Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is always “officially” mum about new products or launch dates for upgraded products, but it thrives on speculation, rumor and innuendo. Not to mention conjecture. And while there has been some bandying about a couple of new products that are “supposed” to launch this year, there might be one rumor story about such a product at a time.
So what does it mean when the same rumor gets featured in two different stories on two different Web sites on the same day? Is it just a slow news day, or could this new rumor have some legs and legitimacy to it? It might be weeks or months before we know for sure, but it definitely gets some attention.
This rumor, reported on two different U.S. tech sites, references the same story from a China newspaper. And both tech sites, by the way, seem very skeptical of this rumor – seemingly because the “details” seem so out of character for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). But here it goes: the China newspaper report stated that its sources revealed that Apple is working on a 4.8-inch device that would be categorized as a “phablet” – a hybrid of a phone and tablet, too big for a phone but smaller than most tablets on the market – and would be called the “iPhone Math”, launching this summer and be a direct competitor to the Galaxy Note made by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
One tech site is cynical of this because it doesn’t believe Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would deliberately design a device that is too big to be navigable by a thumb, since the company has said repeatedly in the recent past that it wanted its devices to be used by a thumb – and making a device wider than an iPhone would be problematic in that case.
What does the other site say about this?
The same story was noted by a second tech site, which just seemed a little skeptical by the name of the device and the expected release date of June. The site noted that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has not had June as a date for a product release in several years, plus it seems a bit too soon after the release of the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini (the two closest devices in size to the rumored “phablet”) to be putting out a device of a similar size and nature.
Interestingly, both sites seem to be more on board with the other rumor that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will be putting out a less-expensive iPhone sometime this year, a that would be consistent with recent comments by CEO Tim Cook that China (and other emerging markets like India and Brazil, we presume) will be an important territory for Apple’s growth – and many feel the only way Apple will make any inroads in emerging markets is by making a smartphone with a much lower entry price that what it has for its current stable of iPhones.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) ended trading last week at exactly $500 per share, down nearly 4 percent for the week and more than 6 percent in 2013.
What is your take on the latest rumors regardign Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)? Does the source of the story have any bearing on the legitimacy of the rumor? If you had to choose one rumor to believe, which one would you accept – the lower-level iPhone, or the phablet? We’d like your comments below, and start a discussion.
DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.
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