[Satchmo]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 You can't go wrong with black and white. They never go out of style, and, two years later, nothing looks dated or "two versions ago". I think the colors on this invite...they might mean something, in hindsight, but I don't think it points to "iPad in six gorgeous colors!", no. I'll bet my hat on it.

I hope not as well...but I fear they may do so given they've successfully implemented this process on the new iPod Nanos.

I think I'll be correct with my prediction of an updated iPad Retina with Lightning connector will appear alongside the new Mini iPad.
No need to update it in March. All iOS devices will now sport the new connector...talk about a fast transition!
(okay, technically the iPod Nano is not an iOS device, but you know what I mean)

[psmith2.0]

It's in Apple's best interest, right before the holiday shopping rush, to get their stuff transitioned over to Lightning. Just makes sense that all their handheld stuff is on the same connector/tech before so many of them go out into the world.

[Kraetos]

If they refresh the iPad 3 I'll be shocked if they change anything other than the port, unless they full on launch the thinner, lighter, dual-wifi antenna, global LTE, A6x powered Lighting port equipped iPad 4, and permanently move the iPad launch to October.

But: Apple still sells iPod touch 4th gen, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, all of which sport 30-pins and probably will never get Lighting. (I think it's safe to assume the iPad 2 is phased out in favor of the iPad mini.) So I don't think Apple is all that concerned with getting everything on Lightning, because even if they update the iPad to lightning, they're still selling three iOS devices which will presumably sport 30-pins until they are phased out, and the last one to be phased out will be the 4S in 2014.

Apple will continue to manufacture and ship 30-pins for about 24 months whether or not Apple updates the iPad 3 next week.

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, that's true. But I wasn't thinking of the old stuff. I think their new, current-generation devices are what they'll want all on Lightning, heading into into the holidays. Most of the stuff sold in the coming two months will surely be these newer devices.

And they'll also make quite a bit on those Lightning adapters and cables because many households are going to have a mix of the 30-pin and newer Lightning-based stuff for some time.

In my specific case - single person household, only one (new) device, no older iPods or iPads lying around - it was easy for me to dump all my 30-pin cables and "go 100% Lightning" when I sold my iPhone 4 this past weekend. So I've already made that transition, in one swift motion...there's no looking back for me now.

But I know I'm not the typical case. With families and multi-person households - with several generations of iDevices still in regular use - Apple's going to pull in some money for a good while on these Lightning/30-pin accessories.

It'll be a good 18-24 months, at least, before much (most?) of the planet is fully using Lightning-based devices. That time allows for a couple of upgrade cycles (iPhone), and holiday/birthday events (iPods and iPads). Come 2015, the 30-pin stuff should be but a sliver of the market, I'm guessing...a handful of stragglers from 2010-2012, with nearly-depleted batteries.

[Partial]

So, are we really going to get new iMacs, new Mac Minis, new MBPs, and updated iPads (A6, IGZO display in big guy, plus the little guy)?

That would be absolutely absurd in the best kind of way. Bring on a gigantic quarter!

Personally, I love the idea of Apple updating a major product line per quarter:

Spring - Television
Summer - Macs
Fall - iPhones
Late Fall (for Christmas) - iPads

This way you get an update every quarter to boost sales for the sake of the stock price. Assuming they do make a television, I foresee that being too expensive for a holiday gift. Macs are mostly purchased for back-to-school shopping. iPhones could really fit anywhere. iPads are the big christmas gift in my opinion, so it just makes sense to update them before the holiday shopping season.

[Partial]

Originally Posted by Kraetos If they refresh the iPad 3 I'll be shocked if they change anything other than the port, unless they full on launch the thinner, lighter, dual-wifi antenna, global LTE, A6x powered Lighting port equipped iPad 4, and permanently move the iPad launch to October.

I think they will release a new iPad. Perhaps this is the reason they went with iPhone 5 but "The New iPad", because they didn't consider it an iPad 3. Who knows.

