San Francisco (CNN Business)Less than 24 hours before polling day , Apple announced it might host its fourth major event of the year the subsequent week
The November 10 event, like all the others this year, will happen via livestream on the company's website. And just like the others, Apple (AAPL) didn't reveal an excessive amount of about what it's getting to announce, touting it only as "One other thing ." But users can likely expect the primary Mac devices with Apple's in-house chips, which the corporate said would be available before the top of this year
The company has already unrolled several "things" at periodic intervals this year. Last month, it launched the long-awaited iPhone 12 lineup with four different models. A month before that, it unveiled two new Apple Watch models, two new iPads, a replacement fitness class subscription service and a subscription bundle. In June, it detailed several software updates at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). And in March and April — even as the coronavirus was beginning to force the us into lockdown — came relatively quieter rollouts of a replacement MacBook Air, iPad Pro and a low-cost iPhone SE
Inevitably, a legion of Apple fans will tune to Tuesday's event, but the very fact that they are doing it for a 3rd time in as many months raises the question: Is there such a thing as an excessive amount of ? Apple
While the prospect of yet one more Apple event may cause exasperated groans in some corners, the world's
most valuable company will probably do itself no harm
Fatigue
It's been an extended and difficult year, and Apple's decision to host yet one more virtual livestream has been met with bemusement and raised eyebrows by a minimum of some Twitter users
Remember, it isn't just Apple beating people over the top with new products. The tech world has been saturated with livestreamed virtual launch events this year because of the pandemic, with rivals like Samsung (SSNLF) and Google (GOOGL) rolling out several products of their own
The potential risk is that prospective customers could get weary of the slickly produced marketing — a tech livestream version of "Zoom fatigue" — and hold off on making some purchases
"After a short time , yeah, i feel that the magic wears off, especially with these virtual events," William Stofega, program director for mobile device technology and trends at research firm IDC, told CNN Business. "Trying to concentrate while people are in your apartment ... running around, it's hard."
There's also the huge hit to the economy from the coronavirus that has curtailed many people's spending power
While early demand for the iPhone 12 appears to be strong, it remains to be seen whether Apple will get an identical response to its less high-profile offerings — including the new Macs expected on Tuesday
Some consumers certainly value an opportunity from the barrage of negative news, but the unbridled enthusiasm of tech executives are often grating also
"The upbeat messages — it's nice to listen to , on the other hand when you're struggling, if you've got a cutback at your job, there's always that bleed-over which could dull the reception," Stofega said. "The thing that garners the foremost attention, obviously, is that the iPhone and a few of the media products, but ... it are often a touch excessive after a short time ."
It's worth noting that Apple has been forced into staggering a number of its launches this year. The coronavirus hit the company's global supply chains and delayed production of the iPhone 12 by a couple of weeks, forcing it into an October launch rather than its usual mid-September timeframe (Apple unrolled watches and iPads then instead).
Nothing to lose
For Apple, like many companies holding livestreamed events, there's little or no downside. It's cheaper and more efficient to supply a one-hour video than it's to host many reporters and analysts at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, because it usually does. And more events just means more eyeballs and more buzz around its products — livestream fatigue notwithstanding
"Especially now during the Covid-19 pandemic people are spending longer reception and consuming media, which is what Apple is capitalizing on," said Maurice Klaehne, an analyst at Counterpoint Research. "These virtual launches are alright attended and keeping them shorter seems to be working to capture the eye of the viewers."
And there are signs that the frequent rollouts are helping the company's bottom line
"While Apple has indeed added more launches this year, it's not hurt the corporate ," Klaehne said. "In fact, watching the foremost recent earnings reports, Apple increased revenues altogether categories."
The company has expanded its emphasis on services with more offerings because the growth in its device sales has slowed -- take, for instance , the Apple One subscription bundle it announced earlier this year. Tuesday's event should help further its services ambitions, with analysts previously saying the switch to in-house chips for Macs will enable Apple's software and services to figure together more seamlessly across devices
Klaehne says virtual events make that a part of the business a neater sell.
"While Apple has historically been driven by its hardware sales, it's continuing to expand its service revenues," he said. "Having more launches will only help the corporate grow this service revenue stream."