According to a new report by analyst Peter Misek, suppliers have begun to ship parts for Apple’s new television set, as the company gears up to begin production as soon as May.
Neil Hughes @ AppleInsider reports:
Analyst Peter Misek with Jefferies said in a note to investors on Tuesday that “specialty components” have already begun to ship to Apple’s panel suppliers in Asia. Components being shipped are said to include polarized films, filters, and IGZO components, though they are currently being supplied in “small quantities.”
As the components for an Apple television start to trickle in, Misek believes commercial production of the rumored device will begin in May or June, with between 2 million and 5 million units built initially. He expects the full-fledged television set to launch in the fourth quarter of calendar 2012.
This is following a recent trip to Asia by Misek, which he said made him “more bullish” on Apple stock. He reported he had been shown “early production evidence of iTV,” which leads him to theorize that full-scale production is only months away.
Misek’s note also states that concerns over availability of the Retina display in the new iPad are “overblown”, and that he sees Apple building between 12 million and 15 million iPads in Q1 of calendar 2012. He believes production could reach as high as 20 million next quarter.
He has also raised his 2012 iPhone estimates from 145 million to 155 million, as it is believed that Apple will launch a new iPhone in the third quarter of this year.
On the strength of these predictions, Jefferies has raised its target price for Apple stock to $699, up from the previous projection of $599.
