Apple Thoughts: Analyst Claims Low Demand Might Induce iPhone Refresh

"Although we haven't heard Apple's financial results for the fourth quarter of 2008 just yet, early analyst reports suggest that lower consumer spending levels have had at least somewhat of an effect on Apple. In a report covered by AppleInsider, Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner suggests that despite a relatively good fourth quarter for the rest of Apple's products, lower demand for the iPhone may cause Apple to refresh the iPhone in April or May."

While I don't doubt that the iPhone is due for a refresh of some kind (I honestly thought a storage bump was coming at Macworld), I have to wonder if these analysts really have any information of any kind at their hands. Think about it. Have you ever heard anything from the mouth of an analyst before you heard it from a rumor site? I certainly haven't. And frankly, they're equally accurate (read: barely at all).