Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has been one of the most outspoken proponents of the idea that Apple will release their own television, having predicted it for at least the last years every three or four months Now he’s at it again, promising a sub-$2000 Apple HDTV before the end of 2013. That’s not the weirdest thing he’s predicting though: a retina iPad mini by March, and a third-gen by September 2013.
Here’s how Munster sees 2013 playing out, according to Business Insider:
March 2013: iPad Mini with Retina display, update the little Apple TV box, allowing to do accept apps from developers, and some sort of iTunes radio product.
June 2013: WWDC brings us previews of iOS 7, and OSX, as well as MacBook Airs with Retina displays. Look for Jony Ive’s influence over iOS to start showing up here.
September 2013: iPhone 5S, a “modest upgrade” from the iPhone 5. The iPad Mini gets a specs bump, and we get a new iPad, which is totally redesigned to look more like the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini.
November 2013: An Apple TV comes out. It should cost $1,500-$2,000 and come in sizes from 42-inches to 55-inches.
This is a weird product map for a lot of reasons.
Would Apple really release a retina iPad mini just 6 five months after the original went on sale? (If so, expect it to cost $379) Is a MacBook Air with Retina Display even possible next year without a major improvement in chip or battery efficiency? And will Apple really upgrade the iPad mini three times within a single year by releasing the third-generation in September 2013?
Then there’s the Apple HDTV itself. I think it’s obvious that Apple wants to release an HDTV, but at this point, it’s pretty clear that the cable companies aren’t going to let Cupertino into the living room on Apple’s terms. It’s going to take a lot of deals to get an Apple HDTV made… deals Apple doesn’t have in place yet, even by rumor.
Munster, of course, isn’t a soothsayer: he’s there to advise clients on buying or selling Apple stock, not to predict the future with 100% accuracy. Even so, I’d take this all with a grain of salt.
Source: Business Insider
