Innovation in the Works, Apple Is Set to Soar Again

Apple's "Einhorn Cash Catalyst" rally came to a short-term end last week as Tim Cook failed to spark enthusiasm with his comments at the Goldman Sachs conference. This is the latest development in a perfect storm of events that has caused Apple stock to spiral into a five-month correction. It's been a long five months for Apple investors but with products like Apple TV on the horizon, positive uncertainty will return.

In the portfolio, we sold a portion of our AAPL June calls on Friday in order to stay true to our commitment of re-allocating Apple in $5 increments. After five months of underperformance, we refuse to add to positions until Apple finds upward stability. We plan to sell the rest of our June positions if Apple drops below $450.

We'll add to positions if the stock finishes above $465. The same approach is on the table with Netflix (NFLX). So far our initial allocation is off to a good start. We'll add to it if the stock can close above $200 on Wall Street's infatuation with the company's original programming and international growth prospects.

Of course the television is only one of Apple's potential disruptors for 2013. We've been discussing the potential of a wrist-iWallet as well. Judging from comments regarding iWallet, the biggest barrier to entry is the payment infrastructure.

Is the world really ready for iWallet? Scanning devices to receive payment are fragmented throughout the retail industry. At first glance this appears to present a problem for Apple but perhaps this fragmentation will provide the world's most trusted brand with an edge over its competitors.

The iPad continues to gain credibility as a retail tool. Nordstrom is the latest retailer to begin implementing iPods and iPads into its payment structure. If enough retailers follow the trend it will provide Apple with a pre-distributed network to receive secure payments through iWallet.

The evolution of iWallet's infrastructure is happening before our eyes and yet Wall Street is favoring Google (GOOG) (GOOG is up 20% over the last three months as AAPL has dropped 20%) even though its largest Android client, Samsung, is planning to release its own OS in the fourth quarter.

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