Analysts remained bullish on Apple Inc over iPhone 13 and court order in support of App Store.
- Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives says that his Apple store checks, supply chain data, and iPhone order delays confirm his bullish view that demand is currently outstripping supply for iPhones 13 by roughly 10 million units globally.
- His iPhone 13 checks continue to be much stronger than expected, with his belief that Apple is now on pace to sell north of 40 million iPhones during the holiday season despite the chip shortage headwinds.
- The analyst estimates that there are roughly 15 million iPhone 13 upgrades in China alone for the December quarter as this critical region remains a significant source of strength for Apple.
- Based on his recent Asia checks, Ives also believes new product introductions like the highly anticipated AR headset Apple Glasses will make their debut in the second half of 2022. It could add $20 per share to the SOTP valuation of Apple, given this massive market opportunity and tapping the broader metaverse ecosystem.
- He has an Outperform rating and a price target of $200 on the shares, implying a 14.2% upside.
- The ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Apple a stay less than 24 hours before a court-ordered injunction was set to force the company to open its App Store up to alternative payment platforms via in-app links.
- Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty called the news "an upside surprise" that effectively allows Apple to maintain the status quo and reduces the impact of broader changes to App Store payment mechanisms until the Epic case appeal is resolved.
- Huberty, who thinks the resolution of the Epic case appeal is "likely months to years away," keeps an Overweight rating and $200 price target on Apple shares.
- Huberty pointed out that she has already included a $1.5 billion headwind to App Store revenue in her Services forecast.
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