You may stream your movies from Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). You might load the latest video games directly to your console through Microsoft’s XBox Live (NASDAQ:MSFT). Chances, are, however, you keep a backup copy of your operating system on an optical disc in the desk drawer, just in case.
That just in case may be the last real use case for optical storage. And it looks like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) could be about to do away with it. Apple released the developer preview of its OS Lion operating system Thursday — and you can’t get it on DVD.
Instead you’ll have to rely the storefront Apple is building for software distribution inside all its computers. That makes sense, given that Apple’s MacBook Air eschews the optical drive altogether. Still, it’s a jarring change. And while it may seem small, it gets rid of the last real reason most of us absolutely had to have an optical drive.
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Showing posts with label MacBook Air. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MacBook Air. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Lands Street High Price of $450 From Ticonderoga
We're only a few days away from the highly anticipated release of Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) latest quarterly report, and the mania is getting so great that Ticonderoga Securities has offered up a price target on Apple of $450, and the average price target for Apple from analysts stands at $398.
of 54 analysts covering Apple, 49 have a "Buy" rating on the stock, with the remaining five having a "Hold" on the company. No analyst has a "Sell" on Apple at this time.
Ticonderoga says, "We believe Apple would be well suited to announce the iPad 2 before the end of January in an effort to persuade consumers to wait for the new iPad that we believe will be launched in March/April. Additionally, we believe Apple is in the process of refreshing its MacBook Pro line and an announcement could be in the cards."
Apple closed Friday at $348.48, gaining $2.80, or 0.81 percent.
of 54 analysts covering Apple, 49 have a "Buy" rating on the stock, with the remaining five having a "Hold" on the company. No analyst has a "Sell" on Apple at this time.
Ticonderoga says, "We believe Apple would be well suited to announce the iPad 2 before the end of January in an effort to persuade consumers to wait for the new iPad that we believe will be launched in March/April. Additionally, we believe Apple is in the process of refreshing its MacBook Pro line and an announcement could be in the cards."
Apple closed Friday at $348.48, gaining $2.80, or 0.81 percent.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Should Have Extraordinary Q1 Says UBS
First quarter results for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) should be extremely strong, according to UBS (NYSE:UBS).
UBS analyst Maynard Um said, "Though we believe this would normally result in lower overall Mac gross mgn, potential warranty accrual reversals (90bps impact last qtr), component pricing tailwinds, & iPad cost improvements should more than offset mix shift." he said, referring to discounting on the MacBook Air to drive sales.
UBS raised first quarter EPS estimates from $5.14 to $5.40 (consensus $5.31) and first quarter revenues estimates from $23.9 billion to $24.5 billion (consensus $24.2 billion). They also raised full year 2011 EPS estimates from $19.42 to $20.08 and revenue estimates from $91.5 billion to $93.7 billion.
Apple was trading at $345.94, up $1.52, or 0.44 percent, as of 1:06 PM EST. UBS raised their price target on Apple from $365 to $415, while maintaining their "Buy" rating on them.
UBS analyst Maynard Um said, "Though we believe this would normally result in lower overall Mac gross mgn, potential warranty accrual reversals (90bps impact last qtr), component pricing tailwinds, & iPad cost improvements should more than offset mix shift." he said, referring to discounting on the MacBook Air to drive sales.
UBS raised first quarter EPS estimates from $5.14 to $5.40 (consensus $5.31) and first quarter revenues estimates from $23.9 billion to $24.5 billion (consensus $24.2 billion). They also raised full year 2011 EPS estimates from $19.42 to $20.08 and revenue estimates from $91.5 billion to $93.7 billion.
Apple was trading at $345.94, up $1.52, or 0.44 percent, as of 1:06 PM EST. UBS raised their price target on Apple from $365 to $415, while maintaining their "Buy" rating on them.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Enjoying Strong Sales in Most Segments
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been enjoying strong sales this Christmas season, as their MacBook Air and iPod sales continue to soar, with some spot shortages.
"We continue to pick up spot shortages of the iPod nano and some iPod touches as well as tight supply of new MacBook Air, driven by strong demand. In addition, our checks indicate that iPad and iPhone momentum is stronger than we expected helped by broader geographic availability and higher production levels," said Kaufman.
Analyst Shaw Wu raised his sales estimates for Apples major products in their fiscal first quarter. For Mac computers, he increased it from 4 million units sold to 4.2 million. For iPads, he upwardly revised units sold from 5.5 million to 6.1 million. For iPhones, from 15.5 million to 16 million, and for iPods, from 16 million to 17 million.
He also raised revenue estimates from $23 billion to $24.2 billion, and EPS estimates from $5.12 to $.36 for the first quarter.
Apple closed Thursday at $321.21, up $0.89, or 0.28 percent. Wu raised his price target on Apple from $380 to $395.
"We continue to pick up spot shortages of the iPod nano and some iPod touches as well as tight supply of new MacBook Air, driven by strong demand. In addition, our checks indicate that iPad and iPhone momentum is stronger than we expected helped by broader geographic availability and higher production levels," said Kaufman.
Analyst Shaw Wu raised his sales estimates for Apples major products in their fiscal first quarter. For Mac computers, he increased it from 4 million units sold to 4.2 million. For iPads, he upwardly revised units sold from 5.5 million to 6.1 million. For iPhones, from 15.5 million to 16 million, and for iPods, from 16 million to 17 million.
He also raised revenue estimates from $23 billion to $24.2 billion, and EPS estimates from $5.12 to $.36 for the first quarter.
Apple closed Thursday at $321.21, up $0.89, or 0.28 percent. Wu raised his price target on Apple from $380 to $395.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) MacBook Air, iPad Sales Strong
It appears Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) MacBook Air has become the choice of Mac fans of many ages, and has been enjoying robust sales so far in the Christmas season. Also surprising some was the demand for iPods, which some thought was becoming a dead category.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said, "We noticed that the iPad is gaining traction (driven by lower price vs. the Mac) among demographics in which the Mac has historically not been successful. The bottom line is that Apple's addressable market is expanding with the iPad, and as a result, we believe the potential for upside from the iPad increases over the next 12 months."
As far as the iPod, some third-party stores were experiencing shortages of the product because of the unexpected demand.
Now the question is, as with all retailers during the Christmas holiday, how much will their margins be affected by the need to cut prices in order to generate sales.
Most of Apple's products had prices cut more moderately than their competitors based on brand strength.
Apple was trading at $313.02, falling $1.98, or 0.63 percent at 1:56 PM EST.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said, "We noticed that the iPad is gaining traction (driven by lower price vs. the Mac) among demographics in which the Mac has historically not been successful. The bottom line is that Apple's addressable market is expanding with the iPad, and as a result, we believe the potential for upside from the iPad increases over the next 12 months."
As far as the iPod, some third-party stores were experiencing shortages of the product because of the unexpected demand.
Now the question is, as with all retailers during the Christmas holiday, how much will their margins be affected by the need to cut prices in order to generate sales.
Most of Apple's products had prices cut more moderately than their competitors based on brand strength.
Apple was trading at $313.02, falling $1.98, or 0.63 percent at 1:56 PM EST.
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