Apple grows carrier partners to 323 worldwide, up 15% since last October
Availability of the iPhone continues to increase as Apple inks new contracts with additional carriers, bringing its current worldwide total to 323 wireless providers, investment firm Wells Fargo Securities revealed on Friday.
Analyst Maynard Um noted that the new total is up from 316 partners in mid-April, and 280 carriers last October. That means Apple has increased its carrier count by 15.4 percent over the last 7 months.
According to Um, Apple's partnerships in the wireless industry were fairly stable in 2011 and 2012. Since then, Apple has become aggressive in adding more carriers --?a move that likely helped boost surprisingly strong international iPhone sales last quarter.
"Assuming these carriers also get the new iPhone at launch, this could help year over year unit sell-in numbers," Um wrote.
The analyst also increased his "valuation" range for shares of AAPL stock from $595 to $640. Compared to his colleagues, Um has been bearish on Apple in recent months, and his previous valuation range topped out at $585, even while shares of AAPL had been trading at well over $600 for weeks.
In fact, as of premarket trading on Friday, Apple was already at nearly $640 per share, putting it in a position to break out of Um's valuation range on the same day he adjusted it.
Um admitted on Friday that he doesn't see many negative catalysts for Apple through the fall, as the company is expected to introduce new product cycles. But he also said he believes "material upside could be limited," particularly beyond calendar 2014.
The analyst has maintained his "market perform" rating on AAPL stock, and continues to believe that Apple will eventually have to choose between average selling price and margins versus unit sales and market share.
Analyst Maynard Um noted that the new total is up from 316 partners in mid-April, and 280 carriers last October. That means Apple has increased its carrier count by 15.4 percent over the last 7 months.
According to Um, Apple's partnerships in the wireless industry were fairly stable in 2011 and 2012. Since then, Apple has become aggressive in adding more carriers --?a move that likely helped boost surprisingly strong international iPhone sales last quarter.
"Assuming these carriers also get the new iPhone at launch, this could help year over year unit sell-in numbers," Um wrote.
The analyst also increased his "valuation" range for shares of AAPL stock from $595 to $640. Compared to his colleagues, Um has been bearish on Apple in recent months, and his previous valuation range topped out at $585, even while shares of AAPL had been trading at well over $600 for weeks.
In fact, as of premarket trading on Friday, Apple was already at nearly $640 per share, putting it in a position to break out of Um's valuation range on the same day he adjusted it.
Um admitted on Friday that he doesn't see many negative catalysts for Apple through the fall, as the company is expected to introduce new product cycles. But he also said he believes "material upside could be limited," particularly beyond calendar 2014.
The analyst has maintained his "market perform" rating on AAPL stock, and continues to believe that Apple will eventually have to choose between average selling price and margins versus unit sales and market share.
Comments
When the next iPhone goes on sale, all the analysts are going to be busting their asses trying to downplay record iPhone sales by claiming Apple has far more carriers so selling ten or so million iPhones the first weekend doesn't really mean all that much. I feel certain Apple is going to break iPhone sales records with China Mobile and DoCoMo on board. I don't seem much in the way of iPhone sales coming from India, though. I think it's going to be hard for Apple to keep inventory because demand will be quite high from consumers using the older 4S and 5 models. Apple should really have a good second-half of 2014 and will likely regain nearly everything they lost in 2012/2013. I just wish Samsung would speed its transition to Tizen OS to take a healthy cut out of Android's market share growth and iOS's market share wouldn't look so poor in comparison.
I believe that Apple made that decision a long time ago. If the analyst has no better understanding of Apple then maybe he should limit his analyzing to tea leaves. Wait, that is what he is doing now!
Does anyone know how the availability of Visual Voicemail is determined? My carrier here in Belgium, Proximus, has finally become an Apple carrier partner, giving iPhone-users access to 4G-LTE amongst other things. Does Visual voicemail come through a carrier settings update?
Visual voicemail requires changes to the backend of Voice mail servers plus additional hardware - with Voicemail revenues dropping to literally zero everywhere in EU there's no chance in hell that you'll get it working
the only chance for bigger infrastructure changes would be move to voice over LTE, but changing the 'ancient' CSD type of gear doesn't support any business case
Perhaps 4/5 of the worlds population constitutes the market for first-time smart phone buyers. Therefore, all vendors of quality would seem to have a long potential runway ahead.
"Material upside could be limited" is a completely meaningless ass-covering phrase. Um...Um...Um... it's so hard to take any of these shills seriously.
You still even try to take them seriously???
The statement is total FUD. Translation: "Apple is fine now, but next year it's doomed!"