Why does Apple need to have a sale?

The Twittersphere is a very excitable place today. Why, you ask? No, it is not because of Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks getting charged, although this has helped. It is because Apple has announced for one day only it is going to have a sale.

Yes fanboys, roll up, roll up, Apple will be slashing its prices this coming Friday in both its retail stores and online outlets, but just for 24 hours.

It is not clear yet what the discounts will be but we are already peering round the corner from our central London office to see if queues are forming on Regent Street yet.

What baffles me is why is Apple doing this. The company has never seemed to have a problem shifting its products before, especially in the run up to Christmas, and the premium price tag has ensured premium profits every quarter.

I think a sale shows Apple might be getting nervous. The smartphone market is not going in its favour as Samsung continues grow in its domination and the tablet world is becoming cramped with a number of low price and appealing products from the likes of Google and Amazon.

Consumers have a lot more choice than even 12 months ago and when you can get a premium smartphone for almost £150 less than the iPhone or a smart, budget tablet device with change from £200, the appeal of Apple's innovations may be waning.

Don't worry, I have not lost my mind. I know Apple isn't going anywhere soon and its beautifully crafted marketing has many a man and woman hooked on all of its gadgets. There will still be significant sales figures coming in the next financial results and profits will still have so many zeros I will feel nauseous.    

But, this one day sale means they want to get some attention and perhaps need to get some attention, dragging the spotlight away from devices like the Google Nexus 4 or Samsung Galaxy Note II that are getting way more coverage than the iPad or iPhone in the festive build up.

Do they know something we don't know? I guess the sales figures in January will tell the story but I just hope they separate the sales from the one day extravaganza out from the rest of the quarter so we can see what is really going on.

Happy queuing guys! I'll be in the pub with a book and a glass of mulled wine...