New iPods may see six month delay
updated 01:05 pm EDT, Wed June 28, 2006
New iPods delayed?
American Technology Research senior analyst Shaw Wu said he believes new versions of Apple's video iPod and iPod nano could be delayed by up to six months. "We previously believed that new Nanos and the widescreen video iPod could ship in Q3 and Q4, respectively," Wu wrote in a research note. "However, we now believe that both could be delayed by a quarter or two." The analyst expects a new iPod nano to arrive during the December quarter, pushed back from his previous September quarter estimation. The delay, according to Wu, is due to Apple's shift of its system-on-a-chip suppliers from PortalPlayer to Samsung. The analyst maintained a "Buy" rating on Apple shares, but lowered his price target to $75 from $101 as a result of the equity market's lower trading multiple.
"We believe the price points will remain the same at $199 and $249, but that storage capacities will be doubled to 4GB and 8GB, up from 2GB and 4GB," Wu noted.
The analyst said that issues regarding battery life continue to be "the key gating technical factor" that may delay the launch of the rumored widescreen video iPod into the first half of 2007, according to AppleInsider.
"Apple is aiming to increase both the screen size and improve the battery life -- two conflicting attributes that are difficult to improve simultaneously and require significant engineering," the analyst wrote. "Depending on how much progress is made, we are picking up that wireless Bluetooth headphones may or may not be included with this next-generation vPod."
Apple has been experimenting with numerous methods to reduce battery consumption, according to Wu, which include the use of improved battery management software, both NAND flash as well as microdrives, and a larger battery.
"While it may sound counterintuitive, a positive side effect of these product delays could mean better spacing of iPods in 2007," Wu wrote. "With the original Nano and vPod released a month apart in late 2005, it created a very strong December quarter but exhausted Apple's iPod pipeline for 2006."
Sigh!
06/28, 01:22pm reply
One moron speaks, a million idiots sell. I swear man, we live in a stupid stupid STUPID world. The stock market is becoming the most ludicrous joke. I don't know what's more disgusting, the analysts or the investors. I think they made a movie to best illustrate it... Dumb and Dumber!
jarod
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2005
battery life
06/28, 01:37pm reply
They mention issues with battery life. This is a SIMPLE SIMPLE problem to solve. My Cowon A2 PMP can run video for about 7 hours. The reason? A bigger battery!!!
Apple is going to try and make the device so thin and that will affect battery life. Take a look at the battery on the 5gen iPod. The battery is absolutely tiny and doesn't even take up 1/4 of the space in the rear of the body.
If Apple had kept the new, 5gen iPods as thick as the 4th gen 60GB iPods, then the battery life would eaisly be double what we have now. Form over function only works so well...
I hope Apple understands this and provides future iPods with battery life closer to 30 hours audio and 10 hours video.
lamewing
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2004
hey...
06/28, 02:01pm reply
Wasn't this the guy who peed on The Dude's rug?
bobthenob
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2004
form over function
06/28, 02:20pm reply
this is america dude. we'll take the 7-seater convertible over the 70MPG Toyota any day here. Size matters more, thanks Cosmo. Battery life is still sufficient for what was it like 62% of iPod users? These folks don't use the thing for more than 2 hours a day without it being plugged into the car cigarette lighter (where 90% of Americans use their iPod anyway). I'd like a batteryless one that only works in the car, myself. Save me $150 on the ultra high tech and wimpy battery all together.
ibugv4
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2003
losing losing losing
06/28, 02:35pm reply
And while we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait,
new things arrive and will slowely but surely begin to win marketshare.
1990's -scenario approaching fast (that's what investors think, and i'm going along with them untill proven wrong! ;-))
WAKE UP APPLE, GET YOUR ACTS TOGETHER SOON.
davedive2005
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2005
Re: sigh
06/28, 04:07pm reply
One moron speaks, a million idiots sell. I swear man, we live in a stupid stupid STUPID world. The stock market is becoming the most ludicrous joke. I don't know what's more disgusting, the analysts or the investors. I think they made a movie to best illustrate it... Dumb and Dumber!
That's right. Everyone who owns apple stock and sells are idiots, except you, for you know that Apple is actually worth $80-$100 a share. Of course, you always sound just like the analysts you bemoan, trying to pump up the stock to get its price to where you want it.
And maybe it was all the people who drove the stock price to $80 who were the idiots...
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
delay
06/28, 04:09pm reply
Hey, maybe the delay is due to Foxconn, apple's iPod contractor, admitting they've violated Chinese labor laws by overworking their employees (see note on Macintouch about that). But I'm sure they're just lying to put a squeeze on Apple because they hate them so much (well, that's what people said about those who reported it in the first place). Now they're going to get at least 40 hours less work from each worker per month (times 100000 workers, a conservative count), and that 4 million fewer hours per month.
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
SPECULATION
06/28, 05:19pm reply
PURE SPECULATION
THIS IS NOT NEWS
PURE SPECULATION
UNTIL IT OCCURS
PLEASE REMOVE THIS
PURE SPECULATION
Albert
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2003
Current iPod does well
06/29, 03:41am reply
What's wrong with the current iPod? It plays video, is small enough to take with you, enough batterylife to play two average length films. For the occasion I'm traveling longer distances, I've got a batterypack, so I'm very happy with the current iPod. For me, there is nothing to improve with it. It's a REAL video iPod, not a transition model. We can not expect a new model every year, when the current model is very fine as it is. For the masses, this is still the latest fancy pancy need to have MP3 player. We are just spoiled.
macnavi
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2001