AAPL to grow due to Macs, not iPhone, iPod?

...right, based on today's particular hair up his ass, these seem like reasonable predictions... I mean, as long as we don't take common sense and reasonably forward looking things into considerations.

Yeah, far be it from an analyst to actually analyze.

While the thought of Apple succeeding because of Mac Sales (what the company SHOULD be focusing on, IMHO) we see no facts or figures here to back it up. Individuals are smart enough to figure out a simple chart, so why doesn't MacNN go to the trouble of throwing one up? Probably because there aren't any stats given at this point.

Seems like analysts are worse than meteorologists these days, and paid a lot more for being a lot less accurate. I guess it's the attention grabbing theories that draw eyes, shares, and make the big bucks.

I'll say one thing for NN, they have the knowhow and shameless characteristics for just that type of reporting.

Here we go again, a typical tirade from posters whenever some analyst comes up with analysis.

First of all, there is a link to the original story. Second of all, financial analysis is opinion based on data and experience.

Now, I suspect that these analysts are reasonably qualified and experienced to do their jobs, or else they would not be in positions to provide guidance to investors who have billions at stake. The question I have for zinkdifferent and danviento is, what qualifies you to simply debunk this analysis other than an apparently inflated opinion of your own beliefs?

So if you don't like the analysis out there, why don't you go into business and do a better job of it. Let's see how you get on.

While your response is perfectly respectable, I would still question so-called analysts predictions in general: when some of these analysts target AAPL at USD 200 or more and other at 140 at the same moment, I think we could wonder what makes them so sure they have predicted anything right...

I see what you're saying. However, financial analysis (despite the name) is very subjective. An event or some figures mean different things to different people. What is important is that an Analyst explains how they got from data to opinion.

Right now there are some financial commentators and analysts predicting global recession, whilst others may be saying that the global markets will pick up again by the end of the year. I doubt whether either of these would be seen as an attempt to manipulate the market, especially as a single voice should never be used to influence your trading strategy. And if more than one analyst is saying something, then it's less likely to be price manipulation.

for all the statistics and figures and historical analysis, at the end of the day it still seems an awful lot to me like reading goat entrails.

Stock prices are not entirely random like they taught me in biz school. Some people have a vested interest in the stock moving one way or the other so they exert whatever influence they have to make it move, kind of like a Quiji board.

According to Warren Buffet, when's the best time to sell a stock? Never.

You know, the odd thing is that you rarely see the hatred spewed at analysts when they're predicting apple's stock hitting $200 as you do when they say $115. And I'm sure two months ago people would've railed on them for saying Apple's stock would slide to $120.

Hmmm, yet they would've been right....

So, testudo comes to a Mac forum and finds it odd, ODD I say, that people are annoyed with lowballers and up on highballers. Mosey on over to a Windows forum and check out the reactions to analysts over there. I have and, I must say, I find it odd, ODD I say, that those people spew forth hatred to those analysts that predict stock decline and embrace those that see the sunny side.

It's all so...

ODD

"financial analysis (despite the name) is very subjective"

I do believe that is the point, no?

Are we speaking about the same "financial analysis" that predicted Google would never get off the ground when their entry into the stock market was initiated... Probable not... It must have been North Korean propaganda... The Apple stock fell from 202 to 117/120 range when the entire Stock Market sizzled and crashed with it's tail feathers on fire... A Full Scale sell off created Apple's drop in share price... Where were these so-called brilliant financial analysis predictions of the World Wide "Crash and Burn"...hmmmm?