When Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs holds his annual face-to-face meeting with shareholders Thursday there will be no shortage of questions for a company famously stingy with information.
Shareholders want to know what Jobs has planned for the iPad, whether the iPhone can sustain its growth momentum amid greater competition, and what the company will do with its eye-popping $40 billion cash balance.Apples shares have been treading water around the $200 mark since last October, despite a strong December-quarter earnings report and massive hype around the iPad tablet, Apples newest consumer device to be launched in late March.
With a market capitalization that has approached $200 billion in recent weeks, analysts say investors may be looking for a fresh catalyst to send shares that have already more than doubled from a year ago, even higher.
Shareholders want to know what Jobs has planned for the iPad, whether the iPhone can sustain its growth momentum amid greater competition, and what the company will do with its eye-popping $40 billion cash balance.
Its a big company now and there are questions about the limits to growth in any market, and once you hit that $200 billion number, which theyre close to, people have questions, said Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves.
The iPad has generated nearly as many questions as publicity, since no one knows what the consumer appetite is for a so-called third category of mobile device, which bridges the gap between smartphones and laptop computers.
For most investors at this point, the iPad is a show-me story, Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner said. Although Reiner is bullish on the device, he said some see it as a niche product, unlike the iPhone, iPod or MacBook.
Analysts estimates put first-year iPad sales at about 2 million to 5 million units. It will appear in stores as early as the end of March, starting at $499.
It was unclear how much information Apple would provide at the shareholder meeting, which will be held Thursday at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California. Such events tend to be fairly routine, attracting small investors rather than big shareholders.
The attention at last years meeting was focused on Jobs, whose six-month medical leave had heightened concerns about his well being at the time. But with the CEO back at the helm, and with no major issues on the voting agenda, interest may shift to operational matters.
All seven of Apples directors will stand for re-election. Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from the board last summer, but no one has been nominated to fill the gap.
Shareholders want to know what Jobs has planned for the iPad, whether the iPhone can sustain its growth momentum amid greater competition, and what the company will do with its eye-popping $40 billion cash balance.Apples shares have been treading water around the $200 mark since last October, despite a strong December-quarter earnings report and massive hype around the iPad tablet, Apples newest consumer device to be launched in late March.
With a market capitalization that has approached $200 billion in recent weeks, analysts say investors may be looking for a fresh catalyst to send shares that have already more than doubled from a year ago, even higher.
Shareholders want to know what Jobs has planned for the iPad, whether the iPhone can sustain its growth momentum amid greater competition, and what the company will do with its eye-popping $40 billion cash balance.
Its a big company now and there are questions about the limits to growth in any market, and once you hit that $200 billion number, which theyre close to, people have questions, said Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves.
The iPad has generated nearly as many questions as publicity, since no one knows what the consumer appetite is for a so-called third category of mobile device, which bridges the gap between smartphones and laptop computers.
For most investors at this point, the iPad is a show-me story, Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner said. Although Reiner is bullish on the device, he said some see it as a niche product, unlike the iPhone, iPod or MacBook.
Analysts estimates put first-year iPad sales at about 2 million to 5 million units. It will appear in stores as early as the end of March, starting at $499.
It was unclear how much information Apple would provide at the shareholder meeting, which will be held Thursday at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California. Such events tend to be fairly routine, attracting small investors rather than big shareholders.
The attention at last years meeting was focused on Jobs, whose six-month medical leave had heightened concerns about his well being at the time. But with the CEO back at the helm, and with no major issues on the voting agenda, interest may shift to operational matters.
All seven of Apples directors will stand for re-election. Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from the board last summer, but no one has been nominated to fill the gap.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
