Analysts

Take this one with a 9.7-inch grain of salt, but according to Citi analyst Richard Gardner, Apple has overcome all technical hurdles and will be releasing the iPad 3 in February sporting a full 2048×1536 Retina display.

According to "several sources" the next iPad will launch in February, and it will sport a screen with double the resolution of the current model. Gardner says, "there do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining" to prevent a launch of a high-resolution iPad, despite rumors to the contrary.

During a meeting with Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi, Apple COO Tim Cook referred to the iPhone as "the mother of all halos" because of its ability to expand sales of other core products like the iPad and the Mac. Cook went on to strongly suggest that Apple would be releasing a cheaper iPhone in the not-so-distant future:

The analyst says Cook “appeared to reaffirm the notion that Apple is likely to develop lower priced offerings” to expand the market for the iPhone. Cook said the company is planning “clever things” to address the prepaid market, and that Apple did not want its products to be “just for the rich,” and that the company is “not ceding any market.”

According to Mary Meeker and analysts from Morgan Stanley, Apple has a two to three year lead over its competitors in the mobile Internet space. Even though Apple's iPhone and iPod touch represent just a small piece of of the global smartphone pie with 17 percent, the two devices are responsible for a astounding 65 percent of all mobile internet use.

With the launch of the iPhone 3G, Apple dropped the price point to a carrier-subsidized $199 for the 8GB model. Naturally, that led the usual suspects to complain it wasn't cheaper. It should be $99. It should be free. They should pay us $199 to take it!

Somewhat -- if only slightly -- more seriously, however, that's pretty much what Apple Insider says Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty's studies are showing, with fully 46% turning their nose up at the current price point. She claims that sales of the iPhone 3G were half as strong in September and October when compared to July and September, and suggests: