Did Apple Delay iPad Mini, iMac Refresh Till 2013?

Apple AAPL may have quietly announced a delay of some of its biggest and most anticipated products. While there is little doubt that the iPhone 5 (or some other iPhone upgrade) will ship in 2012, the company's fourth-quarter guidance fell below expectations. Apple expects to report an EPS of $7.65 on revenue of $34 billion -- significantly less than the $10.27 EPS and $38 billion revenue analysts were anticipating. There are numerous developments that could explain the decline. Shrinking iPod sales could have been offset by record-breaking iPad sales (Apple moved 17 million units during the third quarter), but Apple sold 300,000 fewer Macs than analysts predicted. At the same time, the company's iPhone sales were solid (26 million units) but wound up being toward the lower end of expectations (some analysts expected as many as 29 million units to be sold). After refreshing the MacBook Air line of computers, Apple dropped the base price of its 13-inch model to $1,199 -- $100 less than the previous MSRP. This seemed like an unusual move considering the popularity of the device. However, Apple might have been fearful of the onslaught of Ultrabooks that Intel INTC is preparing, which typically retail for several hundred dollars less than a MacBook Air. By announcing lower-than-expected fourth-quarter guidance, Apple has essentially confirmed that it will not experience the level of growth that analysts expected. But why is this happening now? Why is Apple -- the company that no one could touch in 2010 and 2011 -- expected to disappoint? Apple's lower guidance cannot be blamed on the iPhone 5. While it may not be able to top sales of the iPhone 4S (which received a significant boost from Siri), many consumers cannot wait to buy the new phone. That desire comes from knowing very little about the still-unconfirmed device, which is expected to have 4G LTE and a larger, four-inch screen. Some might think that Apple's guidance is a sign that Apple may choose to release another iPhone 4S-style upgrade, or that the iPhone 5 will not have any new features that are as popular as Siri. The more likely scenario is that Apple is simply winding down its product cycle for 2012. While many expect the company to release a seven-inch tablet in time for Christmas, as well as a refreshed iMac and a Retina Display version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, these products are still rumors. If Apple planned to release all three of these products in 2012, its fourth-quarter guidance would likely be higher. Apple fans and investors alike should hope that is the case. If Apple released a slew of new products this year and still fell below expectations, the company would be in serious trouble. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