iPods, MacBook Air continuing to see high demand
updated 10:05 am EST, Thu December 16, 2010
Kaufman Bros. raises estimates
Apple is continuing to see "spot shortages" of iPods and limited supply of the MacBook Air, even following Black Friday, says Kaufman analyst Shaw Wu. In particular the affected iPods are the Nano and the Touch, not the Shuffle or the Classic. Wu remarks that checks also show iPad and iPhone sales as "stronger than we expected," helped by faster production and wider geographic reach.
The analyst is raising his price target for Apple stock from $380 to $395, and his December-quarter revenue and EPS predictions from $23 billion and $5.12 to $24.2 billion and $5.36. FY2011 is now predicted to see $86.4 billion in revenue and $19 in EPS instead of $82.4 billion and $18.15. While the December estimates are now above consensus, 2011 numbers are still below, Wu notes.
Kaufman unit estimates for the current quarter have been raised across the board. Macs have been pushed from 4 to 4.2 million, and iPads have been adjusted from 5.5 to 6.1 million. iPods have been bumped from 16 to 17 million, and iPhones raised from 15.5 to 16 million.
