From Reuters:
(Reuters) – Apple Inc may provide the first signs this week that the Japanese crisis is pressuring margins, clouding what should otherwise be another dazzling second quarter for the makers of the iPad and iPhone.
Wall Street has been afire with speculation of how a shortage of crucial components from Japan, which provides more than a 10th of global electronics components, might swell costs and constrain supply — particularly of the marquee iPad 2 launched in March.
With Silicon Valley magician Steve Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, still sidelined indefinitely on medical leave, some analysts warn the Japanese disruption will shave points off Apple’s gross margins for the rest of this year.
“The earnings are going to be really great. We are looking to see how they address the supply chain issues in Japan,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Scott Sutherland. “They are getting the components, but at higher prices.”
Apple could see its margins decline by 200-300 basis points in the June quarter, Sutherland said, adding the pressure could continue into the September quarter as well.
