A new report out from KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo includes some interesting details about Apple’s planned fall product releases. Firstly, Kuo expects iPhone shipments to fall in the current quarter as anticipation builds for the new iPhone dubbed the ‘iPhone 6s’, although apparently ‘Force Touch yields are low’ which may constrict availability at the beginning. For Apple Watch, following a report earlier in the year to expect new materials for Apple Watch casings, Kuo claims Apple will launch new Apple Watch Sport color options to match the new iPhone.
This includes anodizing aluminum in either yellow gold or rose gold to match the gold options on the iPhone 6s and create a faux-Edition Sport model. Third-party coating services already exist for the Apple Watch (pictured above), but Apple’s additions would seemingly be for the aluminum, not steel models. KGI believes Apple shipped a “tepid” 3.9 million Apple Watch units to date.
There is also news of a new iPad mini covered in KGI’s report, as well as sales estimates for all of Apple’s products ahead of the earnings calls on Tuesday.
The new iPad mini will essentially be a smaller version of the iPad Air 2, with additional improvements to thinness and lightness as well as updated internals. KGI does not mention anything about new iterations of the iPad Air 2 or rumored iPad Pro but he also does not say explicitly updates announcements for these products are not on the way unlike some other rumors suggested.
In terms of Apple’s overall performance, KGI predicts sales of 54.2 million iPhones, 8.8 million iPads, 5.4 million Macs and 3.9 million Apple Watches for the fiscal quarter to be announced on Tuesday. Year-on-year iPad sales are once again down about 30% according to this report. Kuo says China was a key area of growth for the iPhone number.
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I’m confused. I remember Jony Ive being proud that the Watch is true to its materials. It would be contradictory to see new aluminum Watches in gold color. Although the champagne gold color of iPhones, iPads and the Macbook is significantly different from the yellow and rose gold colors of the Edition, Apple still calls it the “gold” color option.
Ideally, I’d love to see them respect the materials a little more. Let iPhones and iPads be the color MacBooks have had for years: aluminum and (black) glass. There is no such color combination for iPhones and iPads right now, only space grey/black or aluminum/white. Want some color? That’s what plastic is ideal for (iPhone 5c). Want gold? That’s what real gold is for (Watch Edition). Fake gold and pink (!) aluminum? Give me a break.
So iPhones, iPads and Macs should only be silver and black? Isn’t that a bit boring? I’m not convinced we’ll see a gold colored Sport Watch but the gold MacBook is incredibly beautiful and sexy IMO.
I think those make sense because there aren’t actual solid gold versions of iPhones and Macbooks for sale. I don’t see Apple selling both anodized gold aluminum models and $10k+ solid gold models of the same product.
More anodized aluminum colors could definitely be a thing though, maybe blue and pink like the new iPod colors?
So what color should the sport model be? Seems you would agree that it shouldn’t be “silver” out of respect for the previous metal of the same name.
I really wish they could just find a happy median between the size of an iPhone and the iPad mini and just replace the iPod touch. The touch and the iPad mini seem to have the same customer base.
That’s not true – I know lots of people who get an iPad Mini because they mainly use it to read (books, articles, newspapers etc.), and so the size is perfect. That’s a completely different use-case to an iPod Touch, which is sold mainly to people who don’t have an iPhone. In contrast, most (almost all) of the people I know who have an iPad Mini, also have an iPhone.
Everyone I know who has an iPad mini uses it as a kids device for movies, games, and books. Either way, 6.5-7 inch “iPod” would do everything you mentioned just as well as the current 7.9inch.
A 7″ iPod/iPad hybrid would arguably be too large to replace the iPod as a device currently aimed at portable music listening. Imagine people trying to jog with that monstrosity on them?
Agreed. If you are saying an iPod is simply a mobile music player still, I would imagine a huge push by Apple to make the Apple Watch the new “iPod” then. At this point, personally the iPod needs to reinvent itself to continue to stay relevant as time goes on. If they continue this route of its a mobile music player that also does this other stuff, it will continue to loose sales to a device that does everything including music.
No mention of a new 9.7″ iPad, because it is supposed to come out in the spring. Apple is focusing on the mini and iPad pro this fall.