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As the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas winds down tolackluster reviews, Apple is expected to grab the spotlight with anultra-slim laptop computer and online movie rentals at its biggestannual show next week. The new productsare seen more as enhancements to Apple's current offerings rather thanones that pack the "wow factor" of last year's star attraction, the iPhone.
Next week's annual Macworld eventin San Francisco is the favorite venue of Apple Chief Executive SteveJobs to roll out new products and chart the company's course for theyear.
His showman-like pronouncements also increasingly set the agenda for the computer and electronics industries, and have in recent years overshadowed CES, held in Las Vegas around the same time.
Apple gives no hint of what will be announced, so guessing what Jobshas up sleeve is a favorite pastime of analysts and industry executives.
Analysts expect a computer half as thick as Apple's current MacBooklineup, but using flash memory chips like those found in its iPod musicplayers rather than a hard drive.
"The energy seems to be around a smaller-form-factor laptop computer,"said Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester, a market research firm.
Notebooks have been one of Apple's strongest segments. In its fourthfiscal quarter ended last September, the company sold 1.34 millionMacBook and MacBook Pro laptops, up 37 percent from a year earlier.
"What I'm guessing we might see from Apple is something a little morerecognizable as a MacBook device, as a derivative of a laptop or tabletrather than a cool new form factor that sits between laptop and mobilephone," Golvin said.
Many also think Jobs will announce that customers <cnet:blog id="9845382">will be able to rent</cnet:blog> downloaded movies from <cnet:blog id="9843291">Fox, Warner Bros., and others</cnet:blog> though its iTunes online store, a move that could shake up the $9 billion U.S. movie rental market.
Quote:
"I think the rentals are a bigger deal,"
said Shaw Wu, an analyst withAmerican Technology Research. "Apple has just simply not served thatmarket yet and I think that's going to open up a whole new revenueopportunity."
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Anticipation that Jobs will wow everyone with <cnet:blog id="9845236">groundbreaking new products</cnet:blog>tends to drive Apple stock higher in the days ahead of Macworld, butcan set shares up for a fall if the new products don't live up toexpectations.
Although Apple shares, dragged down by mounting fears of a U.S.recession, have fallen about 11 percent since topping $200 on December26, they rose 4.8 percent on Wednesday to $179.40.
The shares rose 8 percent the day Jobs unveiled the iPhone at lastyear's Macworld and have risen more than 90 percent over the past yearon bullishness over sales of iPhones and Macintosh computers, whichhave been gobbling up market share.
And Apple has fared better than other computer companies such as Dell,which has fallen 15 percent since the start of the year, andHewlett-Packard.
Quote:
"Apple's still going to be one of the better names to be involved in inthe tougher environment. The product cycles are so strong,
" said Wu,who has a price target of $210 on Apple shares.
Many industry analysts see the polished message of Macworld as awelcome relief from the chaos of CES and its familiar parade ofever-larger televisions, sharper video cameras, and slimmer cell phones.
Quote:
"Apple didn't need to take thunder from CES, there was nothing totake,"
Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research, wrote onthe company's blog.
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