I do think they will update the big iPad. I suspect it will get all of the tech of the iPhone, including the better LTE chip, an IGZO display, an A6 processor, etc.

I see a huge advantage to updating the iPad before Christmas. Like the iPod of yesteryear, I think the iPad has the best potential as a holiday gift. $500 dollars is a lot of money for a gift obviously, but compared to a Mac, a Television (future), or an iPhone, it is the most practical. Beyond that, it doesn't have the long term commitment aspect of an iPhone. Overall, it makes the most sense as a late October or early November update. There is a reason that Amazon updates their Kindle line-up for the holidays.

As mentioned in a previous post, the most Macs (probably) sell during the back-to-school season. Beyond that, Intel releases their newest chips seemingly in the first half of the new year. Perfect timing for summer.

A television/set-top-box/whenever seems to fit into the sale cycle whenever. It will undoubtedly be too expensive to be a holiday gift. Update that bad boy after Christmas in the early Spring late winter.

Spring - TV
Summer - Macs
Fall - iPhone
Late Fall - iPad

Absolutely love this schedule.

[kscherer]

Based on all rumors and opinions, here is my final prediction for the day:

iPad:

Yes, the iPad will get updated, and the number of SKU's will drop (thankfully).

12 models will be announced representing three storage capacities, two color choices, and a single carrier option (world-mode)

16GB—$499 (Wi-Fi) and $599 (Wi-Fi+4G)
32GB—$599 (Wi-Fi) and $699 (Wi-Fi+4G)
64GB—$699 (Wi-Fi) and $799 (Wi-Fi+4G)

I think we will see a small price drop on the 4G models, and I think the iPad 2 will be discontinued, although there are a lot of these things in distro, so who knows. They may just keep it around as the "crappy camera model" as an entry to the 9.7" screen size.

iPad Mini:

12 models will be announced representing three storage capacities, two color choices, and a single carrier option (world-mode). No Retina option, and all models will have 1024x768 resolution to maintain compatibility with iPad 2 Software. The smaller screen size will retain a tight enough DPI to be very good, and since price is the primary object, Retina displays will be lost on this version (they will arrive in the iPad Mini 2 next fall).

16GB—$249 (Wi-Fi) and $349 (Wi-Fi+4G)
32GB—$349 (Wi-Fi) and $449 (Wi-Fi+4G)
64GB—$449 (Wi-Fi) and $549 (Wi-Fi+4G)

As a side note, I honestly believe that if Apple does not hit these price points, they missed! Few people buy 7" tablets for the "seven inches". They buy them for the price ($200)!

iMac:

Four models will be announced, although it will only really be two models (21" and 27") with several build options. (As a side note, there is a possibility that these will not be announced today, but tomorrow morning. I don't think this will be the case if there is a new design—rather, only if there is just a speed bump, which I am not expecting). Also, there will be SSD options across the board, and possible 2.5" SATA rather than 3.5". The 27" will maintain the option for dual drives.

21" 2.7GHz i5x4/4GB/500GB—$1199 (integrated graphics w/512MB shared memory)
21" 2.9GHz i7x4HT/8GB/1TB—$1499 (discreet graphics w/512MB VRAM; build option for 3.4 GHz i7 @ $1699)
27" 2.9GHz i5x4/4GB/1TB—$1699 (discreet graphics w/512MB VRAM)
27" 3.4GHz i7x4HT/8GB/1TB—$1999 (discreet graphics w/1GB VRAM; Build option fro 3.9GHz i7 and 2GB VRAM @ $2299)

13" Next Generation MacBook Pro with Retina Display:

Two models will be available. They will take a similar approach as the 15's, offering the same processors and graphics as the 13" Pro's, but more standard RAM and solid state everything (obviously).

2.5GHz i5x2HT/8GB/128GB—$1499 (integrated graphics w/512 shared memory; RAM up to 16GB, SSD up to 512GB)
2.9GHz i7x2HT/8GB/256GB—$1899 (integrated graphics w/512 shared memory; RAM up to 16GB, SSD up to 512GB)

Mac Mini:

Configurations will be as 13" MacBook Pro. These will not even be announced, but will just show up.

