Apple's most popular products were met with strong demand over the Black Friday shopping weekend, and the company responded with plenty of iPhone 5s and iPad Air units available at its stores, though the new iPad mini with Retina display remains in short supply.
Apple's new flagship iPhone 5s and mid-range iPhone 5c contribute more value to Cupertino's profit margins than their predecessor, the iPhone 5, according to one Wall Street analyst.
If Apple were to reach agreements with carriers China Mobile and NTT DoCoMo to offer the iPhone before the end of the year, it would increase the company's addressable market by about 900 million total subscribers, providing a major boost to sales throughout 2014.
If Apple were to heed the advice of investor Carl Icahn and increase its share buyback program, it could have a quick and significant effect on the company's stock, a new analysis has found.
While Apple posted better-than-expected quarterly results and increased its quarterly dividend this week, market watchers are still concerned a lull in new product introductions is likely to continue until this fall.
Expectations are low for Apple's recently concluded March quarter, in which some market watchers believe the company likely saw its first year-over-year profit decline in a decade, despite booming sales of its iPad lineup.
The struggling PC market is forecast to go from bad to worse, as one analyst believes a number of market factors will push gross margins even lower in the already-cutthroat business.
While Apple's recent stock woes have been driven by investor concerns over the company's slowing growth, one analyst believes the current stock price does not reflect the "stickiness" that will cause existing customers to stay with Apple.
Apple is in a position to work some of its "magic" during this week's quarterly earnings conference call, which could erase the negative sentiment that his surrounded the company's stock for months.
With Apple's cash hoard swelling to more than $120 billion dollars, some investors have begun to hope that the company could issue an additional special dividend to shareholders. However, one analyst says while that decision would be welcome, it's very unlikely to happen.
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Neil Hughes
Shane Cole
