Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the most widely discussed companies on the financial and tech blogosphere, and that’s been even more true over the past 15 months, when massive swings in market value have turned bull against bear in a rather brash way.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that a few recent stories have generated a very high level of buzz for Apple and the folks at Cupertino, and for your pleasure, we’re going to run through them quickly.
1) New products just became a bigger focus
In case you haven’t heard, one of Apple’s highest paid executives, Bob Mansfield, is moving to work on “special projects” for the company, stepping away from his duties as SVP of technologies. According to Bloomberg, Apple had “a lot of love for Mansfield,” so it’s quite possible that the move was his decision to make, rather than the company’s.
In an interview with the network, Om Malik, a member of the founding team at Forbes.com, says he believes that “special projects is a euphemism for new projects they are working on,” meaning that “they can’t talk about it.” There’s no talk of an iWatch, augmented reality glasses, or anything of that nature, but it’s clear that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) wanted one of its best minds in an area focused on innovation.
2) Tim Cook wants cars to adopt iOS 7 (duh!)
In a similar light, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook gave Apple bulls a little tidbit in the company’s latest earnings call about his feelings on automaker integration of the iOS 7 platform. Siri ‘Eyes Free’ is already a feature with iOS6, but it’s expected that iOS7 will include more functionality, and more compatibility across car models, such as with BMW in 2014.
In another Bloomberg story today, the network spliced Apple’s conference call, in which the executives were asked about the “strategic development” of Apple’s connection with automakers. Tim Cook’s response was succinct, saying that he “sees it as very important,” adding that “it’s a part of the ecosystem […] just like the App Store.” Cook also mentioned that “having something in the automobile is very, very important,” and that “Apple can do this in a unique way, better than anyone else, and it’s a key focus for us.”
3) There’s one sneaky way to play Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Last but certainly not least, you might be wondering just how you should play Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s stock at the moment. After all, bears most likely still have Gene Munster’s empty predictions (so far) of an Apple TV by the end of this year, and bulls are probably limited to thinking that $500 is the upside, if you’ll believe the famous Jeff Gundlach.
In a segment on Bloomberg Television’s “Lunch Money,” Alix Steel talks with Alan Knuckman of Trading Advantage, who says that “a backdoor play on Apple” is Cirrus Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS), which is down more than 30% since the start of 2013.
Knuckman says that Cirrus deserves a “little bit of a bounce” as it is lagging behind Apple’s stock price, and if pressed to choose, he’d go with March 2014 options on the integrated circuit supplier.
Want more? See where Apple rests in mega-hedge fund managers’ equity portfolios, like those of David Einhorn and Manish Chopra.
Disclosure: none
