Here is your daily Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock news and rumors for August 6, 2010. The MacBook Air line of laptop computers looks set to join the ranks of Apple products receiving redesigns this fall. Meanwhile, AAPL is making waves on the international stage, opening its largest retail store yet in London, England and launching a Wi-Fi enabled iPhone 3GS in China.
AAPL to Release Wi-Fi Enabled iPhone 3GS in China: After months of trouble getting an iPhone equipped with Wi-Fi communication capabilities approved for sale in the country, Apple Inc. will finally release a Wi-Fi enabled iPhone 3GS in China on Monday, August 9. The smartphone will be sold in a partnership with Chinese telecommunications giant China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) China Unicom spokesperson Wen Baoqui made the announcement this morning that, starting Monday, users will be able to purchase a Wi-Fi capable, 8-gigabyte iPhone 3GS. Previously available 16- and 32-GB iPhone 3GSs without Wi-Fi will still be available to customers. China had banned the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard prior to the iPhone’s launch in the country at the end of 2009. The ban was meant to push China’s WAPI Wi-Fi standard. The ban was eased this past May and Apple was able to get approval for a Wi-Fi capable iPhone 3GS in July.
New MacBook Air at Lower Price Point in September: BMO Capital Markets analyst Keith Bachman told investors today to expect an updated MacBook Air laptop computer from Apple in the fall. While precise details on new specifications haven’t been revealed yet, Bachman cited component supply chains as evidence that a massive shipment of new MacBook Air notebooks would ship in the quarter starting September 2010. The MacBook Air line hasn’t been updated since June of 2009, when the laptops were upgraded with a Intel Core 2 Duo processor and Nvidia GeForce 9400M video card. The September timeframe would coincide with the rumored refresh of AAPL’s iPod Touch line of media players.
Largest Apple Store Opens in London This Saturday: AAPL’s 300th retail outlet will open in London’s Covent Garden tomorrow morning. The store will be the largest yet for the Cupertino, California technology manufacturer, with a staff of 300 employees and the Longest Apple Genius Bar yet. New York City’s Fifth Avenue Apple Store, located just below Central Park, could fit entirely in the Covent Garden store’s central courtyard.
As of this writing, Anthony Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.
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