Though Apple fell short of market expectations with its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, analysts on Wall Street still have great expectations for the company during the 2012 holiday shopping season.
Apple's 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference Keynote was met positively by analyst on Wall Street, who expect this year's iOS 6 upgrade to further establish the iPhone as the leading device in the smartphone market.
If Apple were to launch a full-fledged television set, it could cause total average annual U.S. household spending on Apple products to double to $888 by 2015, according to a new projection.
A new analysis from investment bank Morgan Stanley downplays investor fears that Apple's iPhone revenue could be impacted by lengthening carrier upgrade cycles and reduced subsidies, noting instead that increased distribution from new carrier partners should sustain iPhone growth.
After Apple announced record March quarter earnings of $11.6 billion, Wall Street watchers responded enthusiastically, with one analyst calling it proof of the beginning of an "international growth story" for the company.
With shares of Apple on a chart-topping climb, investment bank Morgan Stanley has lifted its price target for the stock to $720, with a 12-month bull case estimate of $960.
Shortly after Apple unveiled the new iPad, Wall Street analysts weighed in with their opinions of the device. Most are predicting that it will help "cement" Apple's market dominance.
A new analysis shows that the adoption of tablets in the enterprise, led largely by Apple's iPad, is having an accelerating impact on the decline corporate printing.
Investment bank Morgan Stanley believes Apple will partner up with both China Telecom and China Mobile "over the next year" to make its iPhone available on all three Chinese carriers, a move that could bring incremental sales of as many as 40 million units next calendar year.
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 iPhone could see huge sales numbers in Asia as the region's burgeoning smartphone market has been largely untapped, with only about 22 percent of carriers selling Apple's handset, according to a new analysis.
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."
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.
Investment bank Morgan Stanley took the position on Monday that Apple is "more likely than ever" to return some of its $76 billion in cash to shareholders and recommended either share buybacks or dividends as the most favorable options.
Responding to the news that Steve Jobs is stepping down as Apple CEO, Wall Street analysts affirmed the company's position, predicting a relatively uneventful transition for the company and calling Tim Cook "the ideal candidate" for the role.
While the move may be good for the parties directly involved, Google's purchase of Motorola is not expected to have a major effect on Apple, Wall Street analysts have said.
Wall Street analysts were stunned by Apple's record quarterly earnings on Tuesday, noting that there seems to be no end in sight for the company's "upside parade."
Apple will begin production of fifth-generation iPhones in August ahead of a projected late third quarter launch, according to intelligence obtained by one investment banker's recent trip to Taiwan.
Fresh off a meeting with senior executives at Apple, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said the company sees product cycles as being driven by software rather than hardware and is expected to announce major software updates at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Slowing shipments of PCs have prompted some analysts to revise their 2011 PC shipment estimates downward over concerns that Apple's iPad is eating into sales of PCs.
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Neil Hughes
Josh Ong
AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
