March quarter looks good

Despite concerns of a sales slow down due to the Intel transition, one research analyst believes that Apple will post March quarter results that in-line with expectations--or perhaps, even slightly better than expectations. Forbes reports that Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster maintained a rating of "outperform" with a 12-month price target of $103; according to the report, Munster told clients that Apple will at least meet expectations this quarter--based in part on his January checks with specialty resellers and unit shipment data from the NPD Group: "Specifically, our checks with Apple specialist resellers last week indicated that they are not experiencing a significant slowdown in Mac sales" due to customers waiting for Intel based Macs, according to Munster." The firm also noted "significantly better" iPod availability and said that Apple was "on track to meet or slightly exceed our iPod unit assumptions."

by MacNN Staff