Apple Inc (AAPL)

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00:20 AAPL Apple delay is no big deal - Barron's (90.24 )

Plugged In reports Charles Wolf, formerly a hardware analyst with Needham & Co. and president of Wolf Insights, believes Apple's (AAPL) Leopard OS delay will have no long-term impact . Furthermore, he says the introduction of Leopard should give Apple a $150 mln-$200 mln one-time revenue boost, based on upgrades by existing users alone. He expects the delay to shift additional earnings into Apple's FY08, thus lifting profits next year by a dime a share, to $3.85.

Wolf suspects that Apple may try to smooth over the situation by initiating an upgrade coupon program for Mac purchasers who choose not to wait. Unlike Windows operating-system upgrades, which have been difficult for average users, Apple upgrades are usually easier, Wolf argues. "It's painless," he says, and shouldn't cause potential Mac buyers to rethink their decisions.