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Next-Generation iOS Device Rumors: New iPods Soon, Smaller iPad and iPhone 5 in Early 2011?

Here's my current three-day wild guess on what we'll see in September 2010:

iPod shuffle--no changes except maybe more color choices.

iPod nano--same height and width, but "thicker" to accommodate bigger battery for 36-40 hours battery life per charge playing audio. Storage capacity now at 16 GB and 32 GB.

iPod classic--same physical shape, but now with bigger and higher resolution screen in 16:10 aspect ratio with smaller Click Wheel interface. The display interface will be the same as on the 4G/5G iPod nano. Storage capacity will remain the same at 160 GB with single-platter hard drive.

iPod touch--same physical shape and form factor as current iPod touch, but now incorporates innards from iPhone 4 (minus cellphone functionality), a 3 megapixel camera, and storage capacities of 32, 64 and 128 GB.

Personally, I would love to see Apple drop the shuffle altogether and introduce an iPod nano classic, where it looks like a reduced-height 2G iPod nano, complete with click wheel interface and the iPod nano 2G's LCD display. Apple will use the shuffle's headphone with the in-line controls, and sell the 4 GB for model for US$69 and the 8 GB model for US$89.
 
cvaldes said:
In an Apple rumors forum?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

You are deranged if you require people to back up their speculative comments with hard facts in a RUMORS site.

If you want fact, why don't you read SEC filings? Maybe you won't find and additional truthfulness there, but at least you won't be surfing a site that has "rumors" in the URL. The primary modicum of my post was to comment that people can make "intelligent" guesses, not random B.S. shots-in-the-dark.

If you don't understand this, you need help. Desperately.
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Wow. I must of upset a nerve. Truth must sting.
 
Gaki said:
Boy, you're just swimming with rank generalizations, here. You need to take some of your own advice and just quit while you're behind.

First off, you need to realize that 3.5 million unit sales is absolutely ZIP on a world scale. There's 330 million people in the US, 501 million people in the EU, 127 million people in Japan, 33 million people in Canada, 25 million people in Australia, and 48 million people in South Korea. That covers the big markets for tech in the world and leaves an absolutely staggering number of people who still don't have iPads. Even if only 1 person in 10 in those countries is actually a potential iPad customer, that still leaves roughly, oh, 99% of the potential customers without an iPad in their hands.

Don't for a second think that you speak for all those people when you state that no one wants a 7" model. You don't know jack about potential iPad customers one state over, let alone across the world in a totally different culture and city. Ever been to the Akihabara technology district in Toyko? The 10" iPad is a total behemoth in that world of miniaturized cell phones, cameras and notebooks. Just in Japan alone Apple might easily get enough sales of a 7" model alone to justify production. Add South Korea to the mix and sales of a 7" model over there might easily pass the 10" model in the good old US of A. Texans aren't the only ones with dollars to spend and opinions on tablet PCs, bucko.
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I understand that in the grand scheme of things 3.5 million is a grain of sand compared to the population of this earth. However the initial poster stated that price was holding people back from adopting this device. My point was simply that Apple has sold every iPad made and currently struggling with supply and demand problems so apparently price is not an issue. Who knows how many more Apple could potentially sell when they're already having a hard time keeping up with demand as is. Prior to release Apple stated their price point was flexible if demand for the iPad was small. I don't think that will be neccesarry.

As for the 7" iPad rumors. I don't know exactly what the consumer wants any more than the OP but he stated his opinion as fact and all others as fallacy. My point is that it's unfair to do so when no one really knows.
 
Starfires said:
3.5 million isn't all that many compared to the iPod. They just aren't making all that many- they themselves admitted it has been more of a success than they anticipated. Now a 7-inch, more portable version, with retina screen... that might really catch on and be the kind of thing you see everywhere.
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I hate to double post so sorry for that but how many first gen iPods and iPhones did apple sell this far into release?
 
