Analyst: $999 MacBook and Expanded IPods For September

August 8, 2008 10:12 a.m. EST

Cupertino, CA (AHN) - Apple next month may unveil new looks and prices for its iPods and MacBook products, an analyst predicted Thursday. The timing would coincide with past Apple announcements and the all-important back-to-school period.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, buttressed by the blog AppleInsider, says Apple will introduce a revamped MacBook, complete with new design and a $999 price that allows the company to better compete with lower-priced PCs.

Munster also predicted Apple will boost the capacity for the iPod Shuffle and Nano would increase, but not the price. However, the financial analyst said Apple will likely price the iPod Touch at $199 to match the recently released iPhone.

On tap for 2009 is a smaller Macbook Air and a new MacBook Touch will be released in 2010, the analyst predicted.