Archive for May 29th, 2012

RBC’s analyst Amit Daryanani issued predictions that Apple would revamp its MacBook portables later this quarter and release a new iPhone in September or October, echoing expectations for Apple's near-term plans.

The iPhone is the company's "flagship product". 43 percent of Apple's revenue in fiscal 2011 came to iPhone. Apple's apparent two-year design cycle could cause "increased seasonality" as consumers catch on to it and hold off on purchases. That explains  just 21 percent growth in iPhone shipments year over year in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 91 percent growth in Q4 2010.

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The New York Times claims that Facebook is drawing upon former Apple engineers and has hired "more than half a dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers who worked on the iPhone" to develop its own phone. The New York Times’ report also said that Facebook is interested in buying a smartphone company. It raised $16 billion during its recent IPO, enough to purchase either Research in Motion or HTC.

One tipster suggested that the current effort is the company's third attempt to build a smartphone. People who reportedly worked on the first attempt told the Times that the project fell apart because it proved to be more difficult than expected. As a result, Facebook is believed to have realized that it needs industry-experienced veterans to develop hardware, specifically Apple alumni.

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