“Gizmodo has a three sentence story claiming the iPhone will be announced on Monday, December 18. I can’t claim to have any information on the topic, but I can perhaps shed some light on why Apple might do this (if they do),” Carl Howe writes for Blackfriars’ Marketing.
Howe writes, “…This year, MacWorld and CES are the same week, doubling the normal number of tech stories. And while the week before Christmas is a busy time, there actually aren’t that many tech stories cluttering up the airwaves. The result: doing an announcement the week before Christmas might actually generate more press coverage than an announcement at MacWorld.”
Howe writes, “One more thing: you can bet that Steve Jobs wouldn’t announce iPhone this week if that were the centerpiece of his MacWorld keynote. If iPhone were announced next week, that implies that he has bigger and better things to show at MacWorld.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: For the record, Gizmodo did not state “Monday, December 18” or even mention “Apple.” Brian Lam’s Gizmodo report states in full, including the headline, “Gizmodo Knows: iPhone Will Be Announced On Monday I guarantee it. It isn’t what I expected at all. And I’ve already said too much.”
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Broadcom wins SoC bid in ‘upcoming stealth phone’ coming soon from ‘major consumer device company’ – December 15, 2006
Gizmodo guarantees ‘iPhone’ will be announced on Monday – December 14, 2006
Report: Apple expected to debut ‘iPhone’ – December 14, 2006
Analyst describes Apple ‘iPhone’ featuring metal case in multiple colors with virtual click-wheel – December 14, 2006
UBS analyst: Apple may launch MVNO, serve as own carrier for ‘iPhone’ – December 13, 2006
Apple using ‘iPhone’ as diversion? – December 11, 2006
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Apple ‘iPhone’ could cause Nokia, Palm, Motorola, and RIM to really start to sweat – December 07, 2006
Apple shares fall as CIBC sees ‘iPhone’ release delayed – December 07, 2006
Analyst expects 16GB flash-based Apple iPod video player, 4-8GB flash-based ‘iPhone’ models – December 07, 2006
Prudential: Apple ‘iPhone’ to sport iPod click wheel; video iPod by Q2 – December 06, 2006
RUMOR: Apple’s smart phone project to feature ‘extensive integration with Mac OS X’ – December 05, 2006
Apple begins ‘iPhone’ production – December 05, 2006
Apple needs to think different about data security for ‘iPhone’ – December 05, 2006
NVIDIA graphics chip for next-gen Apple video iPod delayed? – December 04, 2006
Kevin Rose: Dual-battery Apple ‘iPhone’ coming in January; $249 for 4GB, $449 for 8GB – December 03, 2006
Can’t wait to see it.
Wow. A December announcement – does that mean December availability too? Well, even if there’s going to be a wait, this news seems to indicate 2 things:
1) That Apple anticipates the iPhone to be so desireable that they don’t need a showcase like MacWorld to debut it.
2) That, given how long people have been waiting for this product & how big this news is likely to be for that reason, whatever Jobs IS planning on introducing in January could crack the Earth’s crust (or at least he expects it to).
Are you getting tingly yet?
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I think they are just looking for page hits… Xmas is right around the bend…
It would be highly unusual for Apple to announce something next week. But, it makes me wonder if Apple is becoming a victim of it’s own success. There are so many stories about this so called iPhone, and Apple’s stock is trading very high because of it; perhaps Apple feels it nessecary to spill the beans a little early to keep investers from getting skittish and bailing if the phone isn’t announced at MacWorld because it’s not ready or they are still trying to work out the details with carriers.
If they do announce something Monday, I wouldn’t interpret that as they have something even better to announce at MacWorld; that would minimize the importance of the phone which makes no sense. I would interpret that as they are trying to preempt negitive news because they aren’t going to annouce the phone at MacWorld; and since the hype is nearly hesterical they have to do something about it.
iPhones? Bigger and better things?
I say bring-em on!!!
Let us hope…
Apple could also be trying to offset a stock bomb when the restate past financials which they have to do before Dec 31st.
An early iPhone release could cushion the blow if there is some bad news in these restated earnings.
Just a thought.
YEAH, RIGHT!
DOES ANYBODY REALLY BELIEVE that Apple would CANNIBALIZE their holiday sales of iPods by pre-announcing a product a week before Christmas — a product that won’t even be available until next year, if it exists at all?!?
If Apple were that stupid to do this (and they are NOT that stupid), it would COMPLETELY HALT SALES OF iPODS for this holiday season!!
This is the DUMBEST RUMOR that has ever been started regarding the mythical iPhone. Gizmodo has almost NEVER been right before on any of their previously-published rumors, yet now it’s making front-page headline news on MacDailyNews?
I actually wish that MacDailyNews would stop printing rumors and leave these sorts of story to the rumot sites. This is supposed to be a news site, yet every day we get more & more unfounded rumors.
