Apple Update December 3rd-8th

This is my final report. It discusses all important updates and discussions involving Apple Inc. between December 3rd and 8th.

Friday, December 5th

  • A lot of people are talking about whether Apple will introduce a netbook in 2009. Given the poor economy, a netbook would provide a cheaper option to people who can't afford to spend $999 on a basic Macbook.

Instead, Analyst Ezra Gottheil and Technology Business Research (TBR) are confident that Apple will release a computer in the netbook class within the first half of next year, but one that doesn't obey many of the rules dictated by the industry. Like the MacBook Air ultraportable, this future system would be at least as thin and light as others in its category but would potentially have a larger surface area to allow a larger display or more comfortable input.

Crucially, Gottheil also takes to heart Jobs' assertion that $500 systems are typically "junk" and believes that Apple will price the system at $599. The figure would be just low enough to draw customers who would pass over the plastic MacBook but high enough to avoid the risk Apple's co-founder perceives in dropping the price particularly low.

  • Another lawsuit is arising over the performance of Apple's 3G network. James Pittman has filed a lawsuit against Apple in regards to the poor speeds of the iPhone 3G when compared to advertisements.

Apple has been targeted for a number of lawsuits due to the latest iPhone. Recently a 70-year-old resident of San Diego, William Gillis, also brought up accusations against Apple, claiming its 3G did not meet the standards proclaimed in the company’s ads.

Thursday, December 4th

  • To continue the iTunes Store discussion from last week: Recently the Apple Store broke 10,000 applications AND has served over 300 million downloads. Possibly the most amazing feature of the ever-expanding iPhone and iPod line is their ability to incorporate unique multi-media features, such as these applications. Now an iPod does not only play music and surf the web, but offers an incredible amount of unique applications to fit any need! As well, a new study from Forrester Research shows that iTunes has 12.6% of the entire US music market, with 70% of the US digital market share.

The store opened on July 11 of this year and iPhone app developers have already broken into five digits worth of free and pay apps. That was accomplished in less than six months. And the developers wrote those apps all while being subjected to Apple's sometimes draconian approval process. That's pretty impressive.

CNET says Apple analysts had been predicting sales of 18 million to 19 million iPods this season but Wu thinks that will be closer to 21 million, just shy of last year’s 22 million sold during the season.

Wednesday, December 3rd

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