Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is notoriously stingy when it comes to discounts and promotions, preferring to keep its products at full price year-round. Today’s announcement that a $25 iTunes gift card is being offered with any Apple TV purchase, through March 5, 2014, has stirred rumors that the latest iteration of the entertainment device is about to be released. Promotions are so rare that it is assumed there must be a purpose behind the notable gift card deal, with the usual guess being that older Apple TV stock is being cleared to make way for the new updated model.
Apple Inc. (AAPL) is always close-mouthed about release dates and even the details of whether a new product actually exists. “Leading indicators” such as this promotion are therefore key to predicting the imminent arrival of new products. A Bloomberg report pegs the official announcement date as being somewhere in April, while forecasting actual retail release as occurring later in the year, in time for holiday season shopping.
One much-discussed notion is that the next TV device from Apple Inc. (AAPL) will support gaming also. The game files might be stored in the iCloud, while the controller would apparently be a wireless Bluetooth device. This idea is supported by the fact that Apple seems to intend the new hardware to be a more central part of its product range, rather than a peripheral item like it is presently.
Since Apple has already begun a notable promotion scheme, the current idea is that release of the next model may be accelerated, and the next Apple TV box arrive sooner than expected. The device is part of an overall plan by Tim Cook to make 2014 a year of strong releases in order to reassure sensitive investors that there is still plenty of “life” in the Cupertino, California firm. The iPhone 6 and the much-rumored iWatch are part of the same overall strategy.
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