The new Apple products have been long-awaited, and some folks may have to wait even longer now.
For weeks now Apple (AAPL) – Get Free Report has been teasing the release of two star products.
While the tech giant wouldn’t confirm what would drop and when, eagle-eyed Apple watchers expected we’d see a new computer and/or laptop sometime in January.
And on the morning of Jan. 17, as soon as many folks returned to work, Apple released an announcement introducing several new items.
MacBook Pro laptops will undergo a refresh this year, getting the newest (and most powerful) Apple processors, available in both the 14- and 16-inch iterations of the product.
Mac minis will also come with the M2 Pro or M2 Max chips. Apple will no longer be selling Macs with Intel (INTC) – Get Free Report processors as the Cupertino, Calif., company works to move many hardware and accessory production schemes in-house.
“This is the best laptop I’ve ever used,” gushed a user on Apple’s product announcement video, released on the morning of Jan. 17.
Apple
Apple Hopes Its Product Refresh Boosts Sales
Apple, whose stock is down more than 7% in the past six months, is hoping a splashy new product launch aids with lagging sales.
Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri warned investors that the company expected Mac sales to lag through the end of last quarter, following an issue with holiday shipments that would delay order delivery to sellers in December.
For comparison, last January Apple reported that Mac sales were up 25% from a year earlier.
The company has been tightening belts across several sectors. Last week, it was reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook would cut his pay in half in 2023.
Apple reports its fiscal-first-quarter earnings later in January.
Apple Site Crashes Ahead of Product Announcements
Plenty of websites experience anomalies and technological glitches due to increased traffic ahead of big announcements. Apple has become something of a well-oiled machine when it comes to building up hype and managing traffic spikes on its product pages on announcement day.
But its e-commerce, or business-to-business, site was down early on the morning of Jan. 17 before its new products were announced. Apple’s e-commerce site primarily sells products and subscription services to other businesses.
Why the site was down and for how long is unclear, but it has since been restored and at last check was now functional.
Its main site, Apple.com, was not affected and remained in service following the product launch.
Customers are still able to place orders for the new products, which will be available starting Jan. 24.
