You know what, I’m thinking Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) might be a stock worth investing some money into over the long haul.  Now by no means am I a stock investor, or an analyst.  But I’m just looking at the this from an average Joe position.

Just yesterday, Apple beat out Exxon Mobile to become the world’s most valuable company with Apple earning what is now (as of 1:17pm EST, 8.12.11) a market cap of 350.40 billion dollar – something Apple has never accomplished before.

So you’d think that Apple is growing by leaps and bounds, and you’d be right – it is.  But consider also that Apple hasn’t even broken ground in any major way in China yet with the iPhone and iPad.  And also consider, according to Apple Insider, that Apple’s iPhone has only 4 percent to 5 percent share of all mobile phones, and the Mac owns a similar share of total PC sales.

According to Shaw Wu with Sterne Agee, “We believe AAPL has opportunity to double or potentially even triple its market share in these end markets over the next few years, particularly with Greater China and international as underpenetrated opportunities.”

And just glancing at the media frenzy that’s already building around the upcoming Apple iPhone 5 and iPad 3, or iPad HD – and couple that with these products launching in China and other international companies, you’re talking about something on the scale that the world has never before seen.

So you think AAPL stock and market cap is through the roof now, wait until it doubles or triples in value.  With AAPL market cap right now sitting at 350.40 billion – multiply that by 3 and you have a company with market cap of 1.05 trillion (that’s right – trillion) dollars.

image by AppAdvice

Apple’s shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) broke $400 this morning for the first time ever, releasing investors into a frenzy on Wall Street.

Apple’s earnings were released today and once again, the Cuppertino company has Wall Street in a frenzy over the likes of the iPhone and iPad domination.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said today, “we’re thrilled to deliver our best quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent.” Continuing with “right now, we’re very focused and excited about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to our users this fall.“

Apple earned $7.31 billion in net profit on revenue of $28.57 billion for the June quarter – both of which are records for Apple.

Trading for Apple shares was halted during the earning call today.  But then, once trading resumed on Wall Street for the almighty AAPL, the stock price surged 8% and blasted into the $400 range for the first time in the history of the company.

Trading for Apple shares has since come back down to earth with the stock trading currently at 388.68, +11.83 (3.14%).

via Google Finance

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Closed At All Time High on Friday at 364.92 on news of a whole lineup of new products in the pipeline.

Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) closed on Friday at all time high at $364.92, which was up $7.15 on the day’s trading.

It’s going to be interesting to see where Apple shares open tomorrow morning, especially with the recent news last week about a possible delay of the iPhone 5 due to the processor overheating.

Apple’s stock has been elevated mostly with rumors of a flurry of new products in the pipeline – a new iPhone 5, iPad HD, new MacBook Airs, Mac Mini’s, Mac Pro’s, and even new OS’s with OS X and iOS.

It’s impressive to say the least.  Now Apple just needs to deliver.

via MacRumors

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) closed up today +3.73 (1.12%) at 336.13 on news of Apple’s Mac business and rumors of Apple beefing up team for cloud computing services.

Apple has moved up to the #4 spot in top PC vendors in the U.S. with an 8.5% market share, this according to MacObserver.  Apple is aggressively growing their Mac business and gaining grounds in the PC market.

Also today, Apple watchers have discovered job board posting that indicate Apple is looking to beef up on employees who specialize in cloud computing services.  This indicates that Apple is looking at the future of the products like iTunes as being a could based service.

According to PCWorld, a listing on Apple’s job site sniffed out by Apple watchers Wednesday suggests that the company is eager to add bodies to a “small team” working on the “future of cloud services at Apple.”

Apple shares have been able to rise above the overall tech sector so far in the month of August.

The NASDAQ (NASDAQ:.IXIC) is currently at 2,178.95, -19.28 (-0.88%) for the month.

Apple share (NASDAQ:AAPL) are currently at 249.88, +4.3 (1.75%).

I see one definitive reason as to why Apple is staying way ahead of its competitors, and it all has to do with the iPad.

While all other competitors are preparing to launch their first iPad competitor, Apple is getting ready to launch it’s next iteration of the iPad – the 7 inch iPad.

I would call this the 3rd generation iPad actually.

We first saw the iPad Wi-Fi only version.

Then came the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G version.

And now we are about to have the iPad 7 inch tablet.

Again, it’s a good indication of why Apple is rising above the tech sector as whole.

Thoughts?

via Google Finance

Don’t look now, but Apple’s stock price (NASDAQ:AAPL) is currently up +6.31 (2.57%) on news that the tech company has posted record profits for the 3rd quarter, along with record breaking iPhone sales.

