With only a few days to iPad Day in the USA, I believe we are on the brink of a summer of rosy Apples. So many announcements are waiting in the wings until Mr. iPad takes the stage that I think we will see great developments in the next three months.
This week the Wall Street Journal teases us with a brand new iPhone, likely to be announced at the WWDC in June. This is could be he 4G model, not to be confused with the 4G cellular network. WSJ says it could be a thinner and faster design. There’s a good chance that the new and upgraded iPhone operating system which will benefit both iPhone and iPad will be announced at the same time as any new phone. It might not yet be OS 4.0, although it is rumoured, but would certainly signify an advance on the current version released a year ago. Among the expected benefits of a new OS is some degree of multi-tasking.
May is earmarked, according to some rumours, for the long-awaited MacBook Pro updates, including new processors but, probably without cosmetic updates to the case. I’ve expected this news for the past two months, but presumably Apple decided it has enough on its plate with the the current bout of iPaditis.
Today Apple’s share price hit an all-time high of $237, taking the company’s market capitalisation to within a mere £50bn of Microsoft’s. With so much to come in the next few months, even ignoring iAd (“the next big thing”), Apple is definitely on a roll. Over the next few weeks the blogs and video sites will be alive with the sound of iPad boxes being ceremoniously unpacked. The PR benefit for Apple will be incalculable. It's not just a new Apple, it's a new genre. All the signs are that the iPad pre-ordering has been better than expected and we should get confirmation of this after the Easter Weekend. Tuesday’s opening price for Apple Inc. will be an indicator of the future. At the moment it’s the iPad that’s calling the tune.
(Note: The author has a small stock holding in Apple Inc.)