For Apple Users, March Goes Out Like A Lamb For A Change

It’s been happening for a while now. Instead of bouts of euphoria, cold sweats have become commonplace. Concentration has been replaced with long periods of daydreaming. The bank account, usually emptied by this point, is brimming with disposable cash with no place to go. April 1 marked a significant point in time for Apple, and it had absolutely nothing to do with April Fools’ Day. Rather, it represented only the second time in five years that the month of March ended without the folks in Cupertino putting on a really big show, and releasing a new product. In 2009, it was the iPod Shuffle. Two years later, it was the iPad 2. Last year, it was the “new” iPad. This year, absolutely nothing. Assuming that Apple’s next event isn’t held until the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, there will be an eight-month gap between events. This would be the longest wait “Apple has inflicted on its customers in 13 years,” according to Fortune. So, the question becomes: what has Apple been doing with their time? I’d surmise that last year’s iOS 6 Maps fiasco jolted Cupertino like nothing has in recent years. Add to that the formation of a new executive team, and Apple is probably using the extra time to get it just right. Of course, no one knows for sure what that “it” is. No one will remember an eight-month delay between product launches, assuming that the result is something that wows the masses. Until then, however, people have become jittery. Take Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, who has become increasingly concerned about Apple’s lack of new products. Calling the lack of a spring event “a surprise,” the analyst believes that Apple needs to announce three of four products in June “for it to be considered a real respectable” event. The products Munster mentions include the iPhone 5S, a music subscription service code-named iRadio, a new app store for Apple TV, and an iPad mini update.  I’d add to this list the long-rumored iWatch, and iPhone mini. I have no doubt that Apple is cooking up a number of surprises. Until then, however, the daydreams will only continue. See also: 'Confidential Presentation' Suggests June Launch For 'iPhone 5S', Apple Said To Be Working On Ultra HD Television, and Opinion: Apple's Six Month Product Life Cycle Is Dead, Or Rather It Never Existed. Updated When originally published, this post suggested that the iPad 2 had a Retina display, which it does not. We regret the error.

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