As reported by “CNET” (http://macte.ch/jVq36): UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um has delivered a report telling how Apple could expand its market cap by delving into such new services in the coming years as the TV set business and an expanded version of its tech support offerings.
Um suggests that Apple’s in a good position to boost its market cap by anywhere from US$50 billion to $100 billion by getting into the business of making and selling connected TV sets. The group cites growth in both the flat-panel TV market, as well as Internet-connected set-top boxes.
Whatever Apple would be creating would be a mix of those two that heavily leverages the company’s existing media services, the analyst says. Um suggests that Apple could expand its Genius Bar support services with a paid element to help a customer get the company’s TV set up.
“What we envision of Genius Bar is similar to the Geek Squad, which is fairly well known in the U.S. as Best Buy’s service department to facilitate technology adoption,” he said in a note to clients. “In many respects, Apple already offers a number of these services in-store. However, in our view, one primary difference between a Geek and a Genius is that a Geek has a car. If Apple ultimately enters the television set market, we believe it may have to offer some type of installation service (wall mounting, delivery, etc.).”
Um suggests that the same install from this “Genius Squad” visit could be used to help set up and install other Apple products like the company’s wireless networking devices. That same service could also end up laying the groundwork for what Um suggests as another business Apple could deliver later on down the line: home automation technologies.
