Analyst

Technical challenges delaying iPhone 5S, budget iPhone, iPad mini 2?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who actually has a pretty good track record in predicting Apple's product plans, has some bad news for Apple fans. In a note issued to clients Thursday, he basically wrote that Apple's next batch of iDevice upgrades may hit the market later than originally expected due to a number of "technical challenges" related to the inclusion of fingerprint sensor beneath the Home button.

The rumored budget iPhone may be delayed because its slimmer-than-usual polycarbonate casing is proving harder nut to crack, while the second-generation iPad mini continues to face challenges with its high-resolution Retina panels. Jump past the fold for the full disclosure...

Analyst: bowing to phablet trend, Apple’s iPhone 5S to come in three screen sizes

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 9, 2013

Apple's rumored S-upgrade to its iPhone, the iPhone 5S, is assumed to arrive some time during summer, possibly shortly after Apple presumably announces it at its annual developers conference in June or July (the company hasn't yet set the date for WWDC 2013). One analyst in a note issued to clients Tuesday wrote that supply chatter points to multiple screen sizes for the iPhone 5S in order to appeal to consumers who dig jumbo-sized handsets and improve its standing in the market...

Asia calling for Apple iPhablets

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 5, 2013

Flurry data told us that so-called phablets comprise only a minuscule portion of smart devices compared to mid-size phones and large tablets, such as the iPhone and iPad, but there's no doubt that devices with five-inch or larger screens are gaining acceptance, largely thanks to Samsung's willingness to experiment with a bunch of different form factors. Even Apple acknowledged the trend by making the iPhone 5's four-inch screen the new gold standard for iPhones.

But with Samsung launching a five-inch Galaxy S4 soon and rumors of an upcoming Galaxy Mega line with 5.8 and 6.2-inch handsets making rounds, Asian suppliers are advising Apple to follow suit and blow up the upcoming iPhone's display if it wants to capture the next phase of smartphone growth...

Analyst claims iPhone 5S has fingerprint sensor

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

What voice-recognition did for the iPhone 4S, fingerprints will do for Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S, one technology analyst is telling investors. For the second time, an Apple observer forecasts a fingerprint sensor as a key feature of a new iPhone expected this summer. Such a sensor would let iPhone 5S owners use their fingerprints instead of passwords, as well as open the possibility of mobile credit card payments, according to a Wednesday report...

Analyst sees Apple television with ‘iRing’ motion controller and ‘mini iTV’ secondary screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2013

A rumored standalone television set from Apple dubbed iTV continues to be the subject of tremendous speculation, with one analyst recently citing supply chain checks allegedly pointing to a 4K Ultra HD set being built by Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn and slated for an early-2014 launch.

Another analyst now joins the conversation with some pretty wild predictions, also based on - you guessed right - checks with Apple's suppliers. Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets told one publication Wednesday that after meeting with Apple's Asian suppliers he now sees some pretty wild stuff in the pipeline.

Specifically, Cupertino will be launching an Apple-branded television set later this year, White says, along with a motion controller of sorts called iRing and a secondary display...

Munster pops Apple hype balloon: no new gizmos until June’s iPhone 5S launch

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated May 20, 2016

We've chided Piper Jaffray's well-known resident Apple analyst Gene Munster for his repeated predictions of a standalone Apple television set being just around the corner. However, this time we're giving Munster credit for trying to deflate the hype balloon which has taken Apple stock and consumers for a ride fueled by unreal expectations. The analyst is just the latest Wall Street figure hoping to inject reality into a belief that the Cupertino, Calif. iPhone maker was immune to the vagaries of mortal businesses - such as down periods.

In a note to his clients, Munster walked a fine line, laying out some uncomfortable numbers for a company that hasn't reported negative figures in a decade. Along the way, he also tested the waters of delayed gratification during a time investors appear more like strung-out addicts accustom to quarter after quarter of mind-blowing revenue from Apple...

Analyst: budget iPhone won’t have Retina display

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2013

Apple's rumored less-expensive iPhone aimed at emerging markets won't just shave costs by having a polycarbonate body instead of Unibody aluminum design, it is bound to have a standard-resolution screen rather than Apple's Retina display, like other iDevices. That's at least what one analyst wrote in a note to clients Friday, based on the often unreliable supply chain checks.

He's also calling for a June or July launch for both the budget iPhone and the iPhone 5S (a specs upgrade to the iPhone 5), which is the time frame that was mentioned previously in a few other recent reports...

Analyst: higher dividend can help AAPL rebound

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 19, 2013

With Apple's cash pile projected to balloon from a whopping $137 billion at the end of the previous quarter to an astounding $170 billion by year's end, there is a growing call for the iPhone maker to increase its stock dividend as a way to build a safety net under its beleaguered shares. The report of a bulging corporate vault comes as one Wall Street analyst proposes a four-step solution to pull Apple out of the weeds.

According to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, Tim Cook & Co. should start with raising the quarterly dividend to at least $3.75 per share. A five-year program should begin with Apple increasing the $2.65 per share quarterly dividend paid to investors while also repurchasing up to $100 billion in company stock...

Morgan Stanley: the iPhone 5S will have a ‘killer feature’

Cody Lee ∙ March 18, 2013

Morgan Stanley's resident Apple expert Katy Huberty appeared on CNBC's Fast Money Halftime Report this morning, in a rare TV interview, to field questions on her firm's current positive buy ratings for both HP and Apple.

Asked about Apple, Huberty—who has an overweight rating on the stock with a price target of $630—says the company is poised for a big year with new software features for the upcoming iPhone, including one 'killer feature.'

Budget iPhone: colors, 4-inch screen, super-thin plastic casing mixed with glass fiber

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 15, 2013

Apple's budget iPhone, a rumored all-new design targeted at emerging markets where carriers rarely subsidize cell phones, will be offered in a range of colors and have a "super-thin plastic casing mixed with glass fiber", one reliable analyst wrote in a Friday note to clients. The specs for the device were apparently decided on back in 2011 and call for a four-inch screen resembling the iPhone 5.

Dismissing talk of a 4.5-inch entry-level iPhone, the report argues Apple is "unlikely to abruptly change" its stance on screen size just because Android makers are increasingly building phablets. Jump past the fold for more tidbits...

Analyst: Apple would be ‘stupid’ not to release budget iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 14, 2013

Many analysts have voiced their support for a rumored less-pricey iPhone which they hope will help Apple recover from market share losses in emerging markets, namely China, India, Brazil and Russia - all huge markets for handsets. BTIG's Walter Piecyk goes further, calling Apple "stupid" if it doesn't release said device before year's end.

By his own estimates, Apple could sell about 36.5 million less-pricey iPhones in fiscal 2014 for an additional $11 billion in revenue - and that's after accounting for some inevitable cannibalization of the higher-priced iPhone models...

Gullible analyst says no iTV this year because Apple finds 4K display too costly

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 12, 2013

An analyst with a terrible track record wrote in a note to clients issued Tuesday that Apple won't release a standalone HD TV set in 2013 after all. As much as Apple wanted to, the report has it, the company has allegedly found ultra high-resolution 4K panels to be prohibitively expensive.

You should take this particular analyst's observations with a healthy dose of skepticism: the same guy called for an Apple-branded HD TV announcement at last year's WWDC, later mulling full iTV production for August 2012. He repeatedly said iTV was "imminent" (calling it the iPanel), having also missed with an Apple TV related media event (and a bunch of other things that never came to be)...