iLounge

Bear Stearns analyst Andrew Neff helped send Apple shares to an all-time high of $64.22 on Wednesday by writing in a research report that iPod demand shows no signs of letting up. The analyst also noted that Apple appears it will be able to meet increased demand for the new iPod and iPod nano this holiday quarter as evidenced by improved shipping times on the online Apple Store.

“Our channel checks with retailers and component vendors indicate that demand for iPods (both nano and video iPod) continue to remain strong and could be significantly higher than our initial assumption for the holiday season,” Neff wrote. He added that “hot” products have historically seen sequential sales growth of 75 percent to 100 percent during the holiday season. Neff now expects Apple to ship 14.1 million iPods this quarter (Q1 2006), compared with an earlier estimate of 10.4 million.