Momentum from strong holiday sales of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5S and iPad Air should carry over into the company’s March quarter, Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley said in a research note Tuesday. “Our sales surveys indicated strong iPhone 5S and iPad Air sales through the December quarter holiday selling season,” Walkley wrote. The upcoming launch of the iPhone 5 series on China Mobile (CHL) should bolster the company’s March quarter
Initial pre-orders of Apple iPhones on China Mobile appear underwhelming, according to one report out Monday. Apple investors cheered the company’s long-awaited distribution deal with China Mobile, the world’s largest wireless carrier, after it was announced Dec. 22. But early reports show China Mobile iPhone orders lagging what other carriers experienced when they began selling Apple ‘s (AAPL) latest smartphone, Wedge Partners analyst Jun Zhang said. “We think China Mobile ‘s (CHL) pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone 5S/5C reached about 100K (with contract) in the first two days since pre-orders started, compared with 120K pre-orders from China Unicom (CHU) and 150K pre-orders from China Telecom (CHA) back in September,” he wrote. “Unlocked iPhone 5S pre-orders added another 150K in the first day, compared to 400-500K pre-orders when the unlocked iPhone 5S initially launched in China in September.” The addition of China Mobile as an iPhone distributor has stalled sales of the device with…
Apple ‘s (AAPL) iPhone distribution deal with China Mobile (CHL) this week is all well and good. But what Apple really needs to drive its stock price higher is a big new product or service category, Pacific Crest Securities says. “Although Apple ‘s (AAPL) balance sheet and strong ties into its customer base should prevent material downside, we see little to drive upside from current levels unless the company can launch a massively profitable new product or service category,” Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves said in a research note Monday. One possibility is an online pay-TV service to compete with cable, he said. To become a “virtual MVPD” (multichannel video programming distributor), Apple would need to sign deals with major premium content providers like AMC Networks (AMCX), Discovery Communications (DISCA), Viacom (VIA) and Walt Disney (DIS). Hargreaves also mentioned advertising and a mobile payment system as possible services that could drive Apple stock…