Analysts on Wall Street were blown away by Apple's blistering holiday 2011 quarter, and promptly revised their estimates even higher following the news.
The latest U.S. sales data from the NPD Group suggests Apple sold around 4.9 million Macs last quarter, a number that will likely be seen as a mild disappointment on Wall Street.
With iPhone sales over the holiday quarter expected to exceed 30 million, despite the fact that the iPhone 4S features the same form factor as its predecessor, one analyst believes the launch of a completely redesigned next-generation iPhone later this year will be a "monster."
Apple was the No. 1 stock recommended to investors by Ticonderoga Securities in 2011, and it holds that title once again at the start of 2012.
Apple's growth next year and beyond is expected to be driven by a redesigned iPhone, as well as a potential expansion of the iPad lineup into both lower and higher price points, according to a new analysis.
The latest domestic sales data from the NPD Group shows the Mac lineup demonstrating 13 percent year over year growth in the first two months of the current quarter, a growth number Wall Street watchers expect Apple will handily exceed when the December quarter is concluded.
Though Apple's recently launched iTunes Match service isn't expected to be hugely profitable for the company, it is viewed as an important service that will further tie customers into the iTunes ecosystem and Apple's hardware.
Apple's Black Friday sales were a resounding success according to two separate accounts, which revealed that most of the company's retail stores sold out of the iPhone 4S on the biggest shopping day of the year.
Apple is set to have another blockbuster quarter for the Mac platform, with the latest sales data showing the company headed toward selling as many as 5.3 million over the holidays.
A Taiwanese newspaper made waves on Wednesday by claiming that Apple has reduced orders for the iPhone 4S, but a trio of separate reports specifically dispute the rumor.
A new survey of technology directors in U.S. school districts found that all of them are testing or deploying the iPad in schools, and they expect tablets to outnumber computers in the next five years.
As rumors of an Apple television set pick up steam, one new report claims that the company is already building prototype models for a launch potentially as soon as late 2012.
After Apple's quarterly earnings failed to live up to Wall Street consensus estimates, some analysts have labeled the September quarter a "transitional quarter" for Apple, while remaining reassured that the first quarter of iPhone 4S sales will make up for the so-called "hiccup."
Apple on Tuesday is likely to announce a blowout quarter in which it set a new sales records across three of its four major product lines without the aid of a lucrative holiday shopping season, newly released sales data implies.
A new survey of customers in line at Apple stores on Friday to buy the iPhone 4S found that nearly three-quarters are upgrading from a previous version of the iPhone, while 27 percent are buying their first Apple handset.
A new analysis projects that 18.8 million iPhone 3GS users will upgrade to the iPhone 4S in the next year, accounting for 18 percent of Apple's sales.
Apple's record setting pace of a million iPhone 4S preorders in 24 hours puts the company in a position to sell nearly 3 million devices on launch weekend, and 25 million in the current quarter.
Steve Jobs changed the world with his ideas, and those same principles make up the backbone of Apple, which is why Wall Street watchers believe the company will continue to innovate and succeed even after the passing of its iconic co-founder.
Following Apple's unveiling of the iPhone 4S on Tuesday, Wall Street's response was relatively subdued, though analysts remain optimistic that Apple sales growth will continue to rise.
Apple's "let's talk" invitation to next week's next-generation iPhone unveiling could hint at new voice recognition technology built in to iOS 5, investment firm Piper Jaffray believes, though it does not expect a low-end, contract-free "iPhone 4S" to be unveiled alongside a fifth-generation model.
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Neil Hughes
Katie Marsal
Josh Ong
Kasper Jade
AppleInsider Staff
Sam Oliver
