Apple

Anyone interested in the corporate Apple phenomenon will be captivated by Andy M. Zaky's in-depth analysis of current and future performance published today on appleinsider.com. Zaky, who already has an impressive track record in forecasting Apple results, is convinced that the company is entering a "golden age" in 2010 with a staggering 70 percent earnings growth. Based on his analysis he is projecting $15.51 earnings per share on an "explosive" $63.4 billion revenue in 2010. 

In the four years he's been following Apple he has seen the company grow from a mid-sized tech stock to become the second largest corporation in the USA in terms of market capitalisation, with consistent earnings growth of well over 50 percent per year. Apple is now larger than Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Hewlett Packard and Intel yet still enjoys the sort of growth rate of small-cap technical stocks. He maintains that if present levels of growth continue into next year Apple will surpass Exxon to become the largest corporation in America. 

This is a company with current cash reserves of $41 billion and a staggering record of new-product announcements. iPad has already been a magnificent success and sales of two million per month are possible; and the iPhone 4 is in very short supply and will surely boost revenues dramatically between now and the end of the year. And news earlier this week that Mac sales were still surging forward, despite the arrival of the iPad, shows that traditional revenues are holding up well. Apple stock, which closed today at $256 is said by many commentators to be heading towards $350 a share by mid 2011.

(Disclosure: MacFilos holds stock in Apple, Inc.)

INTERESTING analysis of Apple with or without Steve Jobs on Yahoo Business today. The article, by Gene Marcial, argues that Apple now has a very strong presence, spearheaded by the MacBook, iPhone and iPod, and a solid management team that could withstand even the departure of Steve Jobs. The confirmation that he will return to work before the end of June is seen as icing on the cake. Analysts are now bullish on the prospects for Apple Inc and, of course, the continuation of the old 3G iPhone model at bargain prices will do nothing to dent sales. 

The iPhone 6 Plus has been a revelation and I am a huge fan. For me, it has become the only device I carry around every day. No longer do I feel the need for an iPad mini to supplement the phone. It is truly a one-stop shop. There is just one major aspect of the design that niggles—the placing of the lock (or on/off) button on the right of the handset, directly opposite the volume controls. Many times I have inadvertently locked the phone just by picking it up or when attempting to alter the volume. The top-placed button on the iPhone 5 was much more sensible in my view.