It’s only been six and half weeks since Apple launched its fifth-generation iPhone and Wall Street is already hung up on the iPhone 6.
In a research note on Friday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said he expects Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone to come with “a larger screen option,” and that he thinks it could be a “blockbuster.”
If all the talk about the next iPhone so soon after last month’s release is too much to bear — brace yourself for more.
Munster also said he expects Apple to push up the launch date of the iPhone 6 to summer from fall, which means there may be a mere nine months left before the lines outside Apple stores kick up again.
Of course, it’s good for iPhone lovers and potentially for Apple shareholders as well. The stock has been sagging over the last 12 months amid slumping sales growth and could use a boost from a “blockbuster” product.
Last quarter, Apple eked out revenues of $35 billion, which were flat from a year earlier. The slump, which began in the second quarter, is expected to continue when Apple reports its fourth-quarter results after the closing bell on Monday.
But Wall Street is also betting that Apple will regain some of its former luster in the coming year.
In addition to the “blockbuster” iPhone 6, Apple could also release brand new products like a watch and television.
“We think of fiscal ’14 as a year of innovation for Apple,” said Brian White, analyst with Cantor Fitzgerald, citing the potential an iWatch and Apple TV.
Meanwhile, the company is under pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn to boost the stock price by upping its buyback program to $150 billion from $60 billion over three years.
Shares are down 14 percent over the last 12 months, closing yesterday at $525.96.
On Thursday, Icahn said he would consider fighting for board seats if he doesn’t get his way, but some watchers are skeptical he could pull it off given Apple’s loyal following and its massive size.