“If one visit to Apple Park and Steve Jobs Theater wasn’t enough fun for journalists this year, they may be getting a second opportunity to visit in November,” Mark Reschke writes for TGAAP.
“Apple’s first Steve Jobs Theater event left some wanting more. The Apple Visitor Center wasn’t quite ready for, well, visitors, and the ground are still not completed,” Reschke writes. “On the product side, Apple still has more to reveal before the year is over.”
“During Apple’s world-wide developers conference (WWDC) this past June, Apple announced HomePod. This diminutive little super speaker/home assistant is slated to be released before year’s end. At the WWDC Apple also announced iMac Pro, which the company has committed to a December launch,” Reschke writes. “It makes all the sense in the world for Apple to hold a special event for such large scale and impactful products. Getting these products in the hands of the media, just before the black Friday weekend – the importance can’t be overstated.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: While we’d love a November Apple event to showcase HomePod and the iMac Pro, we can see Apple announcing pre-orders and availability dates via press release as well.
With HomePod, in particular, there’s a lot more in depth Apple could do to sell the product vis a vis demos and explanations of the technology as it relates to sound quality, home automation, Siri improvements, etc.
I KNOW it would never happen but would love for Apple to buy Sonos and integrate Homepod, Airplay 2, into the Sonos eco system. I LOVE my SONOS gear but I feel a Kluge coming on with Homepod, Amazon Echo, Google Home. SONOS is a very slow deliberate company and I think trying to support all these technologies may be a bridge too far for them.
Nah, the bridge is not too far. They’re only going to Remagen.
you’ve reminded me of two entertaining war movies. Perhaps dated today but loved them as a kid
I wasn’t sure if anyone else on MDN would have any idea to what I was referring!
Interestingly it’s on TV here tonight … Well A Bridge To Far is anyway.
Here’s the deal: Apple does not enter a market to be a player, they enter to dominate it.
But let’s define dominate in Apple’s terms: Grab whatever % is required in a given market which derives 90%+ of that markets profits.
Over time the results are:
– Competition starts en mass
– Competion dwindles as profits are hard to find
– Only a few competitors remain and the solutions are second-rate and limps along as if stuck in purgatory.
Markets Apple has done this? I’m every one they choose to play in:
– Computers
– iPod
– iPhone
– iPad
– Apple Watch
– Headphones = AirPods/Beats
Next up: HomePod
The lone exception?
Answer: Apple TV
Why?
Answer: Eddy Cue
Any questions?
By your definition of “dominate” Apple has never dominated in computers. Not in the exclusive Apple (I, ][, and variants) era. Not in the combined Apple era (combined Mac and Apple variants). Not even at Apple’s peak market share period. (There was a short period back in 1990 when Apple’s total computer market share was, for one quarter, 19.2% when taking into account all the Apple and Mac variants being sold by Apple.)
I also doubt that Apple sucks up 90% of the market’s profits for Apple Watch or Headphones.
So, for quite a while, your definition held for iPod. It held for a short while on iPad. It holds now, and has held for some time, for iPhone. It may hold at some time in the future for HomePod, but that is unlikely.
You shouldn’t lay 100% of the AppleTV issue at Eddy Cue’s feet. The vast majority of it, yes, but not all. Part of the problem was, and continues to be, that it was labelled a “hobby” by Steve Jobs. It has not gotten 100% away from that mindset. It has never taken on the aura of a flagship product.
While Apple doesn’t normally gather up 90 percent of profits (although they’re close to that in smartphones) the point is still a good one. Apple does tend to dominate profits in the markets they enter. Even in PCs, Apple has been taking around half the industry profits, which is astonishing given their market share. Apple doesn’t play for market share, they practice segmentation and gather up the best customers (which is normally a small percentage of the total market).
Mac mini
Hey this is Eddy Cue
What’s your problem with me pussycat!!
The AppleTV has potential to be great. If Apple would start a streaming video service with all the movies and Tv shows they offer it could dominate the market. Maybe even Apple Music subscribers could receive a movie or 2 a month. Apple really needs to have their own video subscription.
The only solution to this is for Apple to throw billions of dollars down the Hollywood sewer to get the movie and TV rights. They could do it, but why should they unless they’re making a healthy profit? The problem in every article about Apple negotiations with media companies is that they can’t agree on the $$. Honestly I don’t think Apple should budge, let Hollywood come begging to them as their franchises continue to tank and their brand drops to single digit popularity like Congress.
I don’t see it as they have already announced and previewed these 2 products. The only way I see an event sneaking in is if they are ready to give us a peak under the hood of the new Mac Pro. I think this would be something pros may want to see to make an informed decision on going iMac Pro or Mac Pro for 2018.
The purpose of a formal announcement would be two fold.
1) It would give the chance to definitively and with a bit of public fanfare get the word out promptly the pre-order dates and the shipping dates for the HomePod and the iMac Pro.
2) It would allow Apple to showcase features and capabilities of each product with journalists being able to do limited hands on use of each after the announcement. This would radically up the number of articles and the level of enthusiasm in the tech new industry.
If Apple just sends out notices online and calls industry analysts in order to announce these two, the resulting response will be a small fraction of what an announcement event would generate.
Plus, as you say, it could allow Apple to do a preview of the upcoming Mac Pro. I doubt Apple would do that, but Apple could put higher end pros a little at ease if Apple were to pre announce something stunning. The downside is the chance that Apple would not announce something stunning. If Apple were to pre announce a new Mac Pro based upon something other than leading edge technologies the tech industry will crucify Apple. The new Mac Pro would be dead before the first one shipped.
Well,
on October 16th 2017
the MacMini hits the 3 year Mark without an Update.
The iMacPro could become a similar dud like the Cylinder MacPro, because you can’t upgrade it as easy as the Aluminium “CheeseGrater” Mac Pro.
AppleTV requires a Browser,
to become a better replacement for a HomeTheatre Console.
iPod touch requires an Update & I am fine if we get only every 2 years an internal refresh, but that Device does a lot in Hospitality & Food Service Industry along with the iPad (Mini).
And if they buy Sonos, the iPod touch could continue to be a Replacement Controller for your HomePod/Sonos Set-up with SIRI.
A mac mini should get annual updates for its lavish price. I am tired of waiting.
Apple doesn’t seem interested in updating the MacMini and they don’t want to allow users to upgrade it themselves. That is very shallow thinking on Apple’s part. I honestly don’t see why they have no interest in all in the MacMini. If it’s because the MacMini isn’t a profitable line then they’re just being greedy. Give consumers at least one Apple product that’s low-cost or loss-leading. Apple can surely afford that much.
Letting HP design a better mini-desktop-style computer is just plain disappointing. I’d like to blame Jony Ive but I’m not sure who to blame at Apple for not keeping the MacMini up-to-date.
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