This is Apples first full quarter selling the iPad and it has posted a record profit of $3.35 billion on record revenues of $15.7 billion – this is up frm the $1.8 billion and $9.73 billion from the same time last year.

iPad has exploded onto the scene

Apple sold 3.27 million iPads, nearly matching the 3.47 million Macs sold — and Mac sales were up 33 percent from a year ago to set a new quarterly record. Yeah, damn. iPhone sales — including the first few weeks of the iPhone 4 — were up 61 percent from a year ago to 8.4 million, and the iPod continued its slow decline, down eight percent to 9.41 million units sold.

Here’s a chart of Apple’s stock price throughout today as the company announced their 3rd quarter numbers:

[source: Engadget, Google Finance]

June has been quite a month for Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL). From the iPhone 4 pre order frenzy to the official release date of the iPhone 4, and now rumors about the Verizon iPhone coming in January 2011, June has turned out to be a headline month indeed for Apple.

However, despite the major headlines and record breaking iPhone 4 pre orders and sales, Apple’s stock price is down over 2% for the month June.

The stock market has responded favorably to the iPhone 4 release and other moves made by Apple. And now with the news that the iPhone will be coming to Verizon, Apple could quite possible double their iPhone sales.

It is interesting that even though Apple has had a banner month as far as products are concerned, their stock price is still down over 2% for the month of June.

Is it possible that anything iPhone related will impress Wall Street until the iPhone is available on other carriers besides AT&T? Or has Apple stock prices already accounted for the iPhone 4 future sales and the Verizon deal?

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Shares Up Slightly on iPhone 4 Pre Order Day

Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) are up only slightly on the the day that Apple releases the new iPhone 4 for pre orders.

If we were measuring the success of the pre order iPhone 4 launch by web traffic, then I’d say that Apple was successful. The excitement and anticipation building around the iPhone 4 pre order launch was unprecedented, and once the iPhone 4 did launch earlier this morning, both the AT&T and the Apple website’s have been struggling to stay online due to massive traffic spikes.

Now if we were measuring the success of the iPhone 4 launch based on the Apple share prices on the NASDAQ, then we’d be talking about a totally different thing here.

Apple shares are only up slightly at +4.64 (1.82%), trading at 258.92 (at the time of this writing). That is trending below the overall NASDAQ market that is currently up 2.30% at 2,295.55.

The market does not seem overly impressed with the new iPhone 4, at least at this point in the game. The pre order was scheduled today but that was about it. The iPhone 4 release date is scheduled for June 24th – so we’ll see how Apple stocks perform from there.

NASDAQ:AAPL – iPhone 4 Pre Order Pushing Apple Shares Higher

Apple shares up on the NASDAQ with the iPhone 4 pre order date coming up tomorrow.

Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) are currently trading up +4.72 (1.86%) at 258.40 as tomorrow is the day that Apple releases the iPhone 4 for pre ordering. You can pre order the iPhone 4 from several locations tomorrow as Apple is preparing itself for a massive wave of demand. Sources state that Apple plans on selling approximately 3 million iPhone 4 devices per month.

Here is a list of the places that I know of for pre ordering the iPhone 4 tomorrow:

1. The online Apple Store
2. Best Buy
3. Radio Shack
4. Wal Mart
5. And of course AT&T

Factors affecting Apple share prices:

June 24th – Official iPhone 4 release date

Some other factors that could be affecting Apple share prices right now is the June 24th release date of the iPhone 4. On June 24th, stores throughout the United States will open their doors to customers who can then purchase the iPhone 4 from the shelves.

FTC investigation launched

Apple is finding itself under investigation from the FTC for certain rule changes made in its App Store. Some of these rules Apple is implementing prohibits certain developer tools as well as blocking mobile ad networks from accessing applications.

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Shares Down in Pre-Market

Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) closed up last week +4.56 (1.92%) at 242.32. The week ending Friday was a bit of a tough week for Apple stock prices as they closed down for the week at -11.5 points or -4.53%:

iPad Sales are booming, iPad international release date

As the iPad sales are booming, Apple is finding itself short handed in meeting the supply side of the iPad. Customers coming into Apple retail stores are, in a lot of cases, being required to add their names to a waiting list upon which they will receive a phone call once their iPad arrives. The same is true with the iPad 3G.

The International release of the iPad is this Friday, May 28th. Apple is going to be challenged, however, in meeting the international demand for the iPad. And I can imagine these demand issues having a negative impact on Apple share prices.

iPhone 4G Announcement expected June 7th

Apple is expected to announce their next generation iPhone, the iPhone 4G, next month on June 7th at the WWDC2010 in San Francisco.

My concern with the announcement is that the public might be thinking the iPhone 4G refers to a 4G mobile web browsing speed. But in fact, iPhone 4G is referring to the fourth generation iPhone.

