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 At a launch event on Thursday, Chief Executive Tim Cook called
Apple's new line-up, which includes a new iMac computer with a "5K
retina" or high-end display, the company's best ever. But analysts
say Apple may struggle to arouse the same passion for its tablets as
in past years among consumers faced with an abundance of hand-held,
touch-screen devices.
"I've got to be honest and say, the only impressive thing was the 5K
retina display on the iMac," said Gartner analyst Van Baker, who
attended the show at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
"The other things we saw (included) just iterative improvements on
the iPad."
Marketing chief Phil Schiller called the larger tablet the world's
slimmest and described several new features such as an
anti-reflective screen. He also confirmed the inclusion of the
"Touch ID" sensor, already available on the latest iPhones.
Pre-orders start Friday for the larger iPad Air 2, priced at $499
and up, with shipping beginning next week. The smaller iPad mini 3
will be about $100 cheaper.
The new iMac, which sports the new "Yosemite" operating system, will
go for $2,499.
Tablet sales are set to rise only 11 percent this year, according to
tech research firm Gartner, compared to 55 percent last year, even
as smartphone sales continue to soar and personal computer sales are
waning.
DEFINING MOMENT
Tablet sales for Apple, which defined the category with the iPad
just four years ago, have fallen for two straight quarters.
Investors remain focused on the iPhone, Apple's main revenue
generator, but a prolonged downturn in iPad sales would threaten
about 15 percent of the company's revenue.
The new iPads will go up against recently introduced tablets from
Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> and Google Inc <GOOG.O> in coming months.
Shares of Apple slid 1 percent to $96.57 shortly before the close.
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Apple also said it will launch its new electronic payments service
on Monday, after the iPhone maker signed up another 500 banks to
support a feature that competes with eBay Inc's <EBAY.O> PayPal and
other online systems.
Cook said developers were beginning to design apps for its upcoming
Watch.
Apple last month introduced the Watch, its first new device since
the iPad in 2010. The company's entry into the rapidly expanding
wearable computing arena will be available only from 2015, but Cook
said software development kits for the device will be available from
November.
Missing on Thursday was a larger, 12-inch-plus iPad, the subject of
industry speculation ahead of Apple's event.
"It is disappointing, particularly to enterprise buyers, that there
wasn't a 12.9 inch iPad model," said Forrester Research analyst J.P.
Gownder. "To return iPad to high growth, form factor innovation will
be required. We'll have to wait until 2015 to see if Apple addresses
this issue."
(Reporting by Christina Farr; Writing by Edwin Chan; Editing by
James Dalgleish and Richard Chang)
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