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Daily Update for January 3, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple stock named top pick for 2012
If part of your Christmas gift stash includes a lot of cash, you might want to consider spending it on shares of Apple, Inc. Ticonderoga Securities has named the company's stock the 'top pick' for investors in 2012, mirroring the recommendation made last year by the group. Of the 20 companies covered by Ticonderoga, Apple was the best performer with a growth rate of 26 percent. Ticonderoga analyst Brian White was quoted on AppleInsider as saying "We believe Apple's portfolio in 2012 has the opportunity to crete more excitement around the story with our expectation for the unveiling of iTV, an 'iPad mini' and a major upgrade with the iPhone 5, while we expect the company to finally come to grips with its surging cash balance and issue its first cash dividend." The possibility of a cash dividend to shareholders was roundly dismissed by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 2010, as the company has preferred in the past to hold onto cash reserves to take advantage of "strategic opportunities." White isn't the only Wall Street analyst painting a rosy picture for AAPL in 2012. Longtime Apple bull Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray sees growth in almost every Apple product segment with the exception of the iPod. Munster thinks that the next-generation iPhone will have a slightly larger screen and will launch in late summer or early fall. Munster also believes that an Apple television will become a reality this year, and that the company might supplant a new third-generation iPad with a lower-priced entry as well.
Report suggests Apple had best November ever
If you think Apple's finances have been flying high in 2011, just wait. A report by Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities shows that the company's supply chain is showing record sales for November. In turn, that could indicate record sales for Apple products during the holiday season. As reported on AppleInsider, White watches the "Apple Barometer," an index of Taiwanese suppliers who make the components for Apple's products. Over the last six years, the barometer has shown an average two percent month over month growth. The numbers for November were huge, with supply chain sales up a full 17 percent over those for October. The October numbers were a bit lower than usual due to Apple ordering many Macs, iPad 2s, and iPhone 4S units during the previous quarter, and that was reflected in the lower Apple stock prices seen in November. In the last quarterly earnings conference call, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer told analysts that he expected Apple to set new company records for iPhone and iPad sales during the December quarter. The Apple Barometer numbers seem to indicate that Oppenheimer's forecast was right on the money, and Apple's stock should move higher as a result.
MacBook Air begins to sell in China
Hot on the heels of last Friday's predictions by analyst Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities, the MacBook Air has gone on sale in China this week. According to MacWorld, all four versions of the latest mid-2011 MacBook Air went on sale in China this week, though there are dispatch delays of between five and eleven working days, depending on which model is ordered. In a note to clients last week White said, "The new MacBook Air is poised to be a big hit in the Greater China region as more consumers can increasingly afford to own a PC, Apple fever is gaining momentum in the region and there is no laptop product on the market with the characteristics of the new MacBook Air." With Mac sales already booming in Asia, it's safe to say that the latest MacBook Air will most certainly be a hit in China.
Mid-2011 MacBook Air reportedly about to launch in China
Fortune's Apple 2.0 is reporting that the mid-2011 MacBook Air (launched just over a month ago in the US) is set to launch in China in the next week or so. According to analyst Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities, this week's Hong Kong launch of the MacBook Air was met with, "long lines and stock outs of certain new MacBook Air models," which is an indication of what's to come when the MacBook Air launches in Greater China. White says, "Our field checks indicate that several Apple authorized resellers in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen are experiencing stock outs of the previous version of MacBook Air, which we believe is in preparation for the launch of the new MacBook Air." White goes on to say that the MacBook Air could launch "as early as next week at some stores." Either way, with iPhone and Mac sales booming in Asia, fake Apple Stores and fake Steve Jobs biographies cropping up aplenty in China, and the ever increasing rumors surrounding the iPhone hitting China Telecom, it's clear China is going to be a large market for Apple in the future.
In advance of Q4 earnings call: AAPL hits $310, 45m iPads expected to sell in 2011
All of us at TUAW are looking forward to the Apple 4th Quarter earnings call on Monday afternoon, which we will be liveblogging right here on the site. With some of the wonderful news coming out from Wall Street and financial analysts today, our very own Mike Rose says that the earnings call should "have a mariachi band and a fire-eater." We're expecting it will be quite entertaining. First, we've been watching the share price of AAPL, which is flirting with $310 today. But there's even better news from analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities: Apple could sell as many as 45 million iPads in 2011. White's research note to clients was covered by eWeek, and he talked to suppliers this week in Taiwan and China who support unit sales of 45 million of Apple's tablets. Coupled with Apple's announcements of aggressive retail expansion of sales of the device at Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Verizon, and AT&T, he expects the iPad to be one of the most coveted gifts for the 2010 holiday season, which should make the Apple execs on Monday happy enough to dance around a sombrero. Be sure to join us on Monday, October 18th at 5 PM EDT for our liveblog of the earnings call. [via MacObserver]
