The VAR Guy

What’s coming down Apple’s pipeline? In case we haven’t speculated enough, Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, has made his “seasoned” opinions known about what the future holds for Apple in 2012. It seems much of our speculation is being echoed …

For the last couple of months, we’ve speculated Apple would release a retina display iPad (which now seems to be confirmed) but also launch it alongside the regular iPad 2, as a retina display (while valuable) might not appeal to everyone, especially the potential price uptick.

According to AppleInsider.com, Munster said Apple may release an “iPad 2S,” alongside an iPad 2, which includes a retina screen and a Siri support. Munster also said Apple would (obviously) launch an iPhone 5 at some point in the middle of 2012 and sell 142 million units for an overall increase of 18 percent of Apple’s revenue. Much like the lot of rumors we’ve tracked regarding a 15-inch MacBook Air, Munster also believes Apple could find new customers with new form factor of Macs, though he doesn’t specify which line.

The biggest question for Apple — and the one that Munster said almost nothing on — is the fate of the Mac Pro desktop-line of machines. If I had to guess, it’s the end of an era. Apple is a company that has no problem leaving the past in the past and certainly has no problem cannibalizing old products for the sake of new ones. Eventually, Apple could ship the Mac Pro as a purely custom device while iMacs and iPads dominate the landscape.

Whatever the case, Apple’s 2012 lineup will almost definitely be a precursor to two things — Apple’s direction in 2012 and Apple’s direction post-Steve Jobs. Expect a few unexpected surprises.

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