Apple CEO Tim Cook earned US$4.17 million in 2012 and didn't include any stock options. Even though he earned at 51 percent raise, his income was still substantially lower than his $376.2 million in 2011 thanks to the lack of stock options.

Investors simply don't appreciate the competitive advantage of Apple's superior customer service experience, according to a new research note from Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um. He told his clients that Apple' customer service is, "a key differentiator & value driver for the company" that investors don't properly understand.

Apple is apparently ramping up for a spring launch of the second generation iPad mini only months after the original version shipped, according to RBC Capital analyst Doug Freedman. The iPad mini is a smaller version of the popular multimedia iPad tablet and so far Apple has had difficulty keeping up with customer demand.

Apple may be trading near US$530 today, but will drop to $270 within 12 months, according to ACI Research analyst Edward Zabitsky. He sees competition from Microsoft and Samsung, along with consumers losing interest in the closed iOS ecosystem, as driving factors in Apple's shrinking stock value.

Shares in Apple Inc. continued to rally on Tuesday, ending the day at US$533.90 per share, a gain of $15.07 (+2.90 percent). Analyst Ben Reitzes issued a research note arguing that Apple's mutiple is at an inflection point.

Investors and analysts concerned about Apple's future based on reports of iPhone 5 parts order reductions are needlessly worrying, according to Topeka Capital's Brian White. Instead, he said Apple is just fine and the reduction in parts orders was expected, if not a little late.

Admittedly, there's still plenty of time for all manner of things to inexplicably go wrong for Apple Inc., Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um told his clients on Monday that when it comes to $AAPL, "The Mayan Apocalypse is not upon us."

Strong numbers for iPhone 5 sales this weekend in China should quell investor concerns about shares of Apple Inc., according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. In a research note to clients on Monday, Mr. Wu said that he expects Apple to sell 47.5 million iPhones in the December quarter, a number that's above consensus estimates of 45-46 million units.

Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley lowered his 2013 and 2014 iPhone and iPad sales expectations on Monday citing expected lower demand for Apple's mobile devices and reductions in parts orders. He also thinks Apple may be ramping up for a new iPhone launch sometime around June 2013.

Shares of Apple Inc. continued to drop Friday, declining more than 3.7 percent to end the week at US$509.794, down $19.896 (-3.76 percent), on heavy volume of 36 million shares. The prime catalyst appears to be a research note from UBS Investment Research analyst Steven Milunovich, who cut his price target from $780 to $700 and lowered estimates for fiscal 2013 and 2014.