So the mobile web browsing speed isn’t any faster than the current 3G speed from the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Again, my concern is that the marketing message of an iPhone 4G could have a negative impact on Apple share prices.

As we approach the market’s close for this week, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares are down nearly 6% or -14.78 points. Apple stock prices had a good jump early Tuesday morning, but then headed down throughout the rest of the week and Apple shares were not able to recover.

Apple Struggles with iPad Supply

According to Apple Insider, calls to 50 Apple retail stores throughout the US revealed that the iPad 3G remains completely sold out, even though we are now weeks after it’s launch. Apple stock analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said his team contacted representatives at 50 Apple retail stores and found that 74 percent of them were sold out of all models of the iPad, with the Wi-Fi model available in 26 percent of stores, and the 3G version sold out.

The backlash of limited iPad and iPad 3G supply

One of the ways Apple is dealing with the iPad shortage is by offering customers the option to be placed on a “Notify Me” waiting list, and the Apple retail store would then hold that customer’s iPad for 24 hours after it arrived.

One Apple store representative told Munster that customers who enlist in the in-store reservation system typically wait 4 to 7 days to receive an iPad. That’s better than the 7 to 10 day wait found via Apple’s online store.

Regardless of the time a customer has to wait to get their iPad, the problem with Apple’s iPad supply problem might actually start affecting Apple share prices. Limited supply of iPads and iPad 3G’s could affect the sales projections that investors were anticipating, and in turn affect the sales forecast.

Apple representatives admit they were caught off guard by the demand for the iPad devices. And because of the iPad supply problems, Apple had to actually delay the international release of the iPad.

iPad International Release Date 5/28

So we are now about 7 days away from the international release date for the iPad and iPad 3G. And if things go anything close to what we’ve seen here in the US, then Apple’s supply issues – and perhaps at some point Apple’s stock prices – could start having a negative impact on Apple’s ability to expand their product.

But then again, we are talking about Apple here, so all of this “negative” talk could be way off base.

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Shares Continue Slide with Tech Stocks

Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) continue to lose steam today as the overall tech sector is down. Apple shares are currently off -1.64%, down about 4.13 points at 248.23 per share. The NASDAQ index is off -0.78% at 2,299.30.

Despite Apple shares being down over 1.6% today, as I wrote yesterday Apple’s stock price is up over 105% for the trailing 12 months.

Apple (AAPL) chart for today so far:

As you can see, Apple shares started off with a jump as the markets opened. But then, almost immediately, Apple shares took a dramatic nose dive and have been struggling to get back those initial gains.

Some of the concerns that are suppressing not only Apple shares but the market as a whole are the European economic struggles. Despite a massive bailout plan by the European government, the European economy shrugged off that bailout and continues in a downward spiral, dragging the US markets with it.

Apple (AAPL) Analysts Still Calling for “Outperform”

• Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes is “excited” about AAPL because of the iPad. Channel checks continue to indicate very strong sales and corporations are piloting the device at a surprising pace. He believes that his estimate of 1.5 million iPad units for the June quarter will likely be conservative by about 1 million units (that’s a lot of upside). Reitzes reiterates his Overweight rating and $315 price-target.
• Toni Sacconaghi at Bernstein Research believes European currency provides a risk to revenue forecasts for hardware companies. In addition, he continues to believe that 2010 will be a strong year (relatively speaking) and that PC related names are inexpensive at current levels. Toni reiterates his Outperform rating on AAPL and price-target of $300.

[resource:  BusinessInsider.com]

Yes, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock prices have been a bit shaky over the past couple of week, and clearly they aren’t doing much better today (see graph):

But what about stepping back a bit and taking a broader look at Apple share prices – like say the last 12 months?

If you look at the growth of Apple stock prices over the past 12 months – since the beginning of May 2009, Apple shares are up over 105%.

That’s right – over 105%

So even though Apple shares have had a bit of a rough ride, so really has the entire market and tech sector. Sometimes not even Apple is exempt from the fluctuations in the stock market.

Apple’s Product Release Magic

If I had to take a guess, actually I think history would prove this, then I would say that Apple’s explosive stock price has everything to do with the fact that Apple knows how to create the perfect product launch.

Apple doesn’t care that the Apple fan boy club is not the majority in the computer tech and gadget world – in fact, Apple might prefer this to be the case.

Because with only a select group of fans, Apple is now able to launch just about any product it desires, and people will buy the product simply because Apple launched it!

But looking over the past year with product announcements like the iPhone 3GS and the infamous iPad, Apple stock prices are very much appreciating the aggressive launching of new products from Apple.

