Just because 2008 featured a massive global financial meltdown, it doesn't mean that companies stopped innovating. In fact, with financial pressures tightening thanks to the economic slowdown, product innovations are much more urgent than they may have been before. Consumers are spending less so companies need their new products to be better than ever if they hope to boost sales. If these new products bomb the future doesn't look very bright for plenty of enterprises.

With that in mind, here are 14 make-or-break new products to watch for in 2009:

• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Super iPhone. Apple's sales and profits were $32.5 billion and $4.8 billion in the past 12 months. But its stock is down 52% from its December 2007 high. So it needs an exciting new product to boost sales. The Super iPhone -- rumored to have perhaps a 5" to 8" 4:3 screen with dimples on the screen itself so users can feel the buttons -- could help that. With concerns about Steve Jobs' health persisting, Apple needs to keep blockbuster products flowing.
• Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner. Boeing's sales and profits were $65.7 billion and $3.8 billion in the last 12 months during which time its stock has fallen 48%. In September 2007, its stock peaked at $105 on hopes for its 787 Dreamliner -- a fuel-efficient mid-sized aircraft. But as delivery dates have slipped - it's now two years behind schedule - so has Boeing stock. Nevertheless, the 787 has received about 900 orders and now that it has settled a two month machinists strike, it should be able to get things back on schedule and minimize the number of canceled or deferred orders. If Boeing can meet its latest delivery schedule, there is hope for its investors.
• Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) Stevia-flavored juices. Coca-Cola's sales and profits were $32.1 billion and $6 billion in the past 12 months. But its stock is down 25.6% in the last year. So it could use a big-selling product to boost sales. Stevia-flavored juices -- based on a South American plant extract that is supposedly sweet but lower in calories -- could boost sales. If people who try its product in clubs and youth events in New York and Chicago in 2009 like its Sprite Green, with lemon juice and Truvia (Coke's Stevia brand), Coke stock could rise.

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14 make-or-break new products for 2009 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.