Apple Roundup: Apple TV, iPhone 5, China Mobile

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Today's top Apple (AAPL) stories include more rumors about the Apple TV, the impact of the next iPhone and the iPhone 5 coming to the world's largest mobile carrier.

In a research note released on Thursday, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White explained that the long-awaited Apple television could appear in time for the 2012 holiday season.

Citing a report from 21cbh.com, White notes that Apple's manufacturing partner Hon Hai expects to start receiving LCD TV panel orders from Sharp in the third quarter, instead of the fourth quarter as originally planned . Hon Hai Precision recently purchased a 10% stake in Sharp.

White rates Apple shares "buy" with a $1,001 price target.

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Hon Hai and Foxconn were also in the news, not for Apple television set chatter, but because Foxconn CEO Terry Gou reportedly made some interesting comments at the firm's annual shareholder meeting on Monday. He suggested that the iPhone 5 will trounce Samsung's just released Galaxy III.

Apple could not be immediately reached for comment confirming or denying the existence of the long awaited iPhone 5.

Here's what to expect from the iPhone 5

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With the iPhone 5 expected to launch later this year, bringing the phone to China Mobile (CHL) would make it a "true world phone," Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu said in a research note.

Wu believes the iPhone 5 will have several key upgrades over the iPhone 4S, including a new form factor, a bigger screen, and the ability to run on high speed networks, known as Long Term Evolution (LTE).

"One other key feature we are picking up on the new iPhone is that it will likely be a 'true world phone' meaning the ability to work with the world's various 3G and 4G wireless networks. This includes China Mobile's proprietary TD-SCDMA 3G network," Wu wrote in his note. He noted that China Mobile is starting to test LTE in mainland China, having already rolled it out in Hong Kong.

Wu rates Apple shares "buy" with a $780 price target.

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Shares of Apple were down slightly on Thursday, slipping 0.05% to %585.29.

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--Written by Chris Ciaccia in New York

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