Tag Archives: aapl

Bad News, Butterfingers: Future iPhone Could Sport All-Glass Design

In what could be a boon for makers of protective smartphone cases, next year’s iPhone is rumored to feature an all-glass design. In a report, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple ( AAPL ) will switch from its aluminum casing to an all-glass enclosure with an AMOLED screen for the iPhone in 2017, 9to5Mac reported Sunday . Current iPhones use a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. AMOLED, short for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode, allows for thinner, more power-efficient displays with richer colors. Kuo believes Apple is switching to the glass enclosure to give the iPhone a fresh new look. The upcoming iPhone 7, due out in September, reportedly will sport a look similar to the current iPhone 6S series. But the iPhone 7 will eliminate the home button and standard headphone jack in favor of newer technologies, according to media reports. Also, a high-end version of the iPhone 7 likely will come with a dual-camera system. Last week, Apple reportedly reached a $2.6 billion agreement with Samsung to supply OLED panels for iPhone displays starting in 2017. The pact calls for Samsung to supply 100 million 5.5-inch OLED displays, 9to5Mac said. Universal Display ( OLED ), a provider of OLED materials and technology, spiked to five-year high on Monday. Shares of the corporation, aka UDC, were up 6.5% in afternoon trading on the stock market today . In intraday trading, UDC hit 61.90. It reached an all-time high of 63.58 in April 2011.  Universal Display holds an IBD Composite Rating of 98 out of a possible 99. Apple was down 2.3% to above 107 in afternoon trading. IBD’s Take: How does Apple stock rate? Objective analysis at IBD Stock Checkup RELATED: Apple Slices Below 200-Day On iPhone Production Cuts Report How Much Will Apple Increase Its Dividend, Stock Buybacks? Apple iPhone Sales Could Fall For 3 Straight Quarters, Analyst Says

EU Probe Of Google Phone Deals Follows French Scrutiny Of Apple

The European Union antitrust chief is probing Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google’s contracts with mobile phone makers as well as wireless service providers that sell devices using Android software. The EU is already investigating whether Google favors its own shopping service in Internet searches. Now it’s taking a close look at phone deals. “Our concern is that, by requiring phone makers and operators to pre-load a set of Google apps, rather than letting them decide for themselves which apps to load, Google might have cut off one of the main ways that new apps can reach customers,” said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Monday at a regulatory conference in the Netherlands. Alphabet, which reports earnings on Thursday, rose fractionally just past midday on stock market today . IBD’s Take: How healthy is Alphabet stock heading into earnings? Find out at IBD Stock Checkup The European Union’s probe into Alphabet-Google’s carrier deals follows regulatory action in France involving Apple ( AAPL ). French regulators are reportedly seeking more than $55 million from Apple over claims the company wields too much power over wireless firms. Apple’s contracts require allegedly require mobile operators to order a minimum number of iPhones over three years, and to contribute to marketing campaigns managed by Apple, according to French regulators. The European Commission in 2013 sent a questionnaire to operators regarding allegations that Apple forces them to accept strict terms. Apple stock fell 1.5% in early-afternoon trade, after breaking below its 200-day line on Friday. Related: Amazon, Alphabet Extend Breakouts Ahead Of Earnings

Intel Expected To Swipe 30-40 Million Apple iPhone 7s From Qualcomm

Apple ( AAPL ) will tap No. 1 chipmaker Intel ( INTC ) to source 30-40 million iPhone 7 modems, but rival Qualcomm ( QCOM ) will remain top dog, Canaccord analyst T. Michael Walkley predicts. Meanwhile, Qualcomm’s Chinese-licensing recovery is under way despite a $100 million quarterly dispute with South Korean LG, he wrote in a research report. Walkley reiterated his buy rating and 65 price target on Qualcomm stock. For fiscal Q2 ended March 27, the consensus of 35 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect Qualcomm to report 96 cents EPS minus items on $5.34 billion in sales, down 33% and 23%, respectively, vs. the year-earlier quarter. Three months ago, Qualcomm guided to $4.9 billion to $5.7 billion in sales and 90 cents to $1 EPS ex items. Then, Qualcomm outlined its improving Chinese negotiations which included four re-signed government-approved contracts. “With the recently signed Lenovo deal, we believe Qualcomm now has the top four Chinese (smartphone makers) licensed for 3-mode and all 3G/4G devices,” Walkley wrote in a research report. He expects licensing sales to buoy in the latter half of 2016. Licensing sales toppled 20% sequentially back in fiscal Q3, ended last June 28, to just short of $2 billion amid the negotiations. Since then, the unit has seen 7%-8% sequential declines. No more, Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha says. For Q2, Garcha expects $2.2 billion in licensing sales, up 36% sequentially and down 10% vs. the year-earlier quarter. He expects $7.5 billion in total 2016 licensing revenue growing to $7.6 billion in 2017. But Qualcomm’s chip sales could get snagged in headwinds, Garcha says. Qualcomm quintupled its content in the Samsung Galaxy S7 , teardowns show, but it will likely lose some iPhone 7 share to Intel even as Apple shipments lag. Garcha retained his outperform rating and 67 price target on Qualcomm stock, which is trading near 51, up about 3 percent in 2016.