Apple's Mysterious Product Transition

Apple yesterday announced their Q3 earnings and included a mysterious reference to a "future product transition". The wording suggests that it might not be the long speculated iTablet, but rather a transition for an existing product.

That being said, I wouldn't be so certain that we can close the door an iTablet-like product. Perhaps the transition to iTablet would come from products like iPods or even iPhones. MacBooks are clearly the number laptop seller for Apple. If they were to release a tablet PC priced well below the MacBook, let's just say the company would sell more than a few, many of which would be first time Mac owners. Anyone who ventured to an Apple Store over the past few weeks has seen the impact price can have on demand, specifically for Apple products. Priced at $199, Apple has a hard time keeping the iPhone on shelves. With the MacBook Air, the company clearly showed they are trying to break out the stodgy old guard of computer making. Remember, they are now Apple, Inc. and not Apple Computer. The MacBook Air however was a premium based product, offering similar specs to the less expensive Mac Book.

What About the OS?

iPhone runs a specialized version of Mac OS X, so why not add a flavor for an iTablet. Think WWDC 09' with three banners: OS X, OS X iPhone, OS X iTablet. It's time for the third bridge. There are certainly enough developers on board and they could easily port apps to an iTablet.

Fortune Magazine speculates it could be a new revamped iPod line or MacBook line. Photos of a new MacBook Pro casing sufaced weeks ago, so throw that into the hat as well. I highly doubt Oppeheimer would drop such a bombshell when it was simply a refresh of sorts. The wait is on for the next big thing from Cupertino. Let the speculation begin.