Swinging by the rumor mill: a report by Taiwanese trade magazine DigiTimes that Apple may (may, may not) overhaul its entire product line in 2012, with a completely new iPad and iPhone to hit the shelves by next year.
It’s just a rumor though, and a heavily salted one at that. DigiTimes has been highly inaccurate in the past (as was the entire tech press about the iPhone 5 launch). A complete overhaul seems very unlikely, though there have been a lot of voices in the tech circle that point towards a completely new iPhone 5 design.
The iPhone 5 needs to have a new design when it launches next year. After months of tantalizing gossip – including ‘eye witness reports’ and accessories leaks – of an overhauled iPhone 5 design, the actual launch, iPhone 4S was rather underwhelming. Plus, the old iPhone design has started looking a little long in the tooth with little to mark older models with the current iteration. A new design should satiate the tech press (which was forced to swallow its own kool-aid) and fan boys who expect something new.
And while a complete overhaul would be akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater, some of the products have started showing their age, particularly the Mac Pro.
I shouldn’t have to point out that Tim Cook will also need a blockbuster new design – either for the iPad or the iPhone – to shake off Wall Street anxiety after Jobs’ exit. I don’t envy Cook; he has awfully big shoes to fill, but if Apple wants to keep Wall Street and the average consumer upbeat about the company’s future, it absolutely needs to overhaul one of its products. The iPhone 4S was more a hardware than a software update – something out of Apple’s usual character (which did cause a few commentators to rue the company’s future). A new iPhone 5 or iPad 3 design should also work to stamp Cook’s authority on the company.
Whatever happens, 2012 will be a crucial year for Apple as it steps out of Steve Jobs’ shadow. A couple of dull designs may very well see Apple stock slide and consumer confidence shatter. Although that seems very unlikely, given the kind of lieutenants Steve left the company with – Tim Cook and Jon Ive.
