Wednesday, August 6,2008 @ 4:10pm
New iPods, MacBooks to grace Apple Sept. event
An upcoming September event should herald both new iPods and new MacBooks, argue analysts with Piper Jaffray. The firm notes that Apple has hosted similar events for the past three years, and the company has particular incentive to upgrade hardware this year. Because the iPhone has been reduced in price to as little $199, it is suggested that the iPod touch may follow suit, and could in fact be redesigned. Crucially, Apple has been giving away 8GB Touches to students buying Macs, and talk has circulated of the company ramping down current-generation production.
The basic MacBook is said to be long overdue for a redesign, according to Piper, as it has had the same general layout since its debut two years ago; the MacBook Pro is said to be in worse shape still, having held the same design for two and a half years, while still resembling the even older PowerBook G4. In the case of the regular MacBook, Piper says that Apple may attempt to bring the price to the psychologically important $999 barrier.
Investors interested in exploiting a September announcement are reminded that during the last three years, stock has risen an average of 4 percent between the week before an event and the week after. The greatest growth occurs on a longer scale, rising 47 percent between the week before and four months afterwards.