2.5GHz i5x2HT/4GB/500GB—$599 (integrated graphics w/512MB shared memory)
2.9GHz i7x2HT/8GB/750GB—$799 (discreet graphics w/512MB VRAM)
2.5GHz i7x4HT/8GB/500GB x 2—$999 (integrated graphics w/512MB shared memory; Server)

—

My final 2.3 cents.

Cheery-ho!

[Brave Ulysses]

Kind of cheating to do it the morning of when nearly everything is laid out at www.9to5mac.com no?

I'm thinking the iMac is going to be MIA.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by kscherer Based on all rumors and opinions, here is my final prediction for the day: iPad: Yes, the iPad will get updated, and the number of SKU's will drop (thankfully). 12 models will be announced representing three storage capacities, two color choices, and a single carrier option (world-mode) 16GB—$499 (Wi-Fi) and $599 (Wi-Fi+4G) 32GB—$599 (Wi-Fi) and $699 (Wi-Fi+4G) 64GB—$699 (Wi-Fi) and $799 (Wi-Fi+4G) I think we will see a small price drop on the 4G models, and I think the iPad 2 will be discontinued, although there are a lot of these things in distro, so who knows. They may just keep it around as the "crappy camera model" as an entry to the 9.7" screen size. iPad Mini: 12 models will be announced representing three storage capacities, two color choices, and a single carrier option (world-mode). No Retina option, and all models will have 1024x768 resolution to maintain compatibility with iPad 2 Software. The smaller screen size will retain a tight enough DPI to be very good, and since price is the primary object, Retina displays will be lost on this version (they will arrive in the iPad Mini 2 next fall). 16GB—$249 (Wi-Fi) and $349 (Wi-Fi+4G) 32GB—$349 (Wi-Fi) and $449 (Wi-Fi+4G) 64GB—$449 (Wi-Fi) and $549 (Wi-Fi+4G) Cheery-ho!

Looking at this again... those price points are appealing and make sense to us, but man do they make the big iPad look overpriced. $250 to get 2" bigger retina display.

I'm thinking there needs to be more tradeoffs, and I fear it will be done with capacity.... or that your prices are simply too low.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses .... or that your prices are simply too low.

I think this is the problem. I let a little bit of "this is what needs to happen" get in the way of "this is what will happen".

The rumors have suggested a $299-$329 starting price, and that is probably more in line with reality. However, I am convinced that $299 is too high. A hundred bucks is a hundred bucks, and those folks that are shooting for price are going to continue to shoot for price. Thus, $249 makes far more sense from a sales standpoint. But since when has Apple ever shot for the bottom of the barrel? My gut tells me that Apple will sell out of these things at $299, but I still think that is too high.

[thegeriatric]

This thread really should be called "late October event".

[Brave Ulysses]

I don't know. Up until an hour from now, Apple's best response was a $399 iPad 2.

Now it will be $299-$329. ($329 doesn't sound nearly as good as $299 and I really would be surprised if Apple went with $329 but they are unpredictable at times)

It may be $100 more than a Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire but it's a lot less of a jump than it was yesterday. I think Apple needs to be careful not to compete with itself too much, and lowering the average selling price that much may not be worth it.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by thegeriatric This thread really should be called "late October event".

Yeah, so I missed. What's your point, old fart?

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses … lowering the average selling price that much may not be worth it.

Very true.

But to be honest, I could care less about iPads. While they may be good for Apple, every damn joint on Earth sells the stupid things, so they only benefit me a tad. What I want is an iMac refresh, so that is the part I am most excited about. We have a looooooong line of customers waiting for that refresh!

[kscherer]

Live video for anyone who cares.

[thegeriatric]

Originally Posted by kscherer Yeah, so I missed. What's your point, old fart?

Old fart! Old fart! Now listen here you young whipper snapper........................................... ...........Szzzzzzzzz.............Szzzzzzzzz...... .....Now where was I..............