Charts via DailyFinance.com

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Stock Price Up Nearly 8% For The Week

Apple shares started the week out with a bang when Apple stock prices jumped nearly 7% on Tuesday morning, despite having a rough day on Monday. For the week ending today, Friday May 14th, Apple stock prices are about to end the week up nearly 8% (currently at 7.61% at the time of this writing).

Other Apple News:

PCWorld.com reports that The U.S. International Trade Commission will investigate complaints by Apple that Eastman Kodak violated its patents related to digital imaging devices and software, the latest dispute in a long-standing patent skirmish between the two companies.

Apple filed a so-called section 337 complaint against Kodak on April 15, alleging that the company had violated its patents related to digital imaging devices and associated software. In the complaint, Apple asked the USITC to bar Kodak from importing products containing the technology into the U.S.

MercuryNews.com reports that Apple CEO Steve Jobs personally asked tech website Gizmodo to return that rogue iPhone prototype, Bloomberg News is reporting today. A judge in San Mateo County today unsealed a search warrant affidavit in the case of the device, which found its way from a Redwood City bar to posts on tech-toy website Gizmodo.

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Shares Continue Crash, Stock Down Another 4%

Taking a glance at Apple stock prices (NASDAQ:AAPL) today and again I see the shares crashing from their all time highs just a week ago.  The NASDAQ is continuing its downward spiral, and in turn bringing Apple shares with it as the tech sector leads the downward march of the stock market today.

So what’s causing Apple shares to continue to decline even amidst booming iPad sales and outlooks?

One one hand, the Apple stock dropped alongside the NASDAQ market.  They are pretty much in line with the market in general, meaning they are staying stable, according to Pradeep Kolla.

In addition Apple has everything going on for it.  They have a strong position, great market share, consumers can’t get enough of their products. They are innovative, trailblazers, and their iPhone continues to grow in popularity. Heck – they even sold 1 million iPads in less than a month for anywhere between $499 and $829 a whack (not to mention the 1.5 million eBooks that were sold from their app store because of the new purchases.)

On the other hand, many people like to proceed with caution when dealing with tech stock.  People are fickle and if another company pops up and starts to deliver the desired products instead of Apple, people could flock to the new company and you will see a decline.

Yesterday’s market plunge has brought volatility back into the market. But quality stocks seem to have recovered some perceived value levels. For Apple Inc. shares, many institutional investors and growth fund managers will be looking to accumulate the stock between $220 and $240 because if AAPL earns $12 per share (EPS) this year (the consensus estimate is for $13 EPS), a price of $230 would give it a sub-20 forward P/E multiple.

According to ONN.tv writers, they are looking at selling this relatively high May implied volatility of 45% and getting paid for the risk of being bullish on AAPL with 14 days until May options expiration. A momentum sell-off this morning that sends AAPL below $240 could make this bull put spread trade for much more than $2.50, so timing the trade well could pay off even more.

Resources:

ONN.tv

CNMNewsNetwork.com

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Stock Prices Plunge With NASDAQ

The overall markets today have taken a beating and have plunged nearly 5% throughout the trading day. The NASDAQ is currently down 4.54% at 2,293.26, the DOW is down -4.15% at 10,416.71.

So right along with the NASDAQ plunging, Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) are taking their share of the beating as well despite strong iPad sales on both the WiFi version and the new iPad 3G.

Apple shares are currently down almost 5% as well (-4.55%) trading at $243.74 which is a 12 point decrease for the day.

Jim Cramer says “buy, buy, buy!”

The illustrious stock commentator Jim Cramer of Madd Money believes that Apple is a “Buy, Buy, Buy!”

I’ve asked the question before, do you think that Apple shares are heading to $400?

In my opinion, I think that $400 within the next 12 months is easily achievable for Apple. After all, we just had the launch of the iPad WiFi and the iPad 3G here in the United States. But on May 10th (Monday) the iPad will launch to the rest of the world.

Also we have potential upcoming announcements of the new iPhone 4G, and more than likely announcements of the iPhone being sold on other carriers such as Verizon.

And don’t forget about iAd – Apple’s mobile advertising platform.  It is believed by some analysts that iAd revenue could potentially reach an annual run-rate of $800 million in revenue by the end of fiscal 2010.

So I think that Jim Cramer is looking at it this way – the stock is down along with the rest of the market. And with the share prices dropping below $250, Apple is a certain buy for long term investors.

What do you think?

Do you see Apple as a buy at the current price of below $250?

Do you think Apple will climb to as high as $400 within the next 12 months?

NASDAQ:AAPL – $800 Million in iAd Revenue Expected This Year

Apple’s new advertising platform iAd might be highly underestimated, especially among investors. Perhaps when Steve Jobs talks about his next big thing, maybe iAd is it.

Apple unveiled iAd during its iPhone 4.0 developer preview. Steve Jobs made the announcement of the much anticipated mobile advertising platform.

