Apple ‘Let’s Rock’ event likely to debut new, cheaper iPods

"Apple has invited the press to a 'special event' on Sept. 9," Brian Caulfield reports for Forbes. "Apple's invite, sent Tuesday, includes an image of a man with an iPod titled "Let's Rock." Another clue, as if it were needed: Apple rolled out its new lineup of iPods in early September last year, giving the company plenty of time to prepare for the holiday season."

"Cheaper iPods would help the Cupertino, Calif., company avoid overlap between its new $299 iPhone 3G and iPod digital media players. And on Apple's quarterly earnings call last July, Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said the company expects its gross margins to fall to 30% for fiscal 2009, down from 35%," Caulfield reports.

"As a result, Apple will likely slash the price of the iPod touch to $199 from $299, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note to investors Tuesday. He also said that he expects a redesigned iPod Nano and more capacity for both the iPod Shuffle and iPod nano," Caulfield reports.
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