Shares in Apple Computer fell to an eight-month low today after an industry analyst predicted that new iPod models expected to hit stores later this year could be delayed as much as two quarters.

Apple chief Steve Jobs pulling the Nano out of his pocket.

Shaw Wu of American Technology Research said new iPod Nanos and video iPods expected for the third and fourth quarter of the year may be delayed as long as two calendar quarters. Wu said Apple's decision to switch chip suppliers from PortPlayer to Samsung could cause the delay.

Wu's cautionary note follows reports that iPod Nano sales have been sluggish and that iPod sales for the current quarter will fall short of Wall Street expectations.

"The stock has pulled back as the overall tech market has been week, but there is also a lack of new product momentum," Wu told Reuters. "The Nano was introduced last October, it was very strong but it hasn't done that well, and it is in need of a refresh."

Wu also said that the long-rumored introduction of a wide-screen video iPod, previously thought to arrive in the fourth quarter, will likely be pushed back until the sometime in the first half of 2007.

The prediction sent shares in Apple down more than three percent to $55.41, although shares have rebounded slightly to close at $56.02. Apple's stock dipped another 12 cents to $55.90 in after-hours trading.

Wu cut his price target on Apple's stock to $75 a share from $101.