Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) on Tuesday supplied The Mac Observer with new research reports on Apple and PortalPlayer, the company that supplies the chips used in the various versions of the iPod. Based on a bullish outlook from PortalPlayer, the financial firm expects Apple to report iPod sales above its current conservative outlook when the current quarter ends in September. CSFB also notes that PortalPlayer announced design wins for a new flash-based chipset, which led the company to speculate that Apple will launch an iPod shuffle with an LCD screen during the third quarter, possibly at Macworld Paris on Sept. 20.

While a June warning of a sales slowdown from Creative Technology hurt Apple's stock briefly, once the company reported its numbers for the past quarter, analysts and investors realized that any signs of weakness in the MP3 player market apparently don't apply to Apple. CSFB writes in its Apple research report that PortalPlayer saw a steep drop in inventory last quarter, "owing to a strong late June finish, presumably from Apple given its top customer bucked normal seasonal trends."

Working from the fact that Apple accounts for about 92% of PortalPlayer's revenue, and estimating PortalPlayer's average selling price for its chip systems, CSFB figured that PortalPlayer shipped 4.65 million units to Apple during the second quarter, up from 4.3 million in the first. The company estimates that Apple sold approximately 4 million hard drive-based iPods in the second quarter, versus 3.6 million in the first.

CSFB reiterated its "Outperform" rating on Apple's stock, writing: "We believe the combination of strong seasonal demand and new product momentum will render Apple's CQ3 guidance conservative, and we would be buyers of the stock at current levels." The company set a US$45 12-month target price for the stock. As of 3:30 PM EST on Tuesday, Apple was at $43,69, down .27% for the day.