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No sooner did Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) reveal its latest, the video iPod, than it started the rumor mill churning again -- this time with an invitation to reporters to an unveiling of its "latest pro innovations" Wednesday in New York. The PhotoPlus Expo kicks off the next day in the city's Jacob Javits Convention Center.
It's widely believed that Apple will be showing off updated PowerBooks and Power Macs, which had been scheduled for release last month in Paris. Some observers believe the refresh may just be an attempt to keep consumers buying while they await Apple's new line of Intel-based computers, due out next year.
"The big announcement surrounding Apple will be the Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) announcement next year," Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group, said. "That's when you're going to see the really great stuff; that's when we will get our socks knocked off."
Keeping Demand High
But Apple is not about to lie dormant until then.
"In the meantime they have to sell something. Apple is very good at getting people revved up into a frenzy to buy something from the company even if they're not sure what," he said.
Some improvements to Apple's PowerBooks may include enhanced memory and display and a larger hard drive. New Power Macs are expected to contain more powerful processors and improved graphics.
The new computers may also look somewhat different.
"Black is Apple's new white. My best guess is that the next laptop will be black," Enderle said, "but most advanced design work is going into the Intel-based boxes."
Long Lead Time
Apple does not publish a product roadmap, and its new releases are usually kept under wraps until the last minute. The Intel announcement is the first that has had such a long lead time. Will Apple aficionados rush to buy the updated PowerBooks and Power Macs, or wait for the Intel-based models?
"Apple is struggling to play down the Intel stuff," he said, so that consumers don't wait them out.
Enderle believes the company's tried-and-true marketing method will be at work, ensuring the desirability of the last of the pre-Intel chip models. Apple will try to sell the models as collector's items or offer them in "limited run designs," he said.
But Apple may have other news. News and rumor Web sites are reporting that a "photography-related" announcement will also be made Wednesday, although what that might entail, no one is saying yet.
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