Here are your Apple rumors and news items for Friday: iPad 2 Supply Intact:
Speculation that key components in Apples (NASDAQ: AAPL ) iPad 2 would be in
short supply following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has run rampant since
those events took place. However, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a
Friday note that even though iPad 2 demand will continue to outpace supply into
this years third quarter, Japanese component manufacturers are back on schedule.
Apple recently reduced U.S. iPad 2 lead times, which suggests the situation in
Japan has not meaningfully impacted iPad 2 supply. We believe the most critical
suppliers are back up and running following the earthquake and the impact to
supply will be modest, wrote Munster. Kodak Patent Dispute Could Cost: Eastman
Kodak (NYSE: EK ) shares were up almost 9% on Friday after a Bloomberg interview
with company CEO Antonio Perez, who said his company could gain $1 billion,
provided the International Trade Commission decides to reexamine a patent
dispute Kodak filed against Apple and Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM ). Kodak
claims that the digital cameras used in those companies smartphones violates its
patent the same patent that an ITC judge already said that Samsung and LG
violated. A different judge determined that Apple and RIM had not violated
Kodaks patent in January. Samsung and LG paid Kodak close to $1 billion in
royalties following the ITCs decision, and, provided the case against Apple and
RIM is reopened and subsequently reversed, those companies could pay Kodak even
more. Map Quest: 9 to 5 Mac uncovered a new Apple job posting on Friday. The
company is looking for a new developer to work on its Maps applications, which
hints at a dramatically redesigned version of the mobile operating systems
existing mapping features. Apple has already made moves to beef up the platforms
mapping features. The company is rumored to be introducing a new Find My Friends
social network that would let iPhone and iPad users instantly locate one another
using their devices GPSs. As 9 to 5 Mac also notes, Apple acquired a digital
mapping company PlaceBase in 2009 and this new job posting hints that Apple will
finally put that companys technology to use. As of this writing, Anthony John
Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on
Twitter at @ajohnagnello and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.
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