"Apple is a new company"

Apple is a new company with a new mission as it enters the living rooms of consumers, according to Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster. "As evidenced by the fact that Apple officially removed the word 'computer' from its name and has added mobile devices and the digital living room to the two existing product categories of computers and digital music, Apple is clearly becoming a consumer digital lifestyle company vs. just a computer and music device company," the analyst said. "Ironically, however, these added non-Mac products should only further accelerate the halo effect and increase Mac market share as well." Industry watchers expected the Cupertino-based company to officially unveil its iTV -- renamed Apple TV -- while some watched for an iPhone announcement, but Munster believes the general consensus of Wall Street fell short of Apple's deliverance on January 9th, 2007. "We believe the form factor and features of the iPhone are more favorable than general Street thinking," said Munster. "At the risk of playing into the hype of the iPhone, seeing is believing with this device."

by MacNN Staff