iPhone 5, iPad 3 and LTE iPhone Mean More Monster Quarters for Apple
With a number of new products in the pipeline, Apple’s fiscal first quarter will likely be a monster, and its second even more of one.
That’s the theory put forth by Wedbush analyst Scott Sutherland, who predicts Apple will continue to dominate the connected devices market for some time to come with a conga line of new gadgets that includes everything from the soon-to-be-unveiled iPhone 5 to its LTE successor and the next iteration of the iPad.
“A key part of the Apple story remains new product launches,” Sutherland said in a research note. “While the iPhone 4 appears to be selling well due to existing market demand and new markets, we expect a bump up from the iPhone 5 this October, and a lower end iPhone geared towards emerging markets. With the introductions ahead of the holidays, we expect a monster FQ1 (Dec) from Apple. Furthermore, in 1H12, we expect the introduction of a 4G LTE iPhone with a materially improved user interface and the iPad 3.”
Along with those devices, Sutherland sees updates to Apple’s Mac and iPod lines, some improvements to Apple TV and that long-rumored first foray into the connected TV space. Add to this continuing demand for the iPad and iPhone and the broadening of their global distribution — and the official debut of iCloud, which, if properly executed, should further drive app and media sales — and Apple’s financial picture is as rosy as they come.
With this sort of momentum, Apple seems almost unstoppable. With that in mind, Sutherland says he expects Apple to ship 26 million iPhones in FQ1, up from 23 million. And he’s raised his estimate on the company accordingly. His new 12-month price target: $530.