According to TechCrunch, this was expected since Apple acquired mobile ad platform Quattro Wireless, after having AdMob snatched away by Google (though the FTC may recommend blocking that deal).

Apple will sell and host the ads, giving 60% of ad revenue back to developers, and Jobs says that developers can add ads to their apps “in an afternoon”. Unlike most mobile ads, which kick users outside of the application they’re currently using, iAd keeps users in the same app. In a jab at Flash, while showing an ad, Jobs said “Oh, by the way, all of this is done in HTML 5” TechCrunch said.

iAd Expected to Generate $800 million in revenue this year

A.M. (Toni) Sacconaghi at Bernstein Research believes that Apple’s new ad platform, iAd, will be bigger than most investors currently think. He estimates that iAd revenue could potentially reach an annual run-rate of $800 million in revenue by the end of fiscal 2010. For developers this would generate an incremental 46% – 83% in revenue beyond their existing app sales today.

If Apple’s installed base of iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches continues to grow beyond expectations, Sacconaghi thinks his estimates could prove conservative. Toni reiterates his Outperform rating and $300 price-target.

With the explosive growth of the iPhone worldwide, and especially the blazing sales rates in China, the iPhone is obviously a leading data device and ideal for running ads.

This move will obviously cut right at the throat of Google’s mobile advertising efforts as Google strives to be the leader in the mobile ad space, developing ad solutions that work directly on the iPhone.

It will be interesting to see what comes of iAd, and the interest that might unfold for mobile advertising.

Some research I’ve seen indicates that mobile phones deliver a very low conversion rate, so the advertising method of choice might be strictly impression based ads.

What do you think?

Do you think Apple has the potential to generate $800 million this year alone from iAd?

Is iAd a potential threat to Google’s mobile advertising efforts?

NASDAQ:AAPL – Is Apple Stock The Driving Force of the NASDAQ?

Even though Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) closed down yesterday nearly 3% (2.88% @ $258.68), so did the entire NASDAQ index (NASDAQ closed down -2.98% @ $2,424.25). I wrote yesterday about the question of whether or not Apple is immune to NASDAQ fluctuations. I actually stated it as as the NASDAQ goes so goes Apple.

There were a lot of interesting comments in that post, some nice and others… well… but anyway, the overall consensus might actually be that I was looking at the question entirely backwards.

Perhaps the question isn’t is Apple subject to the NASDAQ fluctuations, instead the correct question may be is the NASDAQ subject to Apple share fluctuations?

Some people believe that Apple shares are the driving force behind the NASDAQ. This makes sense to me from the standpoint that so many other companies on the NASDAQ rely on Apple as a source of business. So if Apple shares are declining or losing momentum, wouldn’t it make sense that all of the companies that rely on Apple go with them?

One comment brought up from yesterday’s article was that Apple shares may have been down 3% due to the news that Apple may be investigated for anit-trust laws regarding their licensing agreement with Iphone App developers.

From that perspective, perhaps its true that the NASDAQ is more subject to the fluctuations of Apple, rather than Apple being subject to the NASDAQ.

What do you think?

Is it more accurate to say that as Apple goes, so goes the NASDAQ?

NASDAQ:AAPL – As The Market Goes, So Goes Apple Shares

Some people might argue with me that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock prices are immune to fluctuations on the overall market (NASDAQ). This argument stems from the  fact that Apple stock prices have recently hit all time highs, and also that Apple (Steve Jobs) has promised more amazing product releases – even beyond the iPad.

However, today will prove this assumption – that Apple stock prices are exempt from market fluctuations – false.

All of the major indexes are down currently – here’s where they’re at:

Notice the bottom line is Apple (AAPL) – also down 3%.

So as you can see, and for those of you who believe that Apple stock prices are immune to the market, your theory just doesn’t hold.

Upcoming Apple News

Some of the more prominent events coming up for Apple are:

1. WWDC2010 (Apple’s developers conference) on June 7th
2. Rumors that iPhone 4G will be announced at WWDC
3. Also rumors that Apple will expand iPhone to other mobile phone carriers like Verizon.

Although the iPhone and mobile phone carrier expansion rumors are just that – rumors, it does seem logical especially since Steve Jobs has been quotes as saying that Apple has some amazing product launches coming in the near future – beyond just the iPad.

So what do you think?

Do you think that Apple stock prices are immune from overall market fluctuations?

Apple Stock Update

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Stock Price Down Nearly 3% For Week

Last Friday, exactly one week ago today, Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) hit a new all time high. It was 10:00 am EST and Apple’s stock price hit $271.88 on the NASDAQ.

Here’s a screen shot of that moment:

Apple stock price drops nearly 3% since last Friday

That was a great day in the history of Apple stock – an all time high of $271.88 is pretty darn good!

