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Apple CFO promises innovation and a pitch on priceThu, 09/04/2008 - 04:13 — Andy Space
CFO Oppenheimer confirmed Apple wants to introduce the iPhone into China, but offered no time scale, ad he reiterated company management's regret Apple didn't delay the launch of MobileMe. "I don't have any announcements today regarding China," Oppenheimer said, "but for those who haven't seen it, we've had three in Russia in the last 24 hours. Couldn't be happier with where we are with iPhone distribution. Oppenheimer's most critical statements - particularly as economists continue to warn of recession - stress the company's move to lower product prices..."We plan to keep offering products at a reasonable margin, but not so high to benefit our competitors," he said, advising that Apple has outgrown maret averages for the last 14-15 quarters, and confirming Apple's 80% market share of consumer notebooks priced above $1,000. Oppenheimer refused to be drawn on any new product launches, beyond saying Apple has 4,000 talented engineers who continue to develop new things, and promising "we're going to rock" at next week's Apple event. Asked about Apple's interest in netbooks, he once again refused to be drawn, saying, "but now, we have lots of great notebooks". He also pointed out that a low dollar exchange rate is advantageous to Apple.. The CFO also noted the continued price fluctuation on SSD, saying "We'll see how competition between solid state and hard drives work out; think it'll be good for us and our customers in the end." iPhone sales are pleasing: "We expect to sell more iPhones in the September quarter than in any prior quarter, " he said. "We're very focused on coming out with state of the art products for customers," he added. Oh - and a message from Apple management to iPhone users...on the device's lack of voice dialling, he remarked: "That's the beauty of our software model. We have a team of people who are working on new innovations; can make them come out for current and new customers. Wouldn't rule anything out...."
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OK, so we all now know that
OK, so we all now know that Apple is in a battle for the Smart phone marketplace. But clearly good old Oppy is talking about something, um, different. What other markets could Apple get into with their existing technology?
1. Handheld gaming. Obviously, Apple is already there with the AppStore and the iPhone & Touch. It may take a little longer for them to start to displace the PSP and the DS. A small investment here may displace the current market leaders, perhaps achievable by simply standardizing on a simple iPhone/Touch gaming peripheral.
2. GPS. Apple now has GPS technology in their hardware. And the current GPS navigator device marketplace is huge. Apple could easily displace the current market leaders, who have clunky-to-use products, with a minimal investment.
3. Satellite Radio. The technology is completely controlled by the owners of the satellite constellation and associated "network". No movement here.
4. Cameras (video and still). This is a vast marketplace that Apple cannot compete within - there are many strong players in this market. Apple will shy away from high-quality video recording for the foreseeable future.
5. Something totally new. Yes, it is possible that Apple will run with a completely new technology, creating a brand new marketplace. But I give that a small chance. Apple's strength is in redefining a market filled with weak players. The Mac, iPod, and iPhone directly completed with major competition. I see that trend continuing, as Apple knows that older companies cannot steer their ship quickly or tactfully.
An Apple branded Iron Man
An Apple branded Iron Man suit is right around the corner. Trust me on this. I have my sources!
Iron Maiden.
Dude, if you're going to use a pop culture reference, the appropriate suit would have been a Batman suit. Iron Man is so last May.
New Opportunity
a large touch. say 7 inches or so would completely take over the market that Kindle is trying to build. In fact the difference between a large touch and a smaller portable iMac would be negligible.
Apple Econ 101
Apple must work to bring lower price point products on to market. They have tried to avoid selling to the low end crowd with good reason. It is more likely that your customers will be idiots at lower price points. But at some point, all the "rich" people will have bought a Mac. Apple must decide if it wants to keep growing or stay the same size. Anyone who has taken econ 101 knows that the customer's perception is more important than the reality of the situation. If a customer will not buy a product at $300 but will at $200, then you should try to sell at the lower price. I have run several businesses and I can tell you that reality doesn't matter in the mind of the consumer.
MacSoftwareList.com
The iPod compares very well
The iPod compares very well to the competition, such as the products by SanDisk and the Zune, in terms of price and features.
The price differences between the different brands are on the order of magnitude of a couple dollars. If Apple lowers its iPod prices substantially, the goal is to vaporize the competition. Competitors will need to react immediately by either dropping prices, adding new features, or leaving the market.
The only odd duck for Apple is the Touch, which strangely competes only with the heavily subsidized, "contract-required" iPhone. Apple could rectify this issue, either by greatly reducing the price tag of the touch (and therefore the entire product line), or by adding crazy new features to the Touch. I suspect a bit of both.
Please explain for the laymen
Please explain for the laymen what a maret average is.
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