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Apple sure sells a lot of different-sized rectangles.
People can buy a 2.5-inch iPod, 4-inch iPhone, 10-inch iPad, 11-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, 27-inch iMac and plenty more variant sizes in between. Now, with the introduction of the iPad Mini, which fits snugly between the iPhone and iPad, the company is adding a 7.9-inch screen to its collection.
It seems all Apple is missing is one really important rectangle: an Apple television.
It wouldn’t be a stretch for the company to do this. It could simply take the ultra-thin iMac that it introduced on Tuesday, and well, stretch out the screen. Call it the iTV and voilà, we’re done!
The company has said that it is not working on a television, but it also said it wouldn’t make an iPad Mini, too. Given that Apple dominates so many markets for personal electronic devices, it’s quickly running out of places to dominate. The company has the fastest growing line of PCs, the most popular tablet computer and the best-selling portable music player. And don’t forget the little iPhone — the single most popular phone — which also doubles as one of the most popular point-and-shoot cameras.
I have no doubt that in the coming years Apple will start moving into entirely new types of businesses. The company has patented a slew of products for wearable computers. Its executives have also talked about building a car. Who knows?
But before it does that, the company has one more place to go: your living room wall.
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Apple will enjoy a record-breaking quarter for iPhone sales in the run up to Christmas, an industry sage predicts, despite reports that manufacturing partners are struggling to meet the tech giant’s production targets.
In a note to investors, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu forecasts that total iPhone sales will soar to 46.5 million in the three months leading up to the festive period. That compares to a figure of 26.9 million for the preceding quarter.
Wu’s forecast will come as a tonic to shareholders after Foxconn’s Peter Gou this week told delegates at a business expo that challenges presented by the iPhone 5’s design meant that the company’s factories are struggling to keep up with demand.
Gou’s comments came after Apple’s share price recently dipped after revealing worse-than-expected iPad 3 sales.
However, according to Wu Apple’s production capacity is much improved since the iPhone 5 landed back in September, suggesting that perhaps other manufacturing partners, such as Pegatron of Taiwan, could be picking up the slack.
Gou did not specify what particular problems are affecting production of the iPhone 5, but is thought that these relate to the handset’s alleged tendency to pick up scratches.
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We sort the statistics from the damned lies.
It’s become custom for Apple to issue an identikit press release talking up sales of its new iPad or iPhone in the days after it goes on sale.
This week was no different, with a statement touting the fact that Cupertino shifted a massive three million new iPads over the weekend from November 2nd.
That’s undoubtedly impressive, especially as it solely includes Wi-Fi only models, with 4G capable devices not going on sale until later this month.
Apple has been quick to highlight the fact that that’s double the number of Wi-Fi only third-gen iPads that they sold back when that device debuted back in spring.
But of course, there’s a major caveat here: this time around Apple is talking about two devices, the iPad Mini and iPad with Retina Display, rather than just one.
So essentially, Cupertino has managed to match its early 2012 achievement, rather than better it. In the same statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said: “Customers around the world love the new iPad Mini and fourth generation iPad.
“We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad Minis. We're working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”
It’d be hard to refute Cook’s claim that there’s “incredible demand”. But the phrase “practically sold out” tells a different story.
Either the iPad Mini is sold out or it isn’t. Sticking with its relentlessly positive, spin-heavy approach, Apple’s suggestion that it’s almost out of iPad Minis looks somewhat foolish.
Anyone can see through the term “practically” and there’s no doubt that Amazon and Google, both with rival budget tablets to sell, will seize on this rather wooly term.
Similarly, Apple is stretching it to call this a “launch weekend record”.
Combined sales of the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi+4G models of the third generation iPad were three million and to suddenly create a Wi-Fi-only stat from that launch in order to justify a self-serving “record” is a touch pathetic.
Apple has done fine work with the iPad Mini and iPad with Retina Display, but this desperate release is not exactly smart.
iPad sales were down in the last quarter and Apple is banking on the iPad Mini to boost its margins and do the business ahead of Christmas.
As has been seen with its iPod line, it’s unlikely Apple will ever provide a breakdown of specific iPad sales figures in its quarterly reports.
That will give succour to rivals and help them pile on the pressure through advertising. And means that, at last, the tablet space looks as if it’s about to be blown wide open.
The iPhone is the most common smartphone almost everywhere in the world... almost. According to analysts at Canalys, in the third quarter this year Apple dropped out of the Top 5 smartphone makers in the Chinese market.
