Evercore Partners analyst Patrick Wang says that the notebook and PC market is going to endure another volatile makeover, possibly this year as mobile’s most formidable powerhouses renew their focus on the enterprise sector.
In particular, Wang thinks Apple will be a catalyst for much of this change when it releases a new “12-inch iPad hybrid.”
Although Apple hasn’t confirmed plans to release said product, Wang believes the writing is clearly on the wall for Apple to claim a larger share of the enterprise market, which is quickly turning away from BlackBerry and Android.
In a new research note shared to investors, Wang proposes that Apple’s big move will happen later this year.
Arriving in fall ‘14, Apple goes Enterprise with a 12” iPad. Powered by the A8 chip (perhaps 4C), this expands ARM’s reach and, once again, transforms the traditional notebook market as we know it.
– Expect a 2-1 hybrid – think iPad + MBA – similar to how most iPads are used in the workplace and in the same spirit of MSFT’s Surface.
We’ll get a better idea of how well Apple’s most recent tablet offerings – the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display – are performing when Apple reports earnings for the 2013 holiday quarter later this month on January 27th.
