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Will Apple iPhone 7 Sell, With Bigger Upgrade Coming Next Year?

Apple ( AAPL ) shares have gotten a lift this week on reports of higher-than-expected production orders for the upcoming iPhone 7. But Wall Street is starting to wrestle with worries that iPhone users might skip that modest upgrade and wait for next year’s expected radical redesign. The iPhone 7, likely to be released in September, is expected to look much like the current iPhone 6S series, but with a thinner body, faster processor and better camera. It also could be the first waterproof iPhone. But next year’s iPhone 8 is rumored to use an OLED display, which offers richer colors, darker blacks and lower power consumption. OLED displays also are thinner than LCD screens and are flexible, allowing new design options. The iPhone 8 could feature an all-glass, curved screen design. It might even eliminate the physical home button in favor of the pressure-sensitive screen, according to tech news reports. Universal Display ( OLED ) stock climbed to a record high Tuesday on the iPhone 8 speculation. Universal Display is a key supplier of technology and materials for OLED displays. Universal Display climbed as much as 5.8% to 64.83 in intraday trading on the stock market today . In afternoon trading, it was up 5%, near 64.50. Apple shares were up 1.4%, below 98, in afternoon trading Tuesday. Semiconductor equipment manufacturer Applied Materials ( AMAT ) also is benefiting from interest in OLED. Last week, Applied Materials said its Q2 display orders rose a whopping 483%, driven by demand for machines used to manufacture OLED displays. With rumors rampant about the iPhone 8, smartphone users looking to upgrade will have to decide whether to get a more traditional-looking iPhone 7 or hold out for the revamped iPhone 8. Consumers Won’t Skip iPhone 7 Upgrade: Wells Fargo Wells Fargo Securities analyst Maynard Um said in a research report Monday that he doesn’t believe next year’s iPhone will hold back upgrades during the iPhone 7 cycle. “While it is reasonable to assume Apple may introduce an iconic iPhone in 2017, we believe it is not a foregone conclusion that the consumers will skip the iPhone 7 upgrade in 2016,” Um said. “The core of our premise revolves around continued competition for subscribers as two-year contracts come up for renewal.” If wireless carriers continue to run aggressive promotions to reduce subscriber churn and to attract new customers coming off two-year contracts, there may be strong incentives for people to upgrade, Um said. Um has an outperform rating on Apple stock, with a fair value of 120 to 130. Despite encouraging iPhone 7 production reports , UBS analyst Steven Milunovich is cautious. He recently lowered his iPhone forecast to unit growth of 2% for fiscal 2017, down from 4% previously. Apple’s fiscal 2017 starts on Sept. 25. For fiscal 2018, during the iPhone 8 cycle, he expects unit sales growth of 15%. Milunovich rates Apple stock as buy, with a 12-month price target of 115. “A lack of differentiation in the iPhone 7 will cause the upgrade cycle to lengthen,” he said in a report. “Although it’s possible that Apple has a ‘gee-whiz’ upgrade in store for the iPhone 7, the absence of leaks makes it unlikely.” RELATED: Universal Display Spikes On iPhone OLED Prospects Apple Begins Retail Refresh With San Francisco Store

Universal Display Spikes On iPhone OLED Prospects

Universal Display ( OLED ) stock surged as much as 10.7% on Monday on a bullish report about the prospects for its OLED display technology and materials in smartphones, including next year’s rumored iPhone 8 from Apple ( AAPL ). Universal Display shares were up 9.5%, near 62, in afternoon trading on the stock market today . The stock hit a recent high of 63 on April 19, which is just below its all-time high of 63.58 from April 2011. Goldman Sachs analyst Brian Lee on Monday raised his rating on Universal Display to buy from neutral and upped his 12-month price target to 76 from 55. OLED is a “secular winner” as devices shift from LCD to OLED displays, which boast richer colors and low power usage, Lee said. “In the near term, we expect (Universal Display) to be a key beneficiary of Apple’s first-time adoption of OLED displays for iPhone starting in 2017,” he said. “Beyond Apple, we see OLED benefiting from a secular shift across the handset market with roughly 10% penetration today but a potential ‘LED 2.0’ hockey-stick adoption across multiple product cycles and categories in coming years.” In a “blue sky” scenario, OLED could reach 100% penetration of smartphones, 50% of tablets and 20% of TVs after 2020, he said. RELATED: Universal Display Facing ‘Frothy’ OLED Expectations

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