Apple ups R&D investment, suggesting brand new products are imminent
The company is ploughing 30 percent more into research and development than it did at this time last year
Apple had its third quarter earnings call yesterday, and while the general tone was, “Well guys, we’re still making lots and lots of money” there was a hint that something special could be on the way.
The call revealed that Apple invested US$1.6 billion in research and development this past quarter of the year – a 30 percent increase on the same quarter of 2013 and just over four percent of its entire revenue for the quarter.
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OK, so we know that’s just numbers, not hard evidence that some earth-shattering new gadget is imminent. However, it’s interesting to note that the last time Apple spent that proportion of its revenue on R&D was 2006 – just before it launched the iPhone and subsequently shifted the mobile phone landscape.
So, what could be just over the horizon? We could speculate all day, but the smart money is on the iWatch or similar wearable device – plus, of course, new iPhones and refreshes to its existing lines of iPads, iMacs, MacBook Airs etc.
The iPhone 6 looks set for a late September launch, while the iWatch may come along a few weeks later in October.
[Source: Mashable]
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Sam Kieldsen
Contributor 