However, since last Friday, Apple shares are down approximately 3%.

Here’s the weekly graph of Apple shares price movement since last Friday’s all time record high:

What does this mean for Apple?

Apple shares, at the time of this writing, are currently trading at $262.98, -5.74 (-2.14%) for today.

So what does this downward movement mean for Apple? In my honest opinion, it means absolutely nothing at all.

Most stock analysts aren’t changing their call whatsoever on the stock price, and like Apple stock for the short term so long as the price stays above $255.

Upcoming Events for Apple

Some of the upcoming events might get Apple shares moving back into positive territory again.

Today, Apple launched the iPad 3G + Wi-Fi. The iPad 3G will be delivered today to customers who pre-ordered the device, and in stores today after 5pm for general public purchase.

On June 7th, Apple kicks off their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that will held at Moscone West in San Francisco.  The WWDC runs from June 7th – 11th. It is highly anticipated that Apple will announce iPhone 4G – the next generation of the iPhone – at the WWDC10 conference.

It is also predicted that Apple will expand the iPhone market base beyond just AT&T here in the United States. The next major carriers that Apple may expand to with the iPhone are Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

All of these upcoming events for Apple could help the shares start moving into positive gains next week.

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Stock Closed Down -2.77% (Graph)

Apple was not exempt from the downward pressure placed on the overall markets yesterday as Apple stock closed (NASDAQ:AAPL) down 2.77% at 262.04 (-7.46).

The NASDAQ index closed down yesterday 2.04% at 2,471.47.

This week, starting today more than likely, Apple will begin shipping their iPad 3G units to customers who have pre-ordered the iPad 3G prior to April 19th.

The new iPad 3G is expected to be even more popular than the first generation iPad – the iPad WiFi version.

The increased sales from the iPad 3G, along with upcoming announcements from Apple regarding a possible iPhone 4G and other possibilities of an iPhone being released on other carriers such as Verizon, should have a continue positive impact on Apple shares.

Here’s a graph of Apple’s stock price movements yesterday (from Google Finance)

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Outranks Microsoft in S&P 500

Apple is now ranked as the #2 constituent in the S&P 500 top 10 constituents, rated by market capitalization [resource: Standard & Poors]

The news surrounding Apple’s earnings report, and their stock price, had quite a week last week. On Tuesday, April 20th, Apple reported earnings that surpassed analysts expectations by over 36% (profits’ forecast). Apple reported generating over a 90% increase in revenue and sold over 9 million iPhones during the quarter.

There record numbers have resulted in a record profit of $3.07 billion for the second quarter of the 2010 financial year that ended March 27. This is an increase of 89.5 percent compared to the same period last year, coming on the back of sales of 8.75 million iPhones and nearly 3 million computers.

This news was apparently enough to push Apple up and over Microsoft on the Standard & Poors 500 rankings of market capitalization. This allowed Apple (NASDAQ:APPL) to become the second company on the S&P500, outranked only by the oil and gas company ExxonMobile.

According to the Moscow Times, Microsoft representatives are convinced that comparing capitalization using the S & P 500 index is wrong because it takes into account only the shares actually participating in the auction, and does not consider the shares owned by large shareholders and inaccessible to ordinary investors. Taking into account all shares, Microsoft is still ahead of Apple. On Friday, they were worth $271.3 billion and $246.4 billion, respectively.

I think that once again, this response from Microsoft shows the arrogance in the leadership of Microsoft. The position of, we can never be seen as second best to anyone. This is the same disposition that Microsoft has taken toward search engine Giant Google.

Oh well, if Microsoft would actually invest in technology and build products that people actually liked, and wanted, and weren’t completely frustrated over using – meaning, a product that just worked – then Microsoft wouldn’t find itself in these types of problems.

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Stock Leading The S&P 500

You would be hard pressed to find a stock in the S&P 500 that is having a stronger run than Apple is right now (NASDAQ:AAPL).

Apple just reported earnings that were, quite frankly, unprecedented to even the most trained and educated eye. Profits for Apple rose at an astounding 90%, and nearly every stock analyst undercut the earnings forecast on Apple.

Here are some hard numbers from the Apple’s earnings report:

Apple reported that its profits rose to $3.07 billion, or $3.33 a share, compared with $1.62 billion, or $1.79 a share for the same span last year. Revenue climbed a stunning 49% to $13.5 billion, and the company reported that it sold 8.75 million iPhones in the January-March period – about 1.75 million more than analysts expected. Mac computers and iPod music devices also surprised with big upside.

