Apple’s upcoming 2010 Worldwide Developer Conference, starting June 7 in San Francisco, is a bit like celebrating Christmas Day after already knowing what will be under the tree. Yes, CEO Steve Jobs will deliver a keynote address, but otherwise, there is “little room for surprise,” a prominent Apple analyst said Wednesday.
With talk of the upcoming next-generation iPhone splashed across blogs and television newscasts like some messy Hollywood divorce, all that’s left for Apple to do is fill in the details. The handset will likely have a front-facing camera useful for video conferencing, longer battery life and thinner design, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster told investors. Munster calls the WWDC a “non-event” for Apple stock.
Although speculation over when Verizon will start selling iPhones has reached a near fever pitch, Munster is advising clients think long-term.
“We believe that it is unlikely that the next generation iPhone will be available at Verizon (or Sprint) at launch; rather, it it more likely that it remains exclusively available at AT&T in the U.S. at launch,” writes Munster.
After speculation that Verizon would gain a foothold in iPhone sales this year died down, a rumor floated earlier this month seemed to reignite passions. A Crunchgear report intimated that the carrier would receive the nod this September. Soon afterwards, a report suggested a Taiwan component maker was producing a CDMA iPhone.
AT&T fueled speculation, first commenting that changing carriers might retain iPhone owners, then nearly doubling the early-termination fee for smartphone users. Tuesday, an analyst told investors AT&T could lose up to 40 percent of its iPhone owners if Verizon entered the picture.
Apple won’t be able to offer a lower-priced iPhone as a surprise. Munster said Apple could unveil a $99 iPhone by either introducing a newer device or replacing the low-end iPhone 3G with a sub-$100 iPhone 3Gs. That move was also telegraphed before Jobs’ took the WWDC stage. Tuesday, retail giant Walmart announced it would cut the price for a 16GB iPhone 3Gs to $97. The well-connected Boy Genius Report blog also reported that Apple had stopped shipping the iPhone 3G to AT&T stores, suggesting the Cupertino, Calif. company would replace the 3G with the 3Gs as the new low-end handset.
[via AppleInsider]
