Despite a raft load of nifty new features, Apple’s new Mac notebooks will have a hard time moving off store shelves during the economic crisis, industry analysts say.
"There
will be a lot of people looking at a lot of stuff at the Apple Store,
and they’ll probably come out with [iPod] nanos or shuffles," said Roger Kay, an analyst with Endpoint Technologies. "That’s
what people are going to feel like they’re going to afford this year."
At its special notebook event Tuesday, Apple refreshed its entire notebook line, adding faster processors, multitouch trackpads, aluminum enclosures and NVidia graphics
chipsets. In addition to adding new features, Apple is also making moderate price cuts for the MacBook and MacBook Air. However, analysts say Apple’s price cuts are not enough for the company to remain competitive in the face of a broad financial collapse.
"Out of all the [companies] who
will be under pressure, it will be Apple because the price points are
still significantly higher," ThinkPanmure analyst Vijay Rakesh said in a phone interview.
The entry-point MacBook
dropped from $1,100 to $999; the high-end MacBook Air equipped with a solid
state drive dropped from $2,600 to $2,500, but its standard
configuration offering remained at the same $1,800 price point. The
MacBook Pro prices remained static — with a $2,000 starting point.
Early in the event,
Apple boasted grabbing 39 percent of the notebook market in education,
surpassing Dell, one of its major competitors. Despite the significance
of this figure, it’s unlikely
Apple’s notebook refresh will enable Apple to retain its grip on this
market segment, Rakesh said.
"If you
look at the educational side, the question is, do public school
budgets suffice for next year?" he said.
Just
days before Apple’s notebook event, Rakesh and other analysts — including
Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster and RBC Capitalist’s Michael Abramsky — said they were anticipating a sub-$1,000 notebook from Apple in order
for the corporation to hit its gross margin guidance for the fourth quarter.
Rakesh said Apple’s $999 MacBook was a disappointing entry into the sub-$1,000 category: Most analysts were hoping for Apple to announce an $800 or $900 notebook.
Rakesh added that Apple still has yet to set foot in the netbook market — cheap, low-powered devices designed for internet use that are soaring in popularity. However, in a Q&A session, Steve Jobs said the netbook category is too immature for Apple to enter.
"That’s a nascent market that’s just getting started, and we’ll see how it goes," Jobs said.
Meanwhile in trading, while Apple had gained a record-breaking 13 percent in share prices Monday and Tuesday, the stock deflated 5 percent by the end of the notebook event. However, stock drops have historically been
the case during Apple keynotes, and some are viewing selling stock during product announcements as a trading
strategy for investors.
See also:
- Hands On With the New MacBooks
- Steve Jobs Unveils Newer, Sexier Aluminum MacBooks
- Liveblog: Apple MacBook Event 2008
- Apple Teases New Notebook, Rumored Under $1,000
- Photos: Is This the MacBook ‘Brick’?
- Rumor Says That Apple Brick Will Be A Metal Brick
- Apple’s Brick: A Dual-Screen, Foldable Netbook?
Photo: Apple
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by admin on October 15, 2008
