Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:
Upgrade: With its new iPhones currently generating media buzz, Apple (AAPL) may be preparing yet another product for launch next month, AppleInsider notes. The company may debut a revamped Apple TV media streaming box in the next several weeks. The company will release a software update for existing Apple TV devices on September 18, the same day it releases iOS 7 to the public. The new software is seen as a signal that the company is preparing to unveil a new Apple TV device. Apple TV hasn’t seen a hardware update since March 2012. Apple reportedly received a large shipment of products labeled “set top box” from a Chinese manufacturer, prompting a number of analysts to speculate that it would show off the new device at Tuesday’s special media event. However, no such announcement was made during the debut of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5C, leading to speculation that the new Apple TV box would launch in October after the iPhone launch is completed. Apple has long been rumored to be working on its own television set and rumors of prototype testing surfaced several times this year, but few analysts currently expect the company to unveil a TV set any time soon.
Opportunity: While Apple shares have dropped recently — due in part to analyst disappointment with iPhone 5C pricing — at least one Apple shareholder is upping his stake in the company, CNBC notes. Carl Icahn announced that he acquired “quite a bit” of Apple shares on Wednesday. The billionaire investor called the move a “no-brainer,” saying that Apple shares were “just extremely cheap.” Still, Icahn conceded that Apple stock could continue to slide in the near term. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic about Apple’s long-term prospects, noting that his investment in Apple is one of his “best” moves. “They’re one of the best brands. They are building revenue,” he told CNBC. Icahn announced that he had acquired a large stake in Apple last month.
Logistics: With this week’s special media event already behind us, millions of new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5C models are on their way to stores and distribution centers around the world, Bloomberg notes. Sources say that Apple’s shipping chain relies on air transport to move huge volumes of iPhones all around the world in time to support the launch. Last year, the company sold five million iPhone 5’s in just the first several days after they became available. Apple begins booking freight planes months before the iPhones are released. To get iPhones to the U.S., Apple mostly uses FedEx (FDX), which carries them on 15-hour flights between China and Memphis, Tenn., on board Boeing (BA) 777 jets. Each 777 carries about 450,000 iPhones. Each chartered flights costs Apple around $242,000. The company can use cheaper air shipping rather than sea-going cargo ships, which are the main shipping carriers for most consumer electronics, due to the iPhone’s small size and light weight.
For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.
