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Apple analysts react to Galaxy S4 launch with a variety of wild insights

Samsung-GalaxyS4-vs-iPhone-5

Samsung officially unveiled its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone last night at a theatrical, Broadway-style presentation in New York, and analysts are quick to jump in today with opinions on what it means for Apple. AAPL is having a decent morning hitting a high of 442.50 and opinions from analysts seem to be split down the middle regarding whether the S4 has what it takes to cut into Apple's market share.

Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray doesn't seem too impressed with the S4 upgrade but noted Samsung's new S Band is "a quick first pass for Samsung on wearable technology ahead of Apple's watch. Munster added that he expects Apple to launch its smart watch product by 2014 (via Barron's):

The Galaxy S4 appears to be largely an incremental update to the S3 including a slightly larger screen (4% larger on diagonal), better camera and processor, and updated software, but largely the same body style and casing. We believe some of the software features are unique, including the tilt to scroll, video pausing based on facial recognition, and hand gesture based interactions, but view these software improvements as minor compared with what Siri was to the iPhone 4S or even Google Now to Android.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek thought the S4 will be "incrementally negative for Apple" but doesn't view the S4 upgrade as "revolutionary" (via Zdnet):

We believe the S4 will certainly sell well and it is incrementally negative for Apple; however, the device is not revolutionary, in our view. Aside from the large screen size, which we believe gives Samsung a large advantage over Apple, we believe many of the features can easily be replicated. Additionally, a major complaint amongst Galaxy users is that they do not like Samsung's customized software, especially when it is a downgrade in performance from stock Android features. We wait to see the real world performance for the many new features. Misek did wonder if an iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 would be enough to hold Apple's fort against the phablet craze.

Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu lowered his price target today from $715 to $630 after the introduction of Samsung's Galaxy S4, while noting that recent supplier checks indicated production of current iPhones has slowed as Apple gears up for an iPhone 5S launch later this year. He doesn't, however, expect an iPhone with a larger screen until 2014 (via MarketWatch):

"We are picking up from our supplier checks build plan reductions for iPhone likely due to an inventory drawdown ahead of refreshes in the second half. In addition, we see evidence of sourcing activity for what appears to be iPhone 5S and a lower-cost iPhone using composite material casing,"

Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said today that recent supplier checks indicated Apple would launch its rumored low-cost iPhone with the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5. He also said the device will be made out of a "super-thin plastic casing mixed with glass fiber" and come in four to six colors. Kuo claimed earlier this year that Apple will include a fingerprint sensor under the home button in an iPhone 5S, and today confirmed he still believed the device is coming later this year.

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BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk chimed in yesterday, claiming a new low-cost iPhone is "necessary in order for Apple to grow its EPS next year" (via AllThingsD):

"We believe a product that addresses the more than 70 percent of global wireless subscribers that are unsubsidized pre-paid is necessary in order for Apple to grow its EPS next year," Piecyk writes. "This is not rocket science and our belief is based on basic logic, not questionable 'channel checks' or trips to Asia."

Barclays' Ben Reitzes thought Samsung's momentum "is a major issue for Apple," and the GS4 will be more competition as expected (via Fortune):

"In terms of competition vs. Apple, the GS4 seems largely as expected – and there could be some relief for Apple (certain versions of LTE won't be available until later this year). However, as we stated recently in a recent report – we believe that Samsung's momentum is a major issue for Apple. As a result, we need to see Apple expand its iPhone market this year in a big way – and improve its platform. However, Apple seems rather silent of late – and could be waiting until C3Q to make any competitive response outside of potential adjustments to pricing."






‘Jobs’ biopic with Ashton Kutcher release to be delayed, new date yet to be announced

While the upcoming biopic "Jobs" with Ashton Kutcher was set to make its debut on April 19th of this year, the movie's release has reportedly been pushed back. The reason, according to the Hollywood Reporter, is that the film's distribution company wants more time to market the film prior to release. A new release date has yet to be determined. (Thanks, Scott!)





OS X 10.8.3 Update Now Available

Software Update Apple has released the OS X 10.8.3 Update for Mac users running Mountain Lion. The update includes a handful of bug fixes, a new version of Safari, support for installing Windows 8 through Boot Camp, support for installing Boot Camp on drives larger than 3TB, and the ability to redeem iTunes Gift Cards through the Mac App Store using a camera, much like you can already with iTunes. The peculiar File:// bug that caused applications to crash instantly is also resolved with the update. The full release notes for Mountain Lion 10.8.3 are included below.

The update weighs in around 250MB and can be downloaded through the Mac App Store.

Pull down the  Apple menu and choosing Software Update, or launch the Mac App Store directly and look under the "Updates" tab. Installing OS X 10.8.3 requires a system reboot, and it's always good policy to perform a quick Time Machine backup before installing any system software updates.

OS X 10.8.3 Update

Release notes for OS X 10.8.3 update are as follows:

OS X 10.8.3 Release Notes

These are the full release notes courtesy of Apple:

- The ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using your Mac's built-in camera

- Boot Camp support for installing Windows 8

- Boot Camp support for Macs with a 3 TB hard drive

- A fix for an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly

- A fix for an issue that may cause Logic Pro to become unresponsive when using certain plug-ins

- A fix for an issue that may cause audio to stutter on 2011 iMacs

- A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause cards to print out of order

- A fix for an issue that may cause the desktop picture to change after logging out or restarting

- A fix for an issue in Messages that may cause messages to appear out of order after waking from sleep

- A fix for an issue that may cause the screen to display incorrectly after waking from sleep

- Improves compatibility with IMAP servers in the Notes app

- Allows the Slideshow screen saver to display photos located in a subfolder

- A fix for an issue in Contacts that may cause addresses to print in the wrong location

- Reliability improvements when using a Microsoft Exchange account in Mail

- Xsan reliability improvements

- A fix for an issue that could cause Active Directory accounts to be locked out after accessing the Security & Privacy pane in System Preferences

- A fix for an issue that could cause link aggregation to not complete after a restart

- A fix for an issue that could cause delays when logging into an Active Directory account on high latency networks

Safari 6.0.3

Safari 6.0.3 is included in the OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.3 Update and contains fixes that improve performance, stability, and security, including:

- Improves scrolling on facebook.com

- Improves scrolling while zoomed in on a webpage

- Improves performance on webpages with plug-in content

- A fix for an issue that could cause the inaccurate appearance of an alert that bookmarks can't be changed

- A fix for an issue that could cause duplicate bookmarks to appear on an iOS device after editing bookmarks with Safari in OS X

- A fix for an issue that permitted users to access unfiltered search results when searching from google.com when Parental Controls are enabled

- A fix for an issue that could prevent Safari from restoring the last position on a webpage a user navigated back to

The following are the abbreviated release notes provided via the Mac App Store:

The 10.8.3 update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users and includes features and fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including the following:

• The ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using your Mac's built-in camera

• Boot Camp support for installing Windows 8

• Boot Camp support for Macs with a 3TB hard drive

• A fix for an issue that could cause a file URL to quit apps unexpectedly

• A fix for an issue that may cause Logic Pro to become unresponsive when using certain plug-ins

• A fix for an issue that may cause audio to stutter on 2011 iMac models

• Includes Safari 6.0.3

For detailed information about this update, please visit:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5612 (as of time of publishing, link is not yet live on Apple.com)

We will update with more information and changes as it becomes available.