Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) needs to release a new product in 2014. That’s what all of the analyst are saying, at the very least. The Cupertino company has not released a fully new product line since 2010, and the firm’s stock has suffered. Analysts have their minds set on the company releasing a television, or a smartwatch, next year, but the company doesn’t always conform to analyst predictions.

In the next few months rumors about what Apple plans to release in2014 will become more clear, but for now there is fairly little to go on. The company will probably release something new in 2014, but the analysts are probably not right about its form.

Apple Launches In 2014

There are certain things we know, or can be sure of, about Apple performance next year. The company will release a new iPhone and a new iPad next year. Both products will probably be incremental improvements over the current generation. Neither is likely to shake the tech world. We know that Apple is experimenting with many different types of device, but we also know that these experiments often lead to nothing.

The Cupertino company is almost certainly experimenting with devices from the size of a television right down to the size of a smart watch, but that doesn’t mean it’s ready to mass produce any of them. Rumors confirming the existence of an Apple television draw from prototype parts that may never be used in an actual release by the company.

There is little reason to think Apple will conform with the wishes of analysts with its next major release. Analysts have gotten it wrong many times over the last five years. If they were all suddenly correct about the company’s plans it would represent a massive change in form. Apple will probably bring something to the table in 2014, but it’s likely to surprise even the most confident of analysts.

Apple Surprise On the Way

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is unlikely to release a television next year. The company has not release developer tools for its set-top box Apple TV, nor has it given any software clues that such a product is coming. The firm may release a television in the next couple of years, but a 2014 Apple television is a stretch.

The smartwatch looks like a failure at Samsung, and the entire product category looks less than universally usable. Wearable technology probably has a few years of development before it’s ready for the mainstream, and Apple needs a new headline product, not a peripheral. The iWatch may arrive in 2014, but it probably won’t mean that much to the company’s investors.

Apple is going to surprise the world in 2014. It’s most likely to do it in a more traditional area, however. The company is likely to release a larger iPad in 2014. That product should usher in an era in which the company actually competes for enterprise. Apple is a mystery to all who dare look into its depths. Surprises are afoot in 2014, but we’ll have to wait to see their shape.

Disclosure: Author represents that he has no position in any stocks mentioned in this article at the time this article was submitted.