“Welcome To 2007″
01.05.07 - 10:00am
Apple Computer has been named Marketer of the Year - highlighted on the Discovery Channel who did a special on the history of the ipod - (immpressive for something that is only a little over 6), has seen sales for 2006 reaching 20 billion, and has become the toast and talk of the town.
Apple, which seemed to be on it’s deathbed back in 1996 has seen a great rise in respect and become a cult icon since Steve Jobs re-inception to the company. Even investigations into stock backdating has not seemed to slowdown the company and news that Steve Jobs was cleared put the stock back on the rise again.
The iPod has started an information sharing revolution - with podcasts college classes are now being taught on the iPod, consumers are making their own iPod videos, people are taking iPod photos from around the world and posting them on iLounge and the like, events are even built with the iPod such as the iPod flash mobbing in London, architecture is incorporating the iPod by having iPod buildings built, and new businesses are being built around the iPod and it’s accessories.
Apple has also seen it’s stock rise this year from the $50’s to highs in the $90’s as the new Shuffle saw unprecedented sales in its first two months. The stock also soared in response to news and rumors of the much anticipated iPhone (name taken but concept still Apple’s most sought after winner for 2007).
Apple is now prepping for it’s highly anticipated Macworld convention, a place where keynote speaker Steve Jobs first announced iTunes. What will happen during this years keynote speech is enough to get convention goers out of bed at 6 a.m. to stand in line for the first come first serve seats. Even a 6 a.m. time doesn’t guarantee you a seat for the highly anticipated event as attendees throng the room for what is called the “Rolling Stones Show” of Macworld.
The convention is expected to cause an even larger rise in Apples stock with the inception of the iPhone, iTV, and new larger video iPod. No one knows for sure what will be disclosed at Macworld, as everything is kept very secret and hush-hush but analysts are expecting at least a prototype of a new iPod phone. One such analyst Gene Munster says “Despite all of the talk regarding new product announcements, or lack thereof, at Macworld, we continue to believe that the announcement of an iPhone would be positive for Apple shares and no sign of this product would be a negative.”
The one thing we do know for sure is one can expect that Apple and Steve Jobs will try to make their new slogan “the first 30 years was just the beginning. Welcome to 2007″ a reality of innovation.
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