Apple's Masterplan?

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The iMacs and the Mac mini were originally going to be unveiled by Steve at Macworld. It became apparent that Steve wasn't going to be able to deliver the show due to ill health so they decided to downgrade the event, issue a press release to this effect (they don't need Macworld) and get Phil to unveil iWork and iLife earlier than they wanted to (thus the end of Jan ship date). The 17" MacBook Pro was a given anyway based on previous 17" addition cycles. When in the history of Macworld or any previous keynote have they spent more then 20 seconds of time discussing iWork... I mean come on.

It was apparent that they would need to start the process of 'progressively' introducing the idea of Steve's situation to the press so they kicked off with a 'yes things aren't great but it's fixable' e-mail. One week later and this new addition that seems to suggest that things have gotten more complicated in the 'last week'... and cue the reason for the delay of the hardware announcements. They were deliberately held back, along with some 'special' new product to soften the blow when they delivered round 2 of the progressive health updates with Steve's leave. This has been Apple's plan all along. The stock, shareholders and confidence will take a tanking on Steve's new health scare BUT they have a series of product announcements 'ready to roll' that are designed to draw the attention away from the situation and confirm that it's business as usual. Confidence will return slightly and just in time to show Apple's quality hardware offerings to this cash-strapped depressed economy in the form of a good spec entry mac (the Mac mini) and the good old trusty consumer desktop, the iMac.

The iMac and Mac mini will be announced and ship in the next 2-3 weeks (3rd or 10th February).

The iMac will see a slight form factor change to reflect the styling of the latest 24" LED display. Tapered base stand and the 'reduction/removal' of the 'chin' with special cooling inside the iMac, allowing them to further reduce the form factor.

The Nehelam MacPro will be announced in April and ship in May. This will be announced alongside the introduction of a 20" and 30" LED display. True to the MacBook Pro, the displays will be glossy/glass EXCEPT for the 30", which will be available in a matte option (much like the design of the 17" MacBook Pro). This ensures extra cash from the pros, who will be effectively forced into the premium model like the 17" MacBook Pro.

 

[MacTraveller]

Que?

 

[Patillac]

This is all plausible from a business strategy point of view. I guarantee Jobs and the Board of Directors have (and have had for some time now) a plan in place that will ensure long-term sustainability. Not to mention, when your a publicly traded company, and you KNOW your stocks about to take a hit, your going to make damn sure you have a safety net in place.

November '08: Maybe Jobs gets the bad news re: his health
December '08: Downplay MWSF, announce health update
MWSF: Announce NOTHING major, or at least nothing to make the stock jump way up, or drop way down for that matter
Shortly after MW: Announce Jobs' leave of abscence
(AAPL anticipates stock will take a hit)
Feb '09: Announce new lineup
(AAPL anticipates stock will start to rebound)

June '09: Here's hoping that Steve (and AAPL) are BOTH at 110% health!!

Conspiracy Theory? Maybe. Logical business strategy? Probably. What do I know about corporate management? Probably not much, but maybe a little

Here's to a speedy recovery Steve-O!!

 

[bobfitz14]

This is all plausible from a business strategy point of view. I guarantee Jobs and the Board of Directors have (and have had for some time now) a plan in place that will ensure long-term sustainability. Not to mention, when your a publicly traded company, and you KNOW your stocks about to take a hit, your going to make damn sure you have a safety net in place.

November '08: Maybe Jobs gets the bad news re: his health
December '08: Downplay MWSF, announce health update
MWSF: Announce NOTHING major, or at least nothing to make the stock jump way up, or drop way down for that matter
Shortly after MW: Announce Jobs' leave of abscence
(AAPL anticipates stock will take a hit)
Feb '09: Announce new lineup
(AAPL anticipates stock will start to rebound)

June '09: Here's hoping that Steve (and AAPL) are BOTH at 110% health!!

Conspiracy Theory? Maybe. Logical business strategy? Probably. What do I know about corporate management? Probably not much, but maybe a little

Here's to a speedy recovery Steve-O!!

yes, Apple (hopefully) is aware that their stocks are going to take a hit when we (consumers) hear of bad news so they should think of ways or already have plans that will help them regain their strength, and the whole new lineup in Feb 09 isn't such a bad idea economically wise, because many people are anxious about a new line up of iMacs and Mac Mini's and whatnot.

as with your post, is the theory logical, in my opinion yes. then again, i am only in high school and i do not plan on majoring in business strategies/corporate management.


please note i did not read the first postsorry OP

 

[Theophany]

Announcing new products will not see a massive rise in AAPL. Definitely nowhere near the $200 mark it was trading at last year, I think a more conservative estimate of $100 is at the upper-bound of reasonability.

Any new products announced between now and Steve's return will have been conceptualised, designed and entered production whilst an albeit unwell Steve was at the helm. Don't forget that the majority of Wall St. and the NYSE is run by pros, not peons in suburbia with a modest portfolio in stock. Anybody familiar with Apple's company profile will be aware of this and take action nowhere near as enthusiastically as they did following the iPhone's announcement.

Plus, times is tough despite what retards who are so clearly divorced from reality think.

Otherwise, your thinking is perfectly logical from a perspective of managing an 'Inc.' company.

 

[coupdetat]

Apple has definitely ****ed with their stockholders' confidence. Revealing nothing at MacWorld with no hints of future releases, then dropping the bomb of Jobs' condition with little forewarning is a really bad idea. I guess Apple thinks they can do whatever they want, huh?

That said, Jobs' health is priority number one. Lets all pray for this guy who revolutionized our world!

 

[Patillac]

, i am only in high school and i do not plan on majoring in business strategies/corporate management.

My advice, take some type of business course(s) once you get to college. You don't have to major in it, of course, but having some background knowledge (or at least understanding the business language) will help you in WHATEVER career/industry you end up. If your a freelance graphic designer or independent software developer, having the business sense and being able to interact with people in the business world (who will likely only understand profit margins and bottom-lines) will be key to your survival.

Sorry, just my 2 cents on education Enjoy college, it's a great time!!

 

[bobfitz14]

My advice, take some type of business course(s) once you get to college. You don't have to major in it, of course, but having some background knowledge (or at least understanding the business language) will help you in WHATEVER career/industry you end up. If your a freelance graphic designer or independent software developer, having the business sense and being able to interact with people in the business world (who will likely only understand profit margins and bottom-lines) will be key to your survival.

Sorry, just my 2 cents on education Enjoy college, it's a great time!!

it doesn't really seem like a bad idea to take a class to get a little business background so at least what i say will have a little reasoning behind it.


and i believe i will enjoy college haha