Guys.. Call down! A new iPhone will not happen in January. Seriously, half of the world would be pissed. The only thing I could see happen is that iPhone becomes possible for Verizon users, + white iPhone.

I don't think the Nano will get bigger, and I don't think the original iPod will go touch. iPod touch will probably get a front/back camera, and if we're lucky, 3G.

Jesus, what's wrong with a 7" iPad? It's like saying "What's the point that Macbook Air maybe goes 11.6 inch????!?" It's all about preference. A smaller iPad is a good idea.
 
celo48 said:
Haha true that would be a lie. I am just trying to say within legal limits they do things. To me in this case lying would be telling there is profit when actually there is loss. Not keeping up with the demand is also a part of marketing I think. Have you been to a restaurant and told the wait is 15 mins although there were available tables? Making a crowd in front of the door is always a good thing.

Also I am talking about the iPhone. iPad is another story.
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Actually, they can't keep up with iPad demand. I work for an Apple retailer who sells the iPad, and we can't keep them in stock. Every day we get 10-15 calls from people who can't get iPads at any of the Apple stores in town (there are 3) looking for them, and we almost always have to turn them away or put them on our weeks long wait list.

The iPhone, sure, different story, but I was responding to comments about the iPad in your first post. The iPhone is selling like crazy too, though, more than any previous model, and they're not being returned. 1.6% return rate. No fudging that. 1.6% of the iPhone 4's sold have been returned. Perhaps that doesn't include exchanges where the people kept the new phone, but I wouldn't count those either.

jW
 
If Classic is to be EOL...

I would like to see a bump in capacity with the iPod Touch (128 GB) and possibly a Skin to put it into "Classic Mode." A virtual click wheel if you will. For those that want the slim profile, flash memory, but the ability to scroll through the library "Old School."

Just a thought.
 
Mal said:
The iPhone, sure, different story, but I was responding to comments about the iPad in your first post. The iPhone is selling like crazy too, though, more than any previous model, and they're not being returned. 1.6% return rate. No fudging that. 1.6% of the iPhone 4's sold have been returned. Perhaps that doesn't include exchanges where the people kept the new phone, but I wouldn't count those either.

jW
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I would guess that most people here have Iphones and Macs etc so I dont think they are trying to "diss" Apple. On the other hand Apple cant mess around with their clients because they have Android, MS 7 phone, Meego on their heals. I totally believe that Android phones will catch Iphones in less than the two years predicted by most analysts (in total sales). Its a great looking phone OS and much more configurable and adult than Iphones. If they do mess around with the Iphone 4 in January i am sure that most Iphone 4 users will not be very happy with Apple.

Chip away the good will here and there and when its needed there will be none left to give.
 
Hexero said:
Guys.. Call down! A new iPhone will not happen in January. Seriously, half of the world would be pissed. The only thing I could see happen is that iPhone becomes possible for Verizon users, + white iPhone.
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Pissed about what? Technological progress? Or their own stupidity of buying an inferior product a few months earlier?
 
ChrisTX said:
My point was simply that Apple has sold every iPad made and currently struggling with supply and demand problems so apparently price is not an issue.
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This is a non sequitor. You know it is not an issue for these buyers, because they are out there buying, but the non-buyers are that silent majority, right? Any speculation on why they aren't buying is just that ... speculation. Statistically speaking, there has to be at least some for which price is an objection. How many and whether that is enough people to justify a cheaper model is something we won't know. Apple might, if they've done some market research.

As for the 7" iPad rumors. I don't know exactly what the consumer wants any more than the OP but he stated his opinion as fact and all others as fallacy. My point is that it's unfair to do so when no one really knows.
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All the OP pointed out was that Apple doesn't think like an individual consumer. It thinks in terms of market, and aggregate opinion is what matters to a global corporation, not individual opinion. That wasn't a statement on what consumers want or their buying habits, it was a statement on how Apple's broader scope might very well allow them to see a potential market you might not see because of your limited local experience.

To be fair, you did say:

"No one wants a 7" iPad but you."