Consensus estimates had called for $2.45 a share in earnings on $1.2 billion in revenue, so the income was 36% higher than all analysts were expecting. While that sounds like a lot, and it is, it’s about in the median of the past five quarterly upside surprises: +76%, +27%, +17%, +22% and +27%.

Apple’s income beat expectations by 36%!

Again, I believe you would be hard pressed to find any stock currently being traded that has out-gunned the stock analysts by over 36%.

These outstanding earning figures are what allowed Apple’s stock price to hit an all time new high on Wednesday, April 21st.

Her’s the 1 year graph for Apple stock:

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Stock Price Hits New High

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported huge numbers yesterday during their second quarter earnings report to investors. The highlights of that call were that nearly 9 million iPhones were sold and profits rise 90%. The main force behind those massive numbers was the growth in Apple’s international sales.

Wall Street liked what they saw yesterday and were apparently just chomping at the bit for the markets to open this morning so they can buy up Apple stock in mass.

Apple’s stock price is up about 6% and is right now trading at $258.26 at the time of this writing.

With Apple having a stock price of $258.26, this means that Apple is now at a new all time high in the stock market.

What will investors be looking for next?

Investors will now be focused on traction with the iPad as well as the forthcoming new iPhone. Upcoming catalysts include monthly NPD data (Mac / iPod business), the domestic 3G iPad launch date (April 30); international release of the iPad (May 10); and the launch of the next generation iPhone (this summer) as well as the CDMA / Verizon version (rumored to be ready in time for the holidays).

Plus, Steve Jobs was quoted s saying in the Apple earnings call yesterday that we’d see “more extraordinary products” this year from Apple.

With extraordinary products comes great sales figures. And with that, the stock market will follow close behind.

I believe that Apple’s stock price could very easily climb into the $400 – $500 range within the next year or so.

NASDAQ:AAPL – Apple Earnings Up, Stock Down 1% from Friday’s close

Apple reported it’s second quarter earnings today and said that profits rose 90% and that nearly 9 million iPhones were sold. These numbers from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) easily beat Wall Street estimates in both profits and sales. The biggest surge and increased sales came from the International sales of the iPhone.

Despite Apple reporting a 90% increase in profits and shattering Wall Street estimates, the stock ended up down 1.72% from Friday’s close of $247.40 – Apple stock closed today at $244.39.

Bloomber reports that Apple’s second-quarter profit almost doubled to $3.07 billion, or $3.33 a share, from $1.62 billion, or $1.79, a year earlier, Cupertino, California-based Apple said today in a statement. Sales gained 49 percent to $13.5 billion, topping the $12 billion average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

And MarketWatch.com said that “basically, the iPhone stole the show,” said Brian Marshall of Broadpoint AmTech Research. He noted that the device showed “fairly significant upside” compared to Wall Street’s estimates for the quarter.

Will we now hear of the iPhone4G?

Steve Jobs promised that we’d see “more extraordinary products” this year from Apple.

Is one of these “extraordinary products” the iPhone 4G?

I’ve predicted that after today’s quarterly results, Apple will turn it’s focus on either the iPhone 4G, opening up to the Verizon network with the iPhone, or perhaps even both.

Apple’s stock price (NASDAQ:AAPL) hit a new high this morning, reaching a record $251 in the early morning trading.

The stock was more than likely going to go even higher but then the SEC’s fraud charges brought against Goldman Sachs punched the stock market directly in the stomach, and all the air was let out across the board.

Coming up for Apple’s investors:

• March quarterly results announcement on Tuesday, April 20th
• international release of iPad (and possible iPad 3G in the US) on May 10
• iPhone 4G (iPhone OS 4.0) expected this summer

Also, it is widely believed Apple may be waiting until the Tuesday quarterly results are delivered, and then an iPhone 4G and possibly even an iPad 3G announcement will be coming.

There is no question about it – Apple stock prices have been surging since March, and have just recently hit a 52 week high mark.

Apple stock prices since February 21st, are up over 21% – or approximately 43 basis points.

The iPad Announcement

Of course, one of the big driving forces in the Apple stock price has been the announcement, and then launch, of the new iPad device.

The iPad was officially launched in the United States on April 3rd. And even though sales have been coming in lower than analyst expectations, Apple’s stock price doesn’t seem ready to retreat.

For example, according to StockBlogHub.com, weekend iPad sales were projected to come in between 600,000 and 700,000, but as of Thursday night, stood at about 450,000. But the iPad itself isn’t the only story, it’s also important to consider add-on purchases, where iPad users have downloaded 600,000 book titles and 3.5 million iPad apps.

And we haven’t even seen the iPad 3G yet!

Some are predicting that the iPad 3G will be a bigger hit than the first generation iPad that was just launched.

iPad Release Date

I’m starting to believe that the iPad 3G release date hasn’t been announced yet because of Apple’s first-quarter earnings results, scheduled for April 20th.

