Apple shares rose 1.4% in pre-open trading today after Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, said he expects the company to top Wall Street expectations for its fiscal third-quarter following his checks with Apple specialist stores and data from research group NPD, reports MarketWatch. “Munster said his research suggests strong MacBook sales, but iPod unit sales could be ‘slightly below’ forecasts,” notes the story. “He added that Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter outlook could be dependent on the timing of the release of new or refreshed iPod products.”