As the market opened Thursday, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) have come to the surface as two prominent market plays, and for seemingly different reasons. Apple is clearly not in any financial trouble to speak of, but rather is looking to ramp up for its big launch event slated for Tuesday in California – and, we understand, a related event in China a few hours later – that is expected to be the unveiling of the latest iPhone. Or iPhones.
Meanwhile, the other major tech fruit, BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) has apparently reached a point where it is overripe and should be harvested. The stock has rallied in the last couple of days due to M&A activity in the market, and the latest news may expedite that stock’s climb in the short-term.
BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY): A Sale, or Just a Turkey?
It has only been a couple of weeks since BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) announced the formation of a special committee to investigate “strategic alternatives” for the company, which included a sale. The stock, which had fallen from nearly $14 per share to less than $10, rallied upon the news, and it has rallied a bit more this week in the wake of the news that Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) was being snapped up by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), which has stepped up speculation that a BlackBerry sale was more imminent.
The latest news, as reported by Brett Molina of USA TODAY, says that BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) stock rose again Thursday morning after a report that the special committee has narrowed down its list of “alternatives,” and announced its intention to move forward with a sale by November. Perhaps something for which to give thanks?
Apple Inc. (AAPL): A China Event? What the Heck For?
There has been a lot of hype over the last couple of weeks since Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) sent out media invitations to its Sept. 10 launch event at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino. While that is expected to be a major deal with the unveiling of a new iPhone model (or perhaps plural, as supposedly a mid-range model may also appear). But that is not all of the major events – it turns out, as Bryan Wolfe reports on AppAdvice.com, that a similar event is slated several hours later in Beijing, China.
This will be the first time that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will have an event in China, which leads to speculation about what this event will look to achieve. It’s likely that this event will not only announce the new iPhone, but also could involve news that would be highly relevant to the China market. Possibilities include announcing a deal with China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier with over 700 million subscribers, to perhaps announcing that new Apple devices would arrive in China at the same time as in other major markets around the world – in the past, China customers had to wait several months to get the latest device.
What to Expect from the New iPhone
For China and other international customers, there has been a lot of rumor and speculation about what the new Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone might contain – whether it’s the 5S or the mid-range 5C. Anna Marie Kukec of The Daily Herald and Matt Warman of The Telegraph in the United Kingdom took to some tech watchers at Techradar and TechCrunch to learn about what Apple fanboys could expect to see from the latest iPhone models that are expected to be revealed next week.
M.G. Siegler of TechCrunch was quoted as saying that customers could expect not just a black or white options, but also could see a gold or “champagne” color to the shell of the new iPhone – a color that has been very popular, especially in emerging markets like India and China. In general, however, most of the specs are looking to be upgrades from iPhone 5 with nothing truly innovative – though the rumor of a fingerprint scanner is still alive and well and there is still much uncertainty whether that would appear on this device or later on the ‘iPhone 6.’ The processor is expected to be about 30 percent faster, and the new phone is expected to have the new iOS 7 installed, which is getting positive reviews from those who have been using the latest beta version.
If you were Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook, what are you thinking as you come up to the new product unveil event? If you are an investor like fund managers David Einhorn or Philippe Laffont, what might be your expectations for the new iPhone over the next three months? What numbers would you expect to be a successful product? Before you provide feedback in the comments section below, take a look at this video about the new iPhone.
DISCLOSURE: None
