“Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes asserts that Apple is likely to broaden its iPhone line with a low-end model, but not until calendar Q3 2009 at the earliest,” Eric Savitz reports for Barron’s.
“Reitzes also asserted that it ‘makes complete sense’ for the company to introduce an ultra-portable device to fill the price gap between the $399 high-end iPod Touch and the $999 MacBook. ‘This $600 gap needs to be filled and we think it can be with a premium ultra-portable device using multi-touch technology,’ he writes. ‘We believe an ultra-portable can be done right by Apple and do not believe the company wants to follow the netbook model, trying to pack full PC functionality into a something small and cheap. Apple, in our view, would only introduce a premium product that doesn’t dilute its brand,'” Savitz reports.
“Reitzes imagines a touchscreen tablet capable of video chat, with a front-facing iSight camera, and the ability to view documents and perhaps access more Apple software and content via MobileMe or ‘the cloud.’ He thinks such a product would be ‘perfect’ for partnering with wireless carriers “who can even subsidize the product.’ Concludes Reitzes: ‘Net net, Apple needs to fill a gap in terms of price and its current $600 gap is mysterious,'” Savitz reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brian B.” for the heads up.]
Nothing to see here, folks.
And for how long have we been hearing people predicting this?
Can somebody tell me where I parked my flying car?
LOL! Sand castles in the air….
And then they’ll crap all over Apple at the end of the quarter when this imaginary device doesn’t appear. LOL!
The ‘analysts’ think we should alter our flawless business model and build a 99 cent netbook. Where the f**k do these assholes come from? Why do they want us to fail so badly?
Steve said they don’t know how to make a computer for $500 that isn’t crap. So they can make a $600 tablet that isn’t crap? I hope so! It would be cool to have a 7-8 inch touchscreen tablet.
Worthless analyst guesswork, just looking for some cheap publicity. They read our blog comments for material.
And the linking of the tablet format to the price point is silly, as tablets have very specific uses that have nothing to do with price.
roll the dice baby! roll the dice and maybe you’ll strike it big!
going to be funny as hell when he is right to come back and read these posts……
shame it isn’t sooner, guess i will just have to get the Air.
WOW – Why do these analysts keep wishing for these craptastic products! The always expect Apple to drop cheap crap on the market. How do these douchebags keep their jobs!!!!
“Apple needs to fill a gap in terms of price and its current $600 gap is mysterious”
This is know as the Mac Mini. End of discussion.
I think Ben has a gap that needs filling!
@ Mr. Reeee
Since you are just a chalk outline on the pavement by Victory Square ….
No Flying Car for you!
Should ANYBODY, I mean ANYBODY be giving Apple business advice at this point?
Anyone? Beuller? Anyone?
If Apple comes up with a portable tablet-like device, it won’t be $600 and it won’t have phone functionality. Can you imagine people walking around holding a 6 inch square tablet up to their ear?! Ha! (I know, headphones, but it’s a funnier picture w/o them).
Apple won’t introduce a “low end” iPhone, either. Which functions would you remove, and how would you operate it w/o the touch screen? Or a half-size touch screen? The iPhone is only $199; if you can’t afford that, you need to just get a free RAZR. Cheap, free or even $50 phones are seen as disposable and not very valuable, so a cheap/free iPhone does nothing but damage Apple’s brand.
Apple will have a new Mac Mini. Apple’s sold too many of them not to revamp the lineup. It just isn’t ready yet.
I though the mini filled the $600 price slot?
The problem with the new Mac mini that Johnie iPod wants to carve it out of a solid block of Aluminum.
The bad news is, to sell it for $600 it will have come with no CPU chip. The good news is you can pop in a Quad core super chip for just $1000 more.
The DIY weenies are wetting themselves right about now.
MacBook – with a capital “B”.
It seems to me that there could be some potential in a mid-sized handheld unit. I’m picturing a 5″ to 7″ multi-touch screen in a tablet form factor – sort of a scaled up iPhone. I would include a flip-out stand on the back so that you could set it on a table to watch videos, teleconference, etc. in portrait or landscape mode. A flip open display cover could possibly double at this stand. If you make this the right scale, it might be possible to include some type of deployable keyboard – flexible and/or folding, so that you could do some rudimentary typing while this device is sitting on a table. An iPhone-like virtual keyboard would also be available, of course.
Why is everyone so sour on this. Admittedly it wouldn’t fit into a pocket. But it might bridge the gap between iPhone and laptop more effectively than a netbook.
Didn’t Mr. Steve just say in his last conference that they hadn’t perfected the technology. You think he could perfect it, design it and manufacture it but January when the last conference was October!
The chant grows louder for the iTablet!
I’m 48, eyesight just ain’t what it used to be. Demographically, it would be smart to sell a bigger device than the iPhone for the aging population which is the largest and fastest-growing in the USA.
A 7-8″ ultra smooth tablet would be much easier to read, play games, browse, etc than the iPhone.
I would buy the iTablet as soon as it came out, especially if it had a phone, better camera, video, and speaker phone in it. Copy n paste, voice dictation, etc.
In fact, I am so sure this would be a perfect product that I have not yet bought an iPhone because I want the iTablet.
The iTablet would accompany me absolutely everywhere … really want it!
Sounds like you guys just need to tether your MacBooks to ATT.
Net net!