Ming-Chi Kuo
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Apple may unveil two new AirPod models by the end of 2019
Apple's refreshed AirPods might be just the start of a tidal wave of new models. Historically accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple has two new AirPod variants launching sometime between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. One of them would be cosmetically similar to the current earbuds and would be priced accordingly, while the other would represent an "all-new design" and carry a higher price tag.
Apple's rumored AR headset might require an iPhone
More than a year after rumors circulated that Apple would produce an AR headset by 2020, the company seems to be on track to meet that goal. Full production could start as soon as the fourth quarter of 2019, well-sourced Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said this week. But as we get closer, it looks like Apple is scrapping plans for a standalone device and will rely, instead, on the iPhone.
Apple's high-end wireless earbuds may not ship with iPhone 7
The long-rumoured death of the iPhone's headphone jack has left everybody wondering: What's going to become of Apple's EarPods? Well, they'll probably go wireless, but according to one analyst, they won't come with your iPhone. They'll be sold separately -- and they might be expensive. KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple will announce a pair of high-end "AirPod" earbuds tomorrow as a premium accessory for iPhone 7 buyers. They won't come in the box like Apple's current earbuds, he says, and may not even use Bluetooth.
Analyst predicts Apple will sell 71.5M iPhones in Q4
Considering that Apple just hit a record $700 billion market valuation, it's probably going to be a happy holiday around the Cupertino offices, but there may be even more cause for celebration. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI, is predicting that Apple will sell 71.5 million iPhones this quarter thanks to demand for the iPhone 6. The report was discovered by AppleInsider. It's interesting to see just how important to current iPhone demand the iPhone 6 is, even when considering lower level iPhones like the 5s and 5c. According to KGI Apple is expected to 41.6 million units of the iPhone 6, but only 15.1 million of the 6 Plus. For comparison, the 5s is on track to sell 8.8 million units while the 5c is predicted to move 4.3 million. Those are all impressive numbers, but they're dwarfed by the massive number predicted for the iPhone 6. Of course the lower numbers for the iPhone 6 Plus aren't from a lack of demand. Kuo's report says that the continuing product shortage shows there's a desire for the product, and confirms that rumors of production issues are true. If the supply issue can be fixed, the report says the final numbers may change. The report also suggests that Q1 will see sales drop below 50 million units. We look forward to the next earnings call to see how these numbers pan out.
Ming-Chi Kuo and The Legend of the $3,000 iWatch
Along with the iPhone predictions I covered yesterday from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo -- who, despite being wrong about new Apple products many times, is described by various outlets as "spot on" and "pretty reliable" -- we were graced with a supposed bit of insider info on Apple's still mythical iWatch. Along with Kuo's theory that there will be two different sizes of the wearable, the analyst makes a downright shocking claim that Apple's watch will be priced as high as "several thousand US dollars." As usual, this sketchy claim was treated as all but confirmation that Tim Cook is indeed poised to drop a wrist-worn device as expensive as a used car on the world, and the headlines flowed forth. "Here's how much the iWatch will cost," "The most accurate Apple analyst in the world is predicting iWatches will cost several thousand dollars," and "Apple's iWatch could cost over $1,000" are just a few choice examples, but there are plenty more. Perhaps I wake up on a different frequency than the rest of humanity, but I would sooner believe that Apple is planning to purchase a national coffee chain than give any credit to a rumor that the company's unannounced wearable is priced as high as the Mac Pro. Do you know who would buy a $3,000 iWatch? Nobody. Ok, that's probably not true; I imagine there are a half dozen executives growing tired of their Rolexes, but that's never been Apple's market. Apple makes premium products, and the iPad, iPhone, and Mac are often pricier than the competition, but they're priced to be desirable. Apple isn't in the business of cheap products, and they're also not going to try to compete with Louis Vuitton. Kuo adds a little bit of flavor to the iWatch rumors by adding that the device itself will have a "fashionable appearance" and "we predict the iWatch casing and band will come in various materials." Talk about painting with broad strokes. By adding obscure, meaningless details like this, Kuo's overall iWatch prediction list looks a little bit better, even after we discover that the most critical bullet point -- the price -- was a total miss. So if and when the iWatch is announced, and we all discover it's priced in the ballpark of Apple's other mobile gadgets, will this be counted as a massive error by Kuo? Of course not. The world will brush it off and the next time the analyst comes calling with a wild guess, he will still be described as "almost always correct." [Details & high-res version of movie poster available here]
Apple boots Sandy Bridge-based MacBook Air into mass production? (update)
Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is starting to build a bit of a reputation for accurate Apple rumors, so you may be able to take this with a slightly smaller dose of NaCl: Kuo told AppleInsider that Cupertino's allegedly ordered 380,000 of those new MacBook Air models with Intel's Sandy Bridge processors on board, to be completed within the month. Of course, if Apple's got its heart set on distributing silica scaffolding, it has to phase the existing Core 2 Duo variants out, and so the company's reportedly finishing a final production run of 80,000 units now. If you happen to notice that your entire state is out of aluminum-clad ultralights, you know who to call! Update: iPhone hacker Chronic claims the MacBook Air refresh could appear as soon as Wednesday morning. Update 2: Never mind -- Chronic says his sources were mistaken about the MacBook Air on Wednesday.
iPhone 5 to have 8 megapixel camera and improved antenna, same old design?
To date, we've heard scant few details about the next-generation iPhone, except for a rumor that it may or may not have a bigger screen, and that it almost certainly won't pack an NFC chip. Now, one analyst is reporting the design will remain unchanged, though its innards will get a slight boost. Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities (who has been dead-on in the past) talked with sources in Apple's supply chain to learn that the iPhone 5 will boast the same A5 processor as the iPad 2, along with an 8 megapixel rear camera, improved antenna design, and that Qualcomm baseband for both GSM and CDMA models we've seen bandied about (technically, the one in the current Verizon version is already GSM-capable). His sources also claim that Apple will begin mass production of its next-gen phone in September, which aligns with what we already heard about Apple moving to a fall launch -- and because of the ongoing disaster in Japan, the company might not have sufficient supplies to launch a new iPod touch at the same time. Typically we take many Apple rumors with a grain of salt, but these tidbits all sound plausible. And given that Kuo has been right before, we're especially inclined to believe him -- even if the truth is more ho-hum than magical.