However, once Apple’s first quarter earnings are reported on April 20th, I would expect to hear the release date announced for the iPad 3G.

Money man Cramer says to “buy, buy, buy…” when talking about Apple stock!

Over the weekend, Apple sold 300,000 iPads!

Not bad for a Saturday product launch. Wait a minute… not bad! Are you kidding me! This beat out the iPhone on it’s debut by over 60,000 units. And with the stock currently at $238, Cramer says regarding Apple stock, “it’s time to buy, buy, buy…”

Here’s Cramer talking about Apple stock:

Apple continues to show strength in Mac sales as well. And although we’ve seen a point or two decline in quarter iPhone sales, there is no doubt that the iPhone is still selling like crazy.

The next big anticipated move from Apple will the release of iPad 3G. However, we are still not quite sure on the exact date of the coming iPad 3G, only that it will be sometime toward the end of April.

Apple stock price has reached a 52 week high gaining an impressive 118%. But what are some of the factors behind these gains?

Below I’m going to give you 4 reasons I believe we are seeing this upward movement of Apple’s stock price.

Apple’s  (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock price, currently at 237.32 +2.32 (0.99%) at the time of this writing, has seen an impressive run up over the past 12 months gaining 118%.

Just this week, Apple stock hit a 52 week high and analysts are expecting the price to climb to as high as $284 this year.

Here’s a 1 year graph of Apple’s stock price from Google Finance:

With the stock moving up 118% in just the past 12 months, there has to something fueling this investor enthusiasm!

4 Reasons Behind Apple Stock Priceup 118%

Here are 4 reasons why I believe investors are excited about Apple stock and the factors putting upward pressure on the stock price:

1)  iPad

No doubt about it, investors are excited about the launch of the new iPad that is happening tomorrow.

The Business Insider is reporting that Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray believes Apple will sell 200-300K iPads this weekend bringing his total unit estimate to 2.7 million in calendar 2010. He believes this may be conservative given strong initial demand. Munster says the breakout year for the iPad will ultimately be next year (calendar 2011) with 8 million iPad units estimated to be sold. He maintains his Overweight rating and $284 price-target.

2) March NPD data on Mac unit sales

Mac unit sales are up an average of 39% year over year for the first two months of the March quarter, which according to Munster translates into sales of somewhere between 2.8 and 2.9 million Macs for the full quarter. The Street, he says, is looking for Mac sales to be up only about 22%.

3) 4G iPhone

Rumors are out there that as early as June we could see the next generation of the iPhone, which will include 4G. Although these are rumors at the moment, the concept of a 4G iPhone might be seen as a legitimate possibly as far as Wall Street is concerned.

Tech Crunch has an interesting video of what they believe might be an iPhone 4G screen prototype (the music in this video is funny!):

4) Verizon

Along with the 4G rumors comes the possibility of Apple partnering with Verizon to sell the iPhone.  This would mean that Apple is breaking its exclusive partnership with AT&T, and will dramatically increase the customer base for the iPhone.

Perhaps the best scenario for iPhone fans is the concept of a 4G iPhone running on Verizon’s network!  If nothing else, the thought of the iPhone (or a 4G iPhone) expanding to Verizon should have investors pretty excited.

Customers are all but feed up with AT&T’s service. Calls on the AT&T network are being dropped in large metropolitan areas like New York and San Francisco. And it’s no doubt that Verizon has the better reputation for service and reliability.

So those are the 4 factors I see that are pushing Apple’s stock price up 118% the past year as well as to a 52 week high.

What are your thoughts?

What do you think of my assessment as to what’s driving Apple’s stock price?

Do you see other market forces at work with Apple stock?

Looking forward to your feedback!

Looking at the graph below, it is clear that Apple is beating out Google in the stock market by a fairly wide margin.

So far year to date, Apple’s stock is up 10%, while Google’s is down 10%.

Apple Stock Chart / Google Stock Chart (via Google Finance)

The major event coming up for Apple is the release of the iPad, which some believe to be the main factor as to why Apple’s stock is trading at a a 52 week high.

But what about Google being down 10%?  Most people would attribute that to the economy since 99% of Google’s revenue comes from advertisers via the Google Adwords platform.  When revenue drops, one of the first areas that businesses will pull back on is the advertising budget.

Here’s the chart from Business Insider comparing Apple and Google stock:

What do you think?

Do you agree that the upward pressure on Apple’s stock is due to the upcoming iPad release?

Some people are also speculating that a new version of the iPhone is coming this summer, and that is contributing to Apple’s increasing stock price.

And what about Google?

Do you think their stock price is being affected by the economy, and the fact that businesses don’t have the budget to advertise?