Filed under: Rumors, Other Events, One More Thing
Dear Aunt TUAW: Where's my product transition?
Dear Aunt TUAW:
Where's my September surprise? Weren't we supposed to get new hardware at Tuesday's event? Did anything in that underwhelming "Let's Rock" intro match the margins-munching product transition promised in the last financials call?
Love,
An anonymous but affectionate nephew
Dear AABAN,
Although some say that the cheaper iPod touch is the "product transition", Auntie TUAW isn't buying it. Like politicians, I think we're looking more at an October Surprise rather than a September one. (The Apple financials call talked about the September quarter, which includes bits of October. ends September 30th.)
As Cousin Christina puts it, "The way Cook and Oppenheimer were talking about huge products, it was very clear that it wasn't just a cheaper touch -- it was some sort of new product." She, along with Step-Brother Mike, thinks the other shoe has yet to drop, or as Family Friend Dave puts it, "the other iShoe."
Uncle Victor thinks this is pretty typical Apple behavior for the autumn -- using an iPod event to build up interest again, then uppercut with something spectacular the following month.
iPhone HiFi? Oh yeah!
So does Auntie TUAW know what's on that horizon? Er, no. Much as Auntie longs for her Mac touch tablet, we're more likely to see some laptop refreshes and maybe that long overdue Mac Mini upgrade path. (That is, if mean Cousin Steve doesn't kill and field-dress the Mini for good.) Given that pretty much everything at Tuesday's launch was thoroughly leaked, Auntie hopes that we'll soon be hearing juicy rumors about an October event.
Hugs and kisses,
Auntie TUAW
p.s. Cousin Cory sends his best!
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
KP said 3:15PM on 9-12-2008
iPhone Socks!
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antiorario said 5:23PM on 9-12-2008
I'd love some iPhone socks. The iPod socks don't fit the iPhone as well as I'd like them to.
Yes I know it was a joke.
And yes, I'm being serious.
:-)
Evan Hindra said 3:22PM on 9-12-2008
I love Aunt TUAW posts. They give me great chuckles!
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Drew Scott said 3:43PM on 9-12-2008
Are you serious? For me it's less like chuckling and more like contemplating suicide.
Evan Hindra said 3:46PM on 9-12-2008
It's HILARIOUS stuff… It's like radio talk shows, where listeners "open up" about themselves and talk about their problems over the radio, looking for advice from the radio host. It's great!
Vince said 4:23PM on 9-12-2008
Amen, Drew.
Randy said 3:43PM on 9-12-2008
Would like to see:
-Updated Cinema Display w/ Built in iSight
-Mac Mini (and Pro) Refresh (and/or Price Drop.)
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Haro! said 4:04PM on 9-12-2008
Am I the only one that wants a stand-alone iSight instead of one built into the cinema display?
I am hoping for a Mac mini refresh more than anything.
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d3bruts1d said 8:10AM on 9-15-2008
I just purchased the basic Mac Mini a couple of weeks ago. Nice system, but I'd agree, it needs a refresh. The price of components, specifically hard drives have dropped so much, I can buy and install a 360G drive in my new mini for what Apple would charge to "upgrade" 100GB drive.
A stand alone iSight would be nice as well... or a full size Bluetooth Wireless keyboard.
JohnPQ said 5:04PM on 9-12-2008
FFS: Will you update the Mac mini Steve? There are a ton of us waiting!!!!!!!!
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smak said 5:24PM on 9-12-2008
You want some cheese with that whine?
somebody call the whaaaaaambulance.
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Scott said 5:48PM on 9-12-2008
Product transition is taking the iPod touch from a media player to a total media + GAMING device.
I think, sadly, that we have seen the transition. The Software has spoken. . . .
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Michael Rose said 6:55PM on 9-12-2008
Not a chance. Go back and listen to the earnings call again. They are planning for a substantial drop in margins -- moving the touch to a gaming device doesn't make that kind of dent.
Something is coming that is expensive to manufacture and must be sold cheaply in order to gain market share.
Scott said 10:28PM on 9-12-2008
You make a good point that finances were the discussion at hand when the transition was mentioned, but they did, in fact, drop the price of the iPod touch by nearly 1/3.
Just playing Devil's Advocate on this one for discussion's sake, although your optimism of greater products ahead is much more appealing.
Christina Warren said 12:06PM on 9-13-2008
SSD prices dropped significantly too though. I'm not saying they didn't cut the margin, they certainly did, but the production costs decreased too.
nbidgood said 6:22PM on 9-12-2008
according to Wiki, the September quarter ends on September 30th.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_quarter
but, i still also hope the other iShoe has yet to drop.
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ars_workerbee said 6:43PM on 9-12-2008
careful, now, by bringing fact checking and other sane and rational points into this, you might get banned for talking back to the Almighty Erica.
Namdnal Siroj said 7:52PM on 9-12-2008
I'm quite sure that Apple is behind many of the rumors, to build up press-coverage for new releases.
So, that makes me doubt that there's really one-more-thing.
We would have heard about it already.
But if there IS, I expect it to be more consumer-oriented than "pro"-oriented...
I think gaming will have to wait a bit, because they're approaching that market slowly and carefully.
Display update.
MacBook Air storage bump and/or price drop.
13" Pro.
Revival of the HiFi.
Any of those will mean MY money in Apple's pocket.
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Palo said 11:33PM on 9-12-2008
It would have been helpful to have the exact quote from the conference call included in this article.
I was left with the impression (after listening to the call, originally) that the September transition could be a manufacturing transition that occurs in the quarter ending 9/30/08- resulting in new product or products in October-November 08; to catch the holiday buiing season.
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Andy said 8:04AM on 9-13-2008
Wasn't the new iPod nano that 'product transition'?
- It has a new shape, i.e. is a completely new product rather than the iPod touch which is pretty much the same
- It comes with curved aluminium and curved glass, which are surely more expensive to produce than the old nano (even if only a little)
- It comes with a Nike+ bluetooth module
- It has a cheaper price than the old iPod nano with the same capacity
Surely this must be the one 'new' product where they cut their margins a bit, no?
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