Neil Hughes
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.
Analyst Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank believes Apple needs to take charge with Wednesday's conference call, he said in a note to investors. By doing so, the company could "reinvigorate excitement" among investors, and also "rekindle its past PR magic."
"The news cycle on Apple has turned decidedly negative following the iPhone 5 launch, the Maps snafu, traction from competitors in the 5-inch and 6-inch Android space, and general perception from the media that Apple has lost its mojo," Whitmore said. "Apple needs to change the tone of the conversation."
Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer will lead Wednesday's earnings call.
He expects the focal point of Apple's call on Wednesday will be the state of iPhone demand into 2013. Whitmore's own checks with carriers have found that iPhone 5 demand remains healthy, and he has dismissed recent concerns regarding reductions in component orders as "overblown."
While he believes Apple will attempt to take control with Wednesday's call, don't expect the company to reveal insight into its future product pipeline. Apple has always maintained its secrecy during investor calls and executives refuse to respond to inquiries about potential future plans.
"Although we don't expect Apple to comment on new products in conjunction with its earnings release, we believe new products (iPhone segmentation, iPad mini with Retina display, refreshed iPad and an Apple TV) are on the horizon, which should improve Apple's growth outlook," he said.
Apple will report its earnings after the market closes on Wednesday, and a conference call featuring Chief Executive Tim Cook and Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer will follow at 5 p.m. Eastern. AppleInsider will have full live coverage.
For a closer look of Apple's first quarter earnings for fiscal 2013, see AppleInsider's in-depth preview, featuring Wall Street expectations for revenue, margins, and individual product sales.
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
51 Comments
Dear manipulators,
Get bent.
Sincerely,
Tim Cook, et. al.
Changing the public's perception starts with changing the media's. The media seems hell bent on promoting every negative rumor they can if it paints Apple as failing.
If rumors are correct, Tim Cook, unlike SJ, is openly more concerned with stock price. Of course, after SJ's passing, Apple stock went into orbit, so SJ was not tested in that new environment. Tim Cook certainly must be concerned with the recent stock decline. My concern with Apple continues to be the paucity of innovative minds at the top of Apple. SJ Ive Forstall were key players. Forstall self-destructed, SJ gone. Can Ive do it alone? Not likely. He's significantly outnumbered.
[quote name="digitalclips" url="/t/155574/earnings-call-is-apples-opportunity-to-change-the-tone-of-the-conversation#post_2262512"]Changing the public's perception starts with changing the media's. The media seems hell bent on promoting every negative rumor they can if it paints Apple as failing.[/quote] But the media craves Apple news because it gets eyeballs. Negative news getting more eyeballs is just the way it goes. So long as Apple has all the mindshare this will not change.
Dear manipulators,
Get bent.
Sincerely,
Tim Cook, et. al.
It's important to recognize that, quite possibly, the "manipulators" who have kept $AAPL below $550 may well as the ones responsible for the surge during the summer.