Apple iPhone 6S forecast up, Watch outlook weakening
The outlook for Apple’s (AAPL) fall iPhone refresh is brightening while prospects for Apple Watch are dimming, Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves said in a research note Monday. Initial estimates of Apple’s component orders for the September quarter have prompted a “more positive view” on the coming iPhone refresh cycle, Hargreaves said. Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 6S this fall. “Although it is early and we lack visibility into the critical December quarter, our initial estimates of iPhone component orders in fiscal Q4 suggest Apple is anticipating demand in the next iPhone cycle that is ahead of our current expectations,” Hargreaves said. A meaningful decline in iPhone sales after the wildly successful iPhone 6 release has been a big concern, so the higher-than-expected initial order volume is encouraging, he said. The positive iPhone story, however, is “slightly offset by a deteriorating view around…