Apple Inc’s Q3 Release: 2 Sizes iWatch, Low-cost iMac, iPhone 6 – Analyst Predicts
Apple Inc's third quarter will be a blast with array of new products - 2 sizes of iWatch, 4.7 inch iPhone, low-cost iMac and updates to iPad Airs, iPad minis, Apple TV and MacBooks - according to research notes from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Given these products on the line, Kuo believes that Apple Inc's most important product is the iWatch; not only whether it can boost the market, but most importantly whether Tim Cook will be able to fill Steve Jobs' shoe in terms of game-changing innovations.
"We believe the rumored iWatch will be Apple's most important product this year, carrying much more weight than iPhone 6, as market feedback for the product should reveal whether Apple still has the ability to continue making game-changing products with Tim Cook at the helm," Kuo wrote.
Kuo predicts that if iWatch becomes successful, Apple Inc will be competing with high end fashion brands of mechanical watch in five to ten years time. The most expensive model of iWatch will most likely be priced at several thousand dollars.
Shipments of iWatch is estimated to start by the end of Apple Inc's third quarter attaining as much as 5.5 million units in 2014 up to 30 to 50 million units in 2015.
The iPhone 6, too, will come in two models differentiated by screen sizes - 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch. Both size will be rolled out by fall.
The shipment for the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 is estimated to reach 60 million. Kuo, however, is uncertain of how Apple Inc plans the shipment for the 5.5 inch unit as it will cannibalize the iPad mini.
As for the low-cost iMac, Kuo predicts it will be launch at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference starting June 2.
The low-cost iMac will compete against more affordable device from HP and Lenovo and will give opportunity for Apple to compete in emerging markets like China.
Kuo thinks that low-cost iMac will augment iMac overall shipments by 23 per cent with 4.8 million units.
Update for Apple TV will include an integrated motion control technology. However, the much awaited iTV will not be launch for 2014.
"Considering the high cost involved in creating a TV supply chain, we don't expect the iTV to debut before the TV ecosystem improves," Kuo wrote.
The shipments for updated Apple TV will reach up to 1.8 million units for the third quarter and 2.5 million streaming devices by the holiday quarter.