Don’t phones have to be approved by the FCC? Are Apple announcing the product now knowing that people will find out about it through the FCC? Release data maybe in a few months.
Apple will maybe, probably, could, might, more likely than not, announce the new iPhone in Monday-ish!
…ON Monday-ish! (not in)
Allen— I totally agree with you. After apple delayed filing their financial annual report today, it looks like the backdate restatement is going to be bigger than everybody is expecting. Apple is going to file on Jan 15th now, that’s right after MWSF. Convenient huh?
If I was a average joe investor and have AAPL (which I do) I would be worried about the restatement on Dec 29th.
Apple themselves has said not to trust financial statements reports from Sept 12, 2002 to current. If they have to backdate to the Sept 12, 2002 then that’s very, very bad news. On Sept 12, 2002 AAPL closed right under $8.00 a share. Do the math. Don’t forget that Apple has to pay taxes on the amount they restate at. It’s a good thing that Apple has huge amounts of cash in the bank.
I don’t know about everyone else but I’ll be shorting AAPL on Dec 29th, so I can make some money on the restatement news. Then buying back in after the fallout levels off.
MDN Magic Word: Provided—As in I just provided an idea for everybody to make money.
I seriously doubt any announcement will be made this Tuesday or anytime before Macworld. I can’t take anyone seriously with a name like Gozmondo.
Let’s just wait until Macworlds keynote speech and then we will get the announcements.
Since when has Apple had new product announcements (minus Keynotes) on days other than Tuesday? People who post such rumors don’t have a basic concept of how Apple rolls out their products. Nice try.
You don’t think he is putting up a smoke screen and someone like Samsung will be releasing a new phone on monday, and we are all being misinformed, do you?
Sorry a name like Gizmodo not Gozmondo. But in any case I don’t think any announcement will be made.
I suspect there are bigger and better things than the xPhone. Its just a phone, its not new technology. It’ll be super syncable with OS X and maybe Windows, and that’ll be cool, but of all the things Apple might come up with in the new year I just don’t see the xPhone as being the cherry on top.
Read my lips: Cellular service providers are very difficult to work with, at all levels.
Apple is suffering from an embarrassment of riches.
The company can’t afford to have their ‘Mac’ Leopard and iTV product announcements at MacWorld diluted by the ‘non-Mac’ iPod Phone – either before, during or after its annual conference.
With the long Christmas and New Year holiday looming, their only launch window between now and mid-February is in the next few days.
If the product has a premium price-tag, it will not cannibalise existing iPod sales and, besides, most holiday iPod purchases have probably now been made and the channel is slowing. The next few days make perfect sense.
MW = ‘Months’ – thanks for the prompt MDN!
So he has no actual evidence that Apple will anounce this.
Put up a screen grab of the announcement marketing material from Apple then I may believe him.
It aint gonna happen.
The will launch it at Macworld if theya re gonna launch it at all.
MDN — The iPhone Will Be Announced on Monday page has “read more: Apple, Cellphones, iPhone”
1. iPhone could be launched in a paper bag, and Apple would still sell millions to Mac users and get it kicked off.
2. If Apple fears the phone is not truly revolutionary, a soft-launch would be a smart move, claiming to slowly put it’s feet into a new market, and note dive head in…
3. 1 & 2 are a joke. Apple will launch one of the two phones, or both, at MWSF or a Special Event in February.
it’s because mac-world is more about computers and computer accessories than it is about consumer electronics
An iPhone announcement wouldn’t halt iPod sales. What parent is going to tell their kids that they didn’t get an iPod for Christmas because the iPhone was right around the corner? Sorry Billy, all the other kids at school got the iPod they wanted, but you’re going to have to wait several months for an iPhone. Who buys phones as gifts anyway? That’s something you buy for yourself. An early announcement of the iPhone would prevent people from buying existing music phones, none of which are made by Apple, so that would be a good thing for Apple, right? And most people aren’t buying iPods for themselves right now anyway. Either they already have an iPod or are expecting one as a gift. Plus, rumor has it that new iPods are going to be announced early next year anyway, maybe wireless ones, and eventually a widescreen video iPod.
Whoever said that an announcement would cannibalize their holiday sales is crazy. Why? Because the phone will sell way above the price range of current iPods. $550 is no stretch. What would be stretched is Apple’s product range, from $79 toward the $600’s. That just makes sense.
Not a chance. Here’s why:
1) Apple has new product releases on Tuesdays, not Mondays.
2) Apple would NEVER release something as big and as anticipated as the iPhone without sending out invitations to the media 2 weeks in advance.
3) No need to announce it one week before Christmas. Instead, announce it at Macworld, or even a month or two after, and drive after-Christmas sales, which always fall off significantly after the holiday season is over.
4) Apple’s secretive, but certainly not stupid. They want as much fanfare and free publicity as possible when this product is released, so a “quickie” announcement is not in the cards.