David Caolo

Last Tuesday, I listed the updates Apple has released since January. It seemed like a lot - something new every Tuesday for the last seven weeks. To be sure, I’ve compared everything released during same time period from 2008, 2007 and 2006.

2008, January & February

1. New Mac Pros
2. New Xserve
3. iPod firmware 1.1.3 *
4. Front Row update *
5. MacBook Air *
6. Time Capsule *
7. iPod touch apps *
8. Pink iPod nano
9. iWork updates
10. 16GB iPhone (storage bump)
11. 32GB iPod touch (storage bump)
12. Apple TV 2
13. iPod shuffle price drop (1GB model at $49) and new model (2GB at $69).
14. Security Update 2008-001
15. 10.5.2 update
16. iTunes 7.6 with movie rentals
17. iPhoto 7.1.2
18. iMovie 7.1.1
19. QuickTime 7.4.1
20. Xsan 2
21. Xserve RAID discontinued
22. MacBook updates - 2.1GH or 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo; $1099 or $1299, respectively ($1499 for black)
23. MacBook Pro updates - 2.4GHz, 2.5GHz or 2.5GHz with Multi-touch; $1999, $2499 or $2799, respectively
24. iPhone/iPod touch firmware 1.1.4

Tally:

New hardware products = 3.

Updates to existing hardware = 7.

Software updates = 13.

Discontinued items = 1.

2007, January & February

1. Security Update 2007-002
2. Java for Mac OS 10.3 and Mac OS 10.4 Update 5
3. Security Update 2007-001
4. Paramount movies added to the US iTunes Store
5. iChat Update
6. Final Cut Pro 5.1.4
7. Airport Extreme updated with a new form factor and 802.11n spec
8. Apple TV announced (Began shipping March 21) *
9. iPhone announced (Available on June 29 in the US) *
10. Pod shuffle available in 4 new colors
11. Xserve RAID update (10.5 TB capacity as a built-to-order option)

Tally:

New hardware products = 1. I excluded the Apple TV and iPhone as they were announced in January, but not delivered. In 2008, all products were delivered within those first eight weeks.

Updates to existing hardware = 2.

Software updates = 6.

Discontinued items = 0.

2006, January & February

1. 10.4.5 update
2. 10.4.4 update released
3. Safari 1.3.2 (Mac OS 10.3 only)
4. Safari 2.0.3 (included in Mac OS 10.4.4 update)
5. iLife ‘06 *
6. iPhoto 6.0.1 update
7. iMovie HD 6.0.1
8. iDVD 6.0.1
9. iWeb 1.0.1
10. iChat 3.1.1 update (included with Mac OS 10.4.4)
11. QuickTime 7.0.4 *
12. DVD Studio Pro 4.0.3
13. Logic Pro 7.2 announced (universal binary)
14. Pod Hi-Fi introduced
15. iPod shuffle 512MB price dropped to $69, 1GB to $99
16. 1GB iPod nano introduced
17. iPod leather case for 5G iPod and iPod nano
18. iPod FM receiver remote accessory introduced *
19. Mac mini updates: Intel 1.55GHz Core Solo, 1.66GHz Core Duo. Up to 2GB RAM, 4 USB ports, in-built 64MB VRAM.
20. New iMac with 1.83-2GHz Intel Core Duo *
21. MacBook Pro replaces PowerBook *

Tally:

New hardware products = 6.

Updates to existing hardware = 2.

Software updates = 13.

Discontinued items = 1.

Conclusion

It’s clear that the beginning of 2008 wasn’t particularly rich with Apple updates, it just felt that way because, in comparison, 2007 was anemic.

There was no iLife ‘07 (iLife ‘06 was introduced in January of ‘06 and iLife ‘08 in August of 2007). Also, while three new hardware products were announced in January of 2007, only one - the 802.11n Airport Extreme - shipped within the first eight weeks of that year.

Meanwhile, the first eight weeks of 2008 and 2006 saw abundant updates. In ‘06 we got the MacBook Pro, a new iMac, new mini, the iPod FM receiver and iPod Hi-Fi, plus an iLife update and two updates to Mac OS X.

In ‘08, Apple released a new Mac Pro, a new Xserve, the MacBook Air, Time Capsule, beefier iPod touches and iPhones, a pink nano, speedier MacBooks and MacBook Pros (with Multi-Touch), iPhone/iPod touch firmware 1.1.4, iWork and iLife updates plus Apple TV Take 2.

That’s twelve high-profile consumer products in 2008 and eight in 2006 … only two in 2007.

Finally, one item was discontinued each year: The PowerBook in 2006, the iPod Hi-Fi in 2007 and the Xserve RAID in 2008.

* Macworld Expo

Update: I’ve created a comparison of Apple’s January - February updates from 2008, 2007 and 2006 here.

Apple has released new or updated consumer products every Tuesday since the second week of January. I believe this is the start of what’s going to be Apple’s most aggressive and successful year.

Consider some of the financial highlights from 2007:

• FY07 1st Qtr: Record profit of $1B
• FY07 2nd Qtr: Macs represented 56% of Apple’s products, $855 Million profits thanks to Apple retail (34% year-over-year growth)
• FY07 3rd Qtr: Net income up 73%, Apple’s growth rate more than 2 1/2 times what was predicted for the quarter. Mac notebooks up 42%. 9.8 million iPods, 31% growth over the quarter. Best ever Mac sales.

Finally, look at FY08 1st Qtr:

• 2,319,000 Macs (44% more than the previous quarter)
• 22,121,000 iPods (5% more than the previous quarter)
• 2,315,000 iPhones

In short - their best quarter ever.

The halo effect is real (re-check those numbers for Mac sales) and Apple intends to keep those eyeballs pointed in their direction. Here’s a recap of what’s been introduced since January 8th, 2008.

1/8/08

New Mac Pros and Xserve. The Mac Pros are 8-core standard, running up to 3.2 Ghz on each 45 nanometer Quad-Core Xeon.

The Xserve gained Quad-Core Xeon processors, built-in accelerated graphics to support a 23″ Cinema Display and front-side USB 2.0 ports.

1/15/08 (Macworld Expo)

• iPod firmware 1.1.3
• Front Row update
• MacBook Air
• Apple TV 2
• Time Capsule
• iPod touch apps

At the keynote, Steve notes “…that’s just the first two weeks.”

1/22/08

Pink iPod nanos, just in time for Valentine’s Day shopping.

1/29/08

iWork updates are posted.

2/5/08

The iPhone and iPod touch both receive increased internal storage. Specifically, The iPhone is now available with 8GB (at $399US) or 16GB (at $499US) of storage, and the iPod touch is available in three models; 8GB ($299US), 16GB($399US) and 32GB($499US).

Note that the 16GB iPhone and the 32GB iPod touch are both $499, while there’s a one hundred dollar difference between the 16GB iPhone and the 16GB iPod model.

Also, the 16 GB iPhone and 32GB iPod touch are both available in the UK for £329.

2/12/08

Apple TV 2 software is released, as well as Aperture 2.

2/19/08

iPod shuffle price drop brings the 1GB model to $49 and adds a new 2GB model at $69.

MacBook, MacBook Pro Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0. Apple notes, “This MacBook and MacBook Pro firmware update addresses an issue where the first key press may be ignored if the computer has been sitting idle. It also addresses some other issues.”

I fully expect Apple to stick to this schedule for most of the year (perhaps with a couple of exceptions). I’ll keep this post updated as the weeks go by.