View this article at: http://dev.macnn.com/articles/07/12/04/ipods.macs.pushing.stock
Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 10:40am

Analyst: iPod, Macs pushing...

Apple guidance formerly thought to be too optimistic has been proven to be conservative, says analyst Shaw Wu of American Technology Research. iPod sales are ahead of expectations, with accelerated sales of the iPod touch and third-generation Nano compensating for slowdowns with the Classic and Shuffle; an ASP of $164 is being modeled, up from $162, compared to the typical decline in ASPs this time of year. Mac sales are meanwhile expected to reach 2.3 million, instead of the consensus 2.2.

Less favorable outcomes include lower sales in Europe due to high costs and bad customer service, and iPhone sales just under the consensus of 2 to 2.1 million units. This is still near 79 to 88 percent quarter-over-quarter, however, and combined with iPod and Mac sales, is leading AmTech to raise stock estimates; the new prediction is a climb to $210 within six to 12 months.