Needham & Company

Blip or Breakthrough? Mac Sales to Government Up 200 Percent.

John Paczkowski in News on August 23, 2010 at 11:04 am PT

Apple’s June quarter was a tremendous one for Mac sales to enterprise and government. Needham & Company analyst Charlie Wolf’s review of sales figures for the period shows a 49.8 percent year-over-year increase in Mac sales to business and a massive 200.8 percent year-over-year gain in Mac sales to government.

Nokia’s Biggest Problem? Symbian.

John Paczkowski in Mobile on May 13, 2010 at 2:12 pm PT

It has been almost three years since Apple’s iPhone arrived at market, and Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, has still failed to develop a worthy rival to it. Will the company ever figure this out or will it continue to play a slow game of catch-up in the smartphone market?

Apple Stores Apparently Popular Hangouts for Windows Users

John Paczkowski in Mobile on April 28, 2010 at 10:18 am PT

When Apple first revealed plans to open its own retail stores in 2001, the announcement was met with a caustic skepticism. “I give [Apple] two years before they’re turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake,” Channel Marketing president David Goldstein told BusinessWeek at the time. The title of the article in which that quote appeared: “Sorry, Steve: Here’s Why Apple Stores Won’t Work.”

Palm’s Salvation? Less Push, More Pull.

John Paczkowski in Mobile on March 1, 2010 at 4:09 pm PT

Palm’s warning last week of a gruesome fiscal third-quarter revenue shortfall confirmed fears that have haunted the company since it first brought its new webOS handsets to market last year: Neither the Pre nor the Pixi is the “hero” device that commands the consumer attention needed to really turn the company’s fortunes around.

My Kid’s an Honor Student at iPad University: Apple on the Rebound in Edu

John Paczkowski in News on February 24, 2010 at 10:20 am PT

In the ’80s, Apple’s share of the U.S. education market stood at 50 percent. These days, it hovers around 20 percent, thanks largely to falling PC prices and the advent of the netbook. But that’s changing, and quickly too. With Apple inking multiyear Mac contracts with a number of school districts and the iPad and its promise of hand-held education just a few weeks away from market, the company could be poised to see significant growth in higher ed.

Apple’s iPad: The Analysts Sound Off

John Paczkowski in Social on January 28, 2010 at 5:00 am PT

It’s still a bit early to claim any consensus reaction to Apple’s new iPad among Wall Street analysts. That said, there seems to be some agreement that the device has significant market potential, especially with the attractive pricing Apple has given it.

Welcome to Thunderdome, Palm

John Paczkowski in News on September 18, 2009 at 2:22 pm PT

Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein likes to say smart-phone makers “don’t have to beat each other to prosper,” but it’s beginning to look like they–or, rather, Palm–might have to. Because while the Pre may have put Palm back in the game, it’s not clear how long it can keep it there.

iPhone to Make Apple’s 52-Week High a 52-Week Low

John Paczkowski in News on September 16, 2009 at 7:10 am PT

Apple’s latest 52-week high is well on its way to becoming a 52-week low. In a research note to investors this week, Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company lifted his price target on Apple to $235, from $200, largely on the merits of the iPhone and the iTunes App Store.

Analysts to Yahoo CEO: Where Are Those "Boatloads of Money" You Were Talking About?

John Paczkowski in News on July 29, 2009 at 2:06 pm PT

Wall Street is finally having its say about the newly announced Microsoft-Yahoo deal, and while opinions are mixed, there is some consensus on who got the better end of the deal: Microsoft. Seems the Street would have much preferred the “boatloads of money” Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz once said she’d demand for a search deal than the “boatloads of value” she claims to have given them this morning. After the jump, a roundup of analysts’ notes issued about the deal.

Analysts to Yahoo CEO: Where Are Those “Boatloads of Money” You Were Talking About?

John Paczkowski in News on July 29, 2009 at 2:06 pm PT

Wall Street is finally having its say about the newly announced Microsoft-Yahoo deal, and while opinions are mixed, there is some consensus on who got the better end of the deal: Microsoft. Seems the Street would have much preferred the “boatloads of money” Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz once said she’d demand for a search deal than the “boatloads of value” she claims to have given them this morning. After the jump, a roundup of analysts’ notes issued about the deal.