Glonghui, January 12 | Barclays released a research report giving Apple a “reduced holdings” rating. The target price is 160 US dollars. Analyst Tim Long said that Apple's app store sales may have been strong in the most recent quarter, but this year it will face a more difficult environment in several areas. Long believes that as competition becomes more difficult in the coming quarters, the App Store's growth rate may slow to (middle single digits) rather than the current (single digit to 10%) rate.” Apple's hardware revenue is thought to be roughly in line with expectations, but next quarter's revenue is likely to be “much weaker” than expected due to supply chain feedback, a weak macro environment, a rebound in Android sales, and ongoing issues surrounding Google's antitrust case. The bank said that overall, the survey still shows that iPhone sales continue to be weak, iPhone sales in China are weak (a sharp double-digit decline in the past two weeks), and the macroeconomic weakness of the US and the euro alone is insufficient to offset the strong momentum in emerging markets. The US Department of Justice's trial against Google is also risky and could affect nearly 10% of Apple's earnings per share.