“Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster seems pretty certain that Steve Jobs himself will introduce a new line of iPods next week,” Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune.
“Investors, Munster says, are not likely to be impressed with new iPod nanos, iPod classic and iPod touches re-designed with cameras because ‘as iPod growth slows … the segment becomes less of an investable theme,'” Elmer-DeWitt reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Poor iPod touch, now even the analysts are forgetting about you! As Elmer-DeWitt rightly points out parenthetically, “That may be true of the classic and the nanos, but sales of iPod touches grew 130% last quarter year over year.”
Elmer-DeWitt continues, “Jobs’ return, however, is likely to be greeted by the Street as ‘a slight positive’ for Apple’s shares — ‘the first public confirmation of Jobs’ health since his return to the company,’ according to Munster. Jobs last appearance at an Apple event was on Oct. 14, 2008.”
Full article here.
On the other hand, Katie Marsal reports for AppleInsider, “Analyst Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. released a note to investors Tuesday morning in which he predicted that Jobs will not personally unveil new iPods.”
“Wu, however, believes the keynote will be delivered by Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.”
Full article here.
Long live Jobs, and may he be able to wow us once again!
“Investors, Munster says, are not likely to be impressed …”
Since when has Apple cared or been dictated by what “investors” think?
This idiot is just writing this, so when Steve doesn’t show that stock can tank…
I think Jobs should come on out on stage in a fat suit.
Imagine the reaction.
Kidding, by the way on that last post. Which you should know. And which at least one person won’t realize.
Anyone who has followed Gene Munster over the last several years can confirm that he has been an Apple champion throughout, and most often right on the money. Here and there, he may have failed in his predictions, but generally, you could never say that he was deliberately trying to push AAPL down for any sinister reason.
Analysts have (well-paying) jobs because nobody knows, or understands, how Wall Street works and which way stocks will go next. They pay people who claim to have some insight. Some of those deliver just plain bullshit and are, by sheer luck, accurate more often than not, using that track record to attract more clients. Others, like Munster, actually do legwork and count devices leaving Apple stores to predict sales numbers, etc. All of them are engaged in essentially predicting the future which is, without a properly functioning time machine, inherently a crapshoot.
I hope that if we don’t see SJ on stage that we see him on the screen, either in a live chat with Phil or a recorded segment.
My family now owns three iPod touches with another one due in November (daughter’s birthday). They get an insane amount of use. As a result, the Nintendo Wii and DS lites have seen a lot less use over the past year.
The small iPods are great for exercising. But the iPod touch is great as an all-around device (including entertainment during a car trip) and will continue to sell well, particularly with the addition of a decent camera (one less device to carry on vacation).
My dream iPod touch is basically an iPhone without the phone – just a wireless data plan at a reasonable price. I would like to see it in two form factors, the current pocketable 3.5″ screen and something in the range of 5″ to 7″ in widescreen HD720.
I expect Steve waits for a January keynote and has a “plumping up” regimen at this moment.
original ipod touch, best $300 bucks i ever spent