Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts

Apple's next Mac OS X update, Mountain Lion, is just around the corner. However is this OS update worth the fuss or upgrade? We expect the price to be $29 USD, like it was for Snow Leopard and Lion. We also expect it will be easy to download and install via the Mac App Store. We also don't see any big technology changes (32bit to 64 bit, PowerPC to Intel, removal of Rosetta, etc), so compatibility with apps that run in Lion shouldn't be a big deal either.

It is a given that on next Wednesday, March 7th, Apple will reveal the iPad 3. What's not a given is what will happen next. My colleague has written a nice article about how the iPad 2 will probably show up in the $399 price range, yet the mystery beyond March 7th lingers. Apple is good at that. Fortunately, T-GAAP has some hints as to what Apple's roadmap is likely to follow.

Apple will officially announce the iPad 3 on March 7. This new iPad will have a retina display and faster quad core processor. With the Retina, the iPad will have the capability of displaying 1080p videos and movies.

The Apple TV is one of the best accessories for the iPad. It can mirror the iPad display onto a much larger screen. This is great for watching movies, sports, pictures, games, and presentations. While the current Apple TV should be able to mirror the iPad 3, it will not look as good since the Apple TV only displays 720p. That may change on March 7.

Lawsuits notwithstanding, earlier this week Samsung took a few shots at Apple, with a tone that could only be described as defensively whiny, conjuring up images of a certain Star Wars character (must I mention Mark Hamill?...). Samsung appears to be in very vulnerable in the TV space, as Product Manager Chris "Skywalker" Moseley stated at their Prague forum:

The iPod accessory market is huge and very profitable. Most of the market is based on the docking connector or cable. Those docking stations were nice when it was an iPod. Now, as the iPhones replace iPods, that same connector is a pain because users do not want to leave their phone in one spot.

That is all changing with the release of AirPlay and Bluetooth 4.0. These two technologies will make manufacturers very happy, as users replace their old docking station setups with new wireless versions.

Netflix has been a huge streaming success story and has been the chief rival to Apple's so-called hobby, Apple TV. But everything may be about to change. According to Barrons report, Verizon is setting its sites on acquiring Netflix or perhaps even Coinstar (which owns the DVD RedBox rental kiosk business). Verizon acquiring either would be a boon for Apple, as the takeover would likely occur in the timeframe Apple launches its own HDTV with integrated offerings.

Nielson Reports issued shocking numbers yesterday: TV ownership is set to decline for the first time since 1970, which marks the first time since Nielson started tracking this data. An initial reaction would be to blame the economy for such a depressing year in television sales. However, get beyond the simple reasons for the decline and a different story emerges. And with that different story, Apple is set to enter a market that isn't in decline, but in transformation mode. Apple is once again skating to where the puck is going to be, not where it is.

Start the countdown, because the next TV you are likely to buy, or want to buy, is going to be made by Apple. And it isn't just because this TV has some elegant design and brilliant looking screen, it'll be because the interface and content that comes right out of the box, and the way in which you control it, is going to blow you away.

Jobs Says So
The question isn't if, it's just a matter of when Apple's holistic television solution will arrive. Steve Jobs said as much in his autobiography, and his "I finally cracked it" comment and additional color on the topic, may be the only time during Jobs reign at Apple that he leaked a single grain of data about a forthcoming product. Don't think this is Jobs throwing in the towel or not caring because he was leaving us. On the contrary, this is perfect Steve Jobs start-the-hype stuff. It's all about the mystery and creating a pent-up demand for something we don't know we even want – yet. Jobs delivered a glimpse into Pandora's box, but since he's gone, we can't dig deeper, and since it didn't officially come from Apple don't count on Cook and company rapping eloquently about this any time soon.

It happened to me again yesterday morning. I was giving a presentation at a conference on the subject of e-mail marketing. There was an HDTV in the room and I couldn't use it. Instead I used the projector provided by the conference. Why couldn't I use the HDTV? Cords.

Like Steve Jobs was, I consider myself very particular about presentations. How I look when giving a Keynote means as much as the quality of the content. If the messenger gets in the way of the message, the message falls on deaf ears because of distractions the messenger creates. For example, all the other presenters at this conference were using PC's and Powerpoint. As expected, their slides were boring, full of words and just plain awful. Each new slide was more of the same — lots of text, a poor graphics and then someone yammering for time to eternity about all the words... Wake me up when it's over.

Is Apple going all-out in an effort to acquire the type of contracts that will set their Apple TV and forthcoming HDTV sales on fire? Likely so.