I can confirm this. The Surface and WP8 also were announced hastily at the beginning of the summer in response to competitors and not because they were ready.

I can confirm this. The Surface and WP8 also were announced hastily at the beginning of the summer in response to competitors and not because they were ready. Amazon originally had Sept 5 for their announce, and Nokia scheduled over it because if they didn't announce before Apple it would be a lost cause. But they needed price. Price is what's going to make this year interesting. Coincidentally, Steve's letter about from a few years ago today said the same thing: http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/ http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/