Is Apple Planning a Double Act?
There is a rumor going around that Apple will have not one, but two events for the release of the rumored upcoming iPhone and iPad based on the idea that these two products are too big to share a spotlight. We won't know it's true until Apple says so, but like all Apple rumors we can only assess this one using context clues. Others have decided to take John Gruber's musing on Daring Fireball as near truth because Apple soothsayer Jim Darymple gave it his approval on The Loop. Darymple has a good track record on these matters, and in fact, some people in the tech world think Apple's PR people fed him the information that led to that post. But Apple—per usual— hasn't confirmed anything. So, as far as we're concerned, it's still a rumor based on the idea that the iPhone should have its own event, but that doesn't mean Apple will follow that line of thinking, especially considering in the past it has had no problem talking up two products at the same time.
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Just ten months ago, Apple gave us the iPhone 4S and updated iPods, both Touch and Nano all during the same hours-long presentation. There, it happened: Two different products, one event. Sure, one could argue a lot of reasons that Apple wouldn't do this again for its iPad/iPhone combo. The iPhone and iPad, at this point in time, are more culturally relevant than an iPod, is one line of thinking. That's where Gruber is coming from. "The iPhone is too big, too cool, and garners too much attention — and it’s in Apple’s interest to keep that attention undiluted," he wrote. Looking back, Apple has never held an iPhone and iPad event all at the same time. Last year's new iPad came out six months after the 4S announcement. So, it could go either way.
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But, that's the thing with all these rumors, isn't it: They can go any and all ways. We don't even know for sure if Apple will release an iPhone or an iPad this fall. But, Apple does have a vested interest in ensuring the rumors don't get too far off from the truth. Reliable rumors get analysts and investors hopeful and expectant. If Apple doesn't deliver two products, with as much spotlight to match the hype it has facilitated among the rumormongers, it can hurt their stock price, as we've seen happen in the past. Of course, we won't know anything until Apple tells us.
