Kara Swisher, the AllThingsDigital writer who first reported on the possible event late Monday, said the event will likely not be a large scale affair.
According to Ms. Swisher, the event will likely feature an announcement related to the Cupertino, Calif.-based company’s media or publishing properties, which include the iTunes music store, the iBookstore, the App Store for mobile devices and the iAd advertising network.
Eddie Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, is responsible for all those divisions and is said to be the executive involved in the event.
Last year, Mr. Cue was also involved in another New York event to help launch News Corp.’s The Daily, an iPad-only digital news publication.
Since then, Apple has focused on expanding its New York presence, most notably with the opening last month of a massive Apple Store (or megastore according to The Washington Post). The company has also been refurbishing its flagship retail location on fifth avenue and recently opened an iAd office in the city.
Apple has yet to publicly announce a replacement for Andy Miller, who was vice president of mobile advertising before he left the company last August to join a venture capital firm. Still, a high profile media event related solely to a new hire is unlikely.
The iAd unit has been struggling over the past year, sources told the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper, as the service does not offer enough flexibility to be useful. So a revamped iAd product is possible.
But TechCrunch writer Alexia Tsotsis had another source say the event is related to iBooks, so a new content initiative or publishing tie up could be in the works as well.
Apple officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Financial Post, though they did wish Ms. Swisher a “happy, happy new year.”
Until the company has something more to say on the matter, the company’s ardent customer following will undoubtedly be providing plenty of their own theories.
Posted in: FP Tech Desk, Media Tags: Andy Miller, Apple, Apple Inc., Apple late September event, Eddie Cue
