Submitted by: kirkland on Thursday November 30th, 2006 at 06:33 PM EST

Apple Computer's stock surged Wednesday as a report expected low-priced iPods and faster Mac computers using Intel chips to boost holiday sales.

Shares of Apple rose $1.01, or 1.1%, to $92.82 in early trading. The stock hit a 52-week high of $93.16 per share Monday, eclipsing the previous high of $91.63 reached last week. The 52-week low is $50.16.

Demand for Apple products is strong and the company doesn't attempt to match bargains offered by PC competitors such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway.

The iPod music player, including the smaller and cheaper iPod Shuffle, has developed a loyal following and grabs about 75% of the market. Microsoft recently entered the field with a new product called Zune.

» Full story @ Forbes