen notebooks and ipods with the back to school promos.

Am I an analyst now?

August 07 2008 at 1:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Galley

Better to be an analyst than an analrapist! ;-)

August 07 2008 at 1:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Clifford

'New 'form factor'?

Is that a new 'shape' or even, 'form?

August 07 2008 at 1:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Zeromaru

A sub-$1000 Macbook? Sign me up. I'll sell my EeePC for it.

Maybe Apple will actually take a page from the successful netbook market and release a true subnotebook. Though I would probably have a Macbook Air if I had the cash, it's certainly not capable enough on it's own without owning a desktop or other laptop, but it is more expensive than the desktop. What's up with that? A $500 9" Macbook with limited but not super-tiny-and-overpriced hardware would be an instant buy for me.

August 07 2008 at 12:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Brian Burns

Wow this guy hasn't said anything we haven't already thought of.
I guess because he has a "well" known name he can say something as redundant as this and have people make a buzz about it.

August 07 2008 at 12:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Brian Burns's comment

Jon

Maybe the plural of ancedote is fact on the mac side of things.

August 07 2008 at 12:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Isaac

QUICKLY!!! EVERYONE CALL THEM SELF AN ANALYST AND RAMPANTLY SPECULATE!!!

Seriously, show me some evidence to back up these claims.

August 07 2008 at 12:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply