Analysts began to weigh-in on the import of Apple’s update of the MacBook line. Along with more powerful processors and the souped-up Thunderbolt connection, the Cupertino, Calif. company may also get a boost – on Wall Street.
“Every incremental 100,000 portable Mac units would add about two cents per share in EPS in [the second quarter of the fiscal year], assuming a slightly lower gross margin,” UBS analyst Maynard Um wrote. There are six weeks remaining in the second quarter.
ISI Group analyst Abhey Lamba noticed Apple “dropped on mid-range model” – the $1,999 15-inch unit – “and raised the selling price of its high end (17 inch) MacBook Pro by $200.” Lamba foresees better multimedia apps for the MacBook now powered by the Thunderbolt’s higher connection rates.
The MacBooks’ inclusion of AMD’s “Radeon” graphics chips, supplanting Nvidia, prompted Nomura Securities analyst Romit Shah to note the move could boost the chipmaker’s fortunes.
“While volumes of the MacBook Pro are not significant, we continue to believe that AMD’s relationship with Apple is strengthening,” Shaw writes. We’ve seen how Apple’s decision to ensure availability of components – ranging from flash memory to touchscreens – can help or hinder parts suppliers.
[Barron’s]
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
3 responses to “Analysts React to Apple’s Update of MacBook Line”
It totally makes sense that Apple supplanted the Nvidia graphic chips in their new Macbook Pro line-up. Nvidia is also the maker of the Tegra processors, which are in all of the newest Android driven smartphones and tablets announced at this year’s CES. In a strategic move Apple is keeping AMD in play either as a way of keeping Nvidia in check or fears of possible Nvidia chip output restraints. Either way it’s a good thing for AMD, who was taking a beating after the ouster of their CEO back in January.
Interesting and useful post