Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:
It’s Official: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has sent out invitations to a media event scheduled for October 23, saying “We have a little more to show you,” the Washington Post notes. While Apple did not disclose the purpose of the event, analysts widely expect the company to unveil a smaller-screen iPad, popularly dubbed, the iPad Mini, possibly along with a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro or Mac Mini. While Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad continues to dominate the tablet market, an array of lower-priced 7-inch tablets from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Samsung are flooding the market. Analysts expect the iPad Mini to feature a 7.85-inch touchscreen. With most competing 7-inch tablets priced around $199, Apple will have to price the iPad Mini aggressively to win over consumers. Recent report suggest that Apple may ditch 4G/3G connectivity in the smaller iPad to reduce its cost. Other reports say the company has ordered as many as 10 million units from its Asian suppliers in anticipation of the holiday shopping season.
Competitive Undercutting: The 32GB, WiFi-only version of Microsoft‘s (NASDAQ:MSFT) new Surface tablet will be priced at $499, Reuters noted. That puts Microsoft’s tablet fully $100 below a comparable version of Apple’s latest iPad. The Surface tablet will hit stores on October 26, just three days after Apple holds a media event in which it will likely unveil a smaller-screen iPad. By undercutting the iPad’s price, Microsoft is clearly aiming to grab a share of the lucrative tablet market. Apple sold 17 million iPads in the second quarter. The rising popularity of tablets like the iPad is eroding sales of netbooks and notebook computers, and thus denting sales of Microsoft’s flagship product, its Windows operating system. With Windows 8, its newest OS, Microsoft is hoping to make a successful jump to mobile devices.
Clock Fee: Apple has agreed to pay Swiss Federal Railways for the rights to mimic its iconic clock face in iOS 6, ZDNet notes. The railroad had noted the similarity of the clock face in iOS 6 to its own 70-year-old Hans Hilfiker-design shortly after iOS 6 was released and asked Apple to license the design. According to the railroad, the two companies have agreed on licensing terms and a payment schedule so the clock face design can appear on iPads and iPhones. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.
