Telstra has revealed the addition of almost one million new mobile services in the six months to December 2011, but Sensis revenues plummeted 24 percent in 12 months.
As I haven’t paid the US $279 fee to get my own copy of the research, I’m forced to see what other tech news publications say the research says, as it appears some of them have actually stumped up the cash to take a read, something that is no doubt very pleasing to Forrester’s accountants.
Computerworld is one such news organisation, and they list the following predictions for Apple from the report:
- Crank out a home server that "doesn't contain the word 'server.'"
- Produce an all-in-one super remote -- something Forrester's dubbed "AppleSound" -- that controls everything musical in the house, including iPods, the home stereo and audio-playing computers.
- Sell network-enabled digital photo frames and room-specific "clock radios" that stream images and tunes from the server.
- Extend the AppleTV into Blu-ray territory, or morph it into an Apple HDTV line.
- Offer in-home installation services for all this gear, using its Genius Bars as a starting point.
- Revamp its Apple Stores into retail outlets that push the digital living room/digital lifestyle.
- And amp up iTunes so it ties together digital content with cloud-based updates, remote management and editing.
Computerworld quotes one of the report’s authors as saying: “We haven't fabricated anything out of fantasy. There's nothing from Star Trek here. But Apple clearly has bigger ambitions than just the Mac base, so we started thinking about the ways it could get there, and then how they could do that by going to the next level, and then the next level after that.”
So, it seems that Forrester has just tried to logically map out where Apple might go, something that seems to have eluded most who try to predict Apple’s – and Steve Jobs’ – next move.
Computerworld also says the report predicts Apple won’t go further down the corporate path, nor will become a mobile operator, and that “the home” is where Apple’s heart truly lies.
The report’s authors also state they’re not forgetting about the Mac itself amongst all of these predictions, and they freely admit they’re really just thinking out loud at $279 a pop saying: "We're not pretending to have some kind of crystal ball, but I'd be surprised if we're wrong on the fundamentals, even if we are on the products and the timing. I think the chance is very high, better than 50-50”.
Well, of course Forrester would say that – they want interested parties to buy their report in full to see what other predictions it contains, but I wonder how quickly there’ll be a revision once June 9 rolls around and we hear about Apple’s future from Steve Jobs himself?
Computerworld’s article has plenty more detail, as do lots of other articles on the web, so whether you decide to buy that $279 report is up to you. I’d wait until June 9 first, at the very least.
David Bass
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