Everything a company does manipulates the price of a stock. The question is, are the changes predatory or are they beneficial.
When a company announces a new product, it could be considered manipulation of stock price. It is also quite legal. When a company hires or fires members of the board of directors, it is quite often with the intent of improving stock prices.
When a company splits it's stock, it is usually because, their price is so high, many who wish to invest, can't. By splitting, they are lowering an artificial barrier to entry. This is generally a good thing.
This wasn't Apple's announcement, it was a statement from a speculative analyst. Now if Apple explicitly leaked this to him, that is one thing...but it appears that in being a person of influence on Wall Street and doing something like this, and profiting from it, that he may have done something that is actionable.
Even if the "bump" is $7 a share, if you own 2,000 shares, you're talking about real money. Hell, even if you only owned 500 shares.