Analysts were not, in general, big fans of the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone release on Tuesday. The company was expected to launch a phone that would take emerging markets by storm, but instead the world got the iPhone 5c, a redesigned iPhone 5. The release has left analysts hungry for the next big thing at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and they’re already talking about the iPhone 6.
Even if the optimistic projections bear out and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) brings out a new iPhone as early as next June, you wouldn’t be judged for saying it’s a little too early to talk about the iPhone 6. Barclays analyst Ben A. Reitzes doesn’t agree, and he dedicated part of his most recent report on the company to the fictional product.
Apple iPhone 6
The Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 6 will have a bigger screen. It’s the talk of the town. There is a lot of growth in the large screen device segment, and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is facing criticism for not releasing a product that is comfortable to watch Netflix on. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are being delivered to stores in anticipation of a September 20 release.
Reitzes does dedicate a large part of the report to the iPhone 5s and the company’s products over the next couple of months. He says a China Mobile deal might be announced when the company has its LTE network up and ready. He also reckons that positive reaction to the incremental improvements in the iPhone 5s—most notably the fingerprint scanner—could drive demand in the all-important fourth quarter.
Apple needs new products
The general feeling among financial analysts seems to be that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) needs new, completely differentiated products in order to increase its share price. Reitzes still thinks that a sell off is likely through the end of the year, and he thinks that calls for an increased repurchase program are likely to grow louder.
Nevertheless, Retzes offers a slate of products that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) might be thinking up. He raises the possibility of a television, and new iPad, or iPad/notebook convertible products. According to Reitzes, 2014 looks like it will bring an exciting product cycle to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are up more than 1 percent today in a pullback from the slide in the wake of the iPhone release. Analysts are looking to the future of the company for growth, but the iPhone 6 will have to wait. Once the new iPhone starts selling, shipment numbers and inventories will take center stage once again.
