However, by Friday, good news was trickling out of the Japanese components sector. Shin-Etsu Chemical, which makes silicon wafers, reported that two of the four factories that were shut down after the earthquake were back in operation. Elpida Memory said a chip-testing and assembly plant located in northeastern Japan was back online after a power-outage closure.

Though power outages remain an issue for many component suppliers, the big scare for U.S. vendors appears to have passed. As analysts noted, many top-tier U.S. vendors are big enough to make prepayments that ensure a guaranteed supply and price for components.

"Supply-chain investments, cash balance, and tier-1 status should help Apple retain access to key components," noted equities analyst in a research note.

Other news on the financial front helped instill confidence in the tech sector this week. Intel, Cisco and SAP all reported this week that they would pay out dividends. It would be the first time Cisco has ever paid out a dividend. Big corporations do not pay dividends as often as they did decades ago, and the decision to do so is often seen as a sign that a company is confident about its sales prospects.

On the macroeconomic front, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday that first-time unemployment benefits fell to 385,000 last week, a bigger drop than had been expected and a sign that the recovery from the Great Recession is holding up.