That's a pretty sweeping generalization about buying preferences ...
 
iPhone opinion

Hi guys,

I've been thinking a bit about what a lot of you have to say regarding a new iPhone - although I agree that Apple doesn't care either way if they 'piss people off' by releasing a new model in January (since when has Apple cared about its customers?), I don't think they'd be interested in releasing a new product before a full year has passed.

For a start, releasing anything at the beginning of the year, after the Christmas period, generally has a negative effect on sales, as people just don't have the extra cash to spend on a new phone.

Secondly, Apple seem to have worked out a sensible, functioning business model in releasing 1 new version of the iPhone each year, allowing time for each model to circulate, and time for the hype machine to fly into action. I also can't imagine them wanting to create a brand new generation of iPhone after just one year. They've seen that creating the 3GS worked to bridge the gap between the iPhone 3G and 4, and personally I don't see why they would need to change that, meaning that an iPhone 4S in 2011 would be more likely.

Even if this theoretical '4S' only had increased memory, and a faster processor, they could then also 'fix' the antenna, without having to actually admit there was a real problem. However, if they release a new version (ie. white) of the iPhone 4 in January without any changes apart from the antenna, I can imagine that would leave them more open to blame, and the possibility of having to give refunds on old iPhone 4s, as there would then be two versions of the iPhone 4 in circulation, one with a critical, and admitted, design flaw.

Finally, although this depends on the country and provider, considering the trouble that arose on the release of the 3GS, and the amount of people that were tied to 2-year contracts, Apple would have to convince people like AT&T, Vodafone, etc. that there is a positive side to releasing more than one iPhone a year! They might not care about individual customer's opinions, but if Apple have the majority of the world's phone providers on their backs, they might have to think twice!

Anyway, that's my long and boring opinion, I'm off to bed :)
 
I honestly do not think that Apple will release a 7" iPad. Call it a hunch, but it seems like a step in the wrong direction to me.
 
My 2 cents :

1) the iPhone 4 antenna design is not flawed, it’s a trade-off between an overall better reception and some occasions where the reception is worst. A bit like MBP unibody heat management: most of the time my MBP is dead silent, but when the fans do kick in, it makes more noise than all the PC laptops I ever had. The point is that I don’t see a new iPhone released in a hurry because of the antenna (especially when you see how it is selling actually), but rather a complementary bumper case for all new iPhone. The communication from Apple on this issue has been dreadful though.

2) I won’t argue about the need of a 7” iPad but:

2.a - A smaller iPad means a smaller battery and battery life is a key element in the iPad.
2.b - If the only things they change is the screen size, I can’t see how they could sell it low enough to be relevant.
2.c - A 7” 300ppi display seems a bit unrealistic IMHO, especially when you think about the computer and graphic power required to play movies and games at 1080p, and the battery life, and the heat.

3) A 3cm x 3cm touchscreen (which is 1,2”x1,2”) seems a bit too small to be both for control and display as it would be required to for iPod shuffle or nano. My guess is that if there is a new apple TV to be released soon, this thing will need a remote.
 
We need a 7" iPad because it will fit into the side pocket of a lab coat. That opens the market to medical/dental clinics, hospitals, and laboratories of all descriptions. Convenience sells.
 
torbjoern said:
Pissed about what? Technological progress? Or their own stupidity of buying an inferior product a few months earlier?
Click to expand...

You and all the other gloating people who are mocking people for buying the iPhone 4, seem to forget, or don't have the capacity to comprehend one vital fact.

That being that a lot of iPhone 4 owners bought the device on launch day when the "issue" wasn't known about, and on the subsequent days before the "issue" was made public knowledge.

I bought my iPhone 4 the day after launch, there was no mention of antenna problems. So drop the condescending tone towards iPhone 4 owners. Not everyone bought one after the "issue" became public knowledge, yet you blanket case every single iPhone 4 owner with your mockery.

I hope you get the fulfilment in life that you're looking for from "mocking" people who bought a mobile phone. :rolleyes:
 
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