And it's an important market - according to Canalys again, China became a bigger market than the US earlier this year.
Samsung maintains a tentative lead in China holding 14% of the market, with local maker Lenovo breathing down its neck with 13%.
To rub salt in the wound, Samsung's Galaxy S III took the title of "World's best-selling smartphone in Q3 2012," according to Strategy Analytics. There were 18 million Galaxy S III units sold and "only" 16.2 million iPhone 4S phones. Of course, iPhone 4S sales were down in Q3 because everyone was waiting for the iPhone 5 to launch.
Anyway, back to China. The third place there is surprising - it's held by Yulong, who are not known outside of China, but managed to score partnerships with the country's to major carriers - China Telecom and China Mobile.
Two better known brands round up the Top 5 - ZTE and Huawei. The last three companies have around 10% market share each. Apple is currently sixth with 8% (it had 9% in Q2).
In Q3 this year, there were around 50 million smartphones shipped in China, which is over a third of all smartphones shipped in the whole world for the three month period.
The growth in China comes primarily from cheap models ($70-$120) and the iPhone 4S can't compete with its price of $713 (the iPhone 5 is yet to launch in China, probably in December).
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Microsoft is developing a much rumoured, much anticipated Mobile Office suite for iOS and Android, reports have confirmed.
According to “several sources close to Microsoft’s plans”, the software giant is hard at work in bringing its Word, PowePoint and Excel applications to the rival platforms, despite claims that it might decide to shun them to give its own Windows Phone operating system a competitive advantage.
Microsoft has already told The Verge that the news is in fact true, stating: “Office will work across Windows Phone, iOS and Android."
A press release from its Czech Republic arm confirmed that Office for iOS app will be available from March 2013, followed by an Android app in May. Users will require a Microsoft account for access to a read-only version of the app and a Microsoft 365 subscription for editing functionality.
SkyDrive integration for synchronising and accessing files over cloud is also expected.
What remains unknown is whether this will be a scaled back mobile edition or full-fledged software that features the sort of advanced capabilities available on the desktop applications. In any case, the news should be boon for iFans and Fandroids who like to work on the move.
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The iPad 4’s stay at the cutting-edge of tablet tech might be as short as five months, an industry analyst forecasts, as Apple becomes embroiled in a slate specs-war with its Android rivals.
At the iPad mini press call earlier this week, Apple surprised tech-watchers by also unveiling a fourth-generation version of its top-end tablet – a mere eight months after the current third-generation iPad hit store shelves.
However, anyone eyeing the iPad 4 when it officially goes on sale next month may want to consider that the latest model might itself be superannuated in a few months time.
That’s because, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Ci Kuo at least, the rising tide of rival tablets will put pressure on Cupertino to continue sweetening the appeal of its top-of-the-range slates, with the result that refresh cycles will get much more regular.
That suggests we could get an iPad 5 as soon as early next year - most likely in February, which has until now been marked by a new iPad every year since the first model dropped back in 2009.
In a note to investors, Kuo stated: "Though the iPad mini is expected to be successful, we think launching the lighter, thinner 9.7-inch iPad as quickly as possible matters more for Apple strategically.”
Any new device is however likely to be an iterative update of the iPad 4, which is itself a relatively minor update from the current-gen model.
The slate retains its predecessor’s appearance, and only major changes are the addition of 4G connectivity, twice the processing power via an A6X processor and the same Lightning dock connector as the iPhone 5.
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This post is sponsored by:
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The next iteration of Samsung’s flagship Android smartphone, the handset unofficially dubbed the Galaxy S4, will sport an Exynos 5 series chipset, rumours suggest.
Shadowy sources familiar with the South Korean phone-maker’s plans claim that the S4 will be powered by the next-generation Exynos 5450 processor with four Cortex-A15 cores at 2GHz and a staggering eight-core Mali-658 GPU.
Just to put these into perspective, the newly unveiled Google Nexus 10 tablet is powered by an Exynos 5 chip with two Cortex-A15 cores at 1.7GHz and a Mali-604 GPU (same as the new Chromebook), making the mooted specs of the S4 nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Although it’s highly unlikely given that flagship Galaxy kits have reached A-list status much like the iPhone, which now has its own event, there’s chatter that the S4 might make its first appearance at the Mobile World Congress expo in February.
What’s more probable is that Samsung will announce the handset at one of its Unpacked press gatherings in March at the earliest.
Keep your hats on for more S4 news and rumours in the months ahead.