Ryan Cerpa / Sr. Analyst

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) sells its host of computer technology and electronics products worldwide through its online stores, its retail stores, its direct sales force, and third-party wholesalers, resellers and value-added resellers. In addition, the company sells a variety of third-party Macintosh (Mac), iPhone and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and various other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores, and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The Company sells to consumer, small and mid-sized business (SMB), education, enterprise, government, creative customers and just about anyone else you can think of.

• Facebook’s iPhone app is one of the most popular wares the App Store has ever carried. But its developer, Joe Hewitt, says he’s done with it, saying that Apple’s review policies are starting a bad precedent for other platforms. However, good apps from talented developers will always find platforms, and Apple’s policies won’t prevent that from happening. Hewitt’s decision has sparked a mini uprising over the so-called “tyrannical” Apple, with critics complaining it has a horrible App Store approval process, despite the approval of more than 100,000 apps so far. Now recently, there’s the notion that Android is a better, more open platform, and if key developers move to Android from Apple it could spell the beginning of the end for the App store revolution.

• There has been trouble brewing in paradise for Apple. First is the exclusivity contract between AT&T and Apple; another is the iPhone’s inability to work on Verizon’s network. The two are just incompatible. However, all that may be about to change. The exclusivity deal will eventually give way to other carriers carrying the iPhone, but according to analyst investigations into the iPhone supply chain, Apple is preparing to launch a Verizon-compatible phone as early as next summer. If the rumors prove true this time (and they at least have the appearance of being credible), this could prove to be a big win for Verizon. Subscriber numbers have been buoyed primarily by its acquisition of Alltel, while its landline business is dying, posting a 5% decline in revenue last quarter. The subscriber base for its FiOS broadband network is still expanding, too. An iPhone collaboration could help vault Verizon well ahead of AT&T in subscriber growth, where AT&T is already facing tough comparables from last year.

AAPL is trading above its 13, 50, and 200 day moving average. This is considered to be the sign of a bullish trend. There is added weight to this indication because the moving average is rising and suggests that there has been buying interest in this stock, there looks to be a slight downturn coming but nothing of any serious consequence to the longer term holder.

The MACD for AAPL currently indicates a strong bullish signal for two reasons. First, the MACD is above the signal line, a 9day moving average. Second, the MACD is above 0 which implies that the underlying moving averages are trending higher.

The Stochastic Oscillator is registering a bearish signal as the %K line has crossed under the %D and the oscillator recently crossed below the critical value of 80, moving from its overbought condition.