Please add “Apple iTablet” or such and I’ll be ready to invest.

Thx,

D

Thanks for your comment D.

I thought about that, but that’s why I included Other. Ultimately, it’s an issue of products and branding. If you invest in Other and Steve unveils a tablet and calls it iTablet or some name, then you’re covered under Other. If he unveils a tablet, but it is listed under the MacBook or MacBook Pro brand, you won’t.

If Steve mentions upgraded processor speeds, memory, or brighter screens at MacWorld that isn’t really a new product. That is an upgraded product and as I worded in the instructions, that would be exempt from the market.

Also, I’m not going to include iTablet because I don’t think it would be fair to the other traders. I recently participated in a market that was closed earlier than it was originally supposed to be. Ultimately, our investments were returned.

You want me to include an iTablet, but how can I do that without considering the other traders? They have already made an investment, considering the possibility that something besides what is already on the market will be unveiled. If it is an iTablet, a flying machine, or an Apple iCar, then you’re covered under Other.

In the end, it is up to you whether you choose to invest or not. Feel free to create an iTablet market.

I have changed the date the market closes to January 15th at 12:00 PM PST. I believe this was the original time when I set the market up, but something appears to have changed.

Please be aware of this and take this into account while forming your strategy. Good luck!

You’ve mentioned processor speed, does a bump from 4-core to 8-core architecture in the Mac Pro count as “speed” in your book? Also, will a Blu-ray drive count if it’s a build-to-order option and not standard on any models?

Keep in mind that the jump from 4-core to 8-core probably requires significant software engineering in order to process data properly – i.e. it’s not the same as just loading in a faster chip or memory. I would consider this a significant improvement to the system architecture and would pay out even if it was the only improvement to a machine, but then again… there might be other improvements as well. However, this hardware improvement would probably be confined to one model such as the MacBook Pro.

Concerning Blu-ray, if it could be added any system as a built-to-order option I would have to consider it as part of “Other.” My reasoning is that if you could have it built into any system in the Mac product line, then there would be no difference between the MacBook Pro, MacBook, iMac, etc. and it would force me to pay out at 100 for all of them.

But if Blu-ray is announced as a built-to-order, but only for say, the Mac Pro, and not any other lines, that would count as a new Mac Pro?

PS, thanks for your answers. I’ll buy whack-loads of highly speculative inklings to see how quickly I can waste all my new years capital now. :-D

If Blu-Ray is announced as only Mac Pro, then I suppose that I would have to register it as a new form, certainly an improvement over the traditional Super Drive and I would pay out for an improved Mac Pro. However, if Apple wishes to consider sales of Mac Pro, with a beautiful 30 inch HD cinema screen, or iMacs, then wouldn’t it want to include Blu-Ray in as many new models as possible. Ultimately, that is up to the market to decide and Steve to announce.

Do products have to be both announced and released promptly? I know Apple usually doesn’t announce things ahead of time, but sometimes they have. Rumor has it that a 3G iPhone will be out in the summer. If this is announced at MacWorld but not for release until summer, and there’s no radical change to the current device, will the iPhone stock cash out at $100 or $0?

If Steve announces a 3G iPhone at MacWorld, I’ll pay out at 100, even though it may not be available immediately. If he doesn’t announce it, then I won’t.

I have moved the closing time three hours ahead, so it will end at 9am PST, just as Steve is hitting the stage.

Furthermore, I will cash out the market as soon as possible, but thanks to the magic of time zones, I am usually sleeping while Steve is giving his presentation.