Apple Moving Above and Beyond the iPod Video

I read an article on Gizmodo.com on Sunday saying that in the New York Times advertising fliers this weekend, there were *no* iPod ads. I can't verify that fact, but I did take a run to Target, and was somewhat surprised to see no iPods for sale there -- they all seemed to be out of stock at the store I was at. This morning, I went online to the The Apple Store [U.S.] and checked out the special deals section, only to find that refurbished 30 Gigabyte video iPods are now $199. Now given that that is the same price Apple (AAPL) is selling 20 GB iPod Colors (without video), it sure sounds like Apple is trying to clear stock.

This is all circumstantial evidence, but it is what I'd do as a marketer if I were trying to avoid a lot of returns from unhappy customers who bought products just before they were replaced by much cooler ones.

As an aside, everyone should note that Apple has changed its major announcement schedule to accommodate its consumer market. For much of its history, all of Apple's cool announcements were at the January MacWorld in San Francisco, and a smattering of others were in a Boston or New York MacWorld. But anyone who studies consumer retailing knows that those are both lousy times to announce consumer products. The best time to launch consumer products is in September and October, just prior to the holiday selling season where retailers make most of their annual profits. It's no accident that the iPod nano and the video iPod were both announced in September and October respectively.

My prediction: We'll get new, cooler video iPods tomorrow and a new way to distribute movies wirelessly to the living room. But the one more thing I'm holding my breath for is the all-in-one 40-inch and 50-inch Apple HDTV. While the 24-inch iMac mounted on a wall would work well for an apartment, Apple has an opportunity to make a play for the larger American living room. It's the right time for such an announcement, and LCD and plasma price cuts have made it affordable. The only question is whether the product is ready.

Full disclosure: I own shares of Apple.

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