Apple-connected suppliers see record monthly sales jump
updated 11:39 am EDT, Thu August 9, 2012
May hint at massive fall launch plans
A group of Apple suppliers tracked by Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White saw preliminary July sales rise 14 percent month-over-month, notes AppleInsider. White comments that the the figure is the best monthly growth the group has ever seen, almost twice the average 8.5 percent increase witnessed during the last seven years. More crucially the analyst argues that the data points at several new products going into manufacturing, which could allegedly set the stage for "the biggest second-half product launch in Apple's history."
About 50 to 60 percent of the supplier group's sales are thought to come from Apple. "With the iPhone 5 launch and 'iPad Mini' on the horizon, along with the potential for an Apple TV in the coming quarters, we believe Apple's stock is prepared for the next major leg up that could propel Apple to our $1,111 price target over the next year," White adds.
The data could back claims that Apple is planning to update every iOS device in the fall, along with the iPod nano, and add a new, smaller iPad option. While the current iPad would likely just switch to Apple's new dock connector format, the Nano and the iPod touch could see significant updates, since they were left virtually unchanged in a refresh last October.
