Product still unannounced by Apple

Over a fifth of the public may be interested in buying Apple's rumored tablet device, says RBC Capital Markets' Mike Abramsky. The analyst notes that in a recent survey of 3,100 people, 21 percent expressed interest in buying the tablet, despite the lack of an announcement by Apple, or even a detailed set of rumored features. The anticipation is considerably higher than the 9 percent measured for the iPhone in April 2007, says Abramsky.

The survey assumes a tablet costing between $500 and $700, whereas some rumors have pointed to prices between $799 and $999. Apple may already be facing competitive pressure however, as Microsoft yesterday made the surprise announcement of the Courier, a tablet concept which could be put into production in a relatively short space of time. It is also believed that a number of other companies may be working on rival tablets.

Abramsky has set a price target of $250 for Apple stock, based on rising Mac and iPhone sales. The iPhone is described as a "10-year platform," with much room for growth. Some 22.8 million units are forecast to be sold in 2009, creating a 2 percent share of worldwide cellphone sales. As many as 54.7 million iPhones could be sold in 2011, doubling marketshare to 4 percent. In the short term Apple is expected to sell 7.25 million phones during Q409.

Apple is meanwhile predicted to announce Mac sales of 2.8 million for its most recent quarter, in spite of earlier analysis calling for 2.66 million. A September survey of 3,100 people is said to reveal that 25 percent bought a MacBook within the last 90 days, a considerable jump from the 12 percent recorded in April. The figures can be attributed to Mac OS X Snow Leopard and price cuts on MacBook Pros, says Abramsky.

by MacNN Staff