back to article Apple squeaks over revenue estimates, misses earnings target

Apple reported revenues in its fourth fiscal quarter that topped the Wall Street moneymen's predictions – but only barely. Its earnings per share, however, came in lower than most predictions. Cupertino posted quarterly revenue of $36bn, which resulted in a quarterly earnings-per-share (EPS) of $8.67. According to the 47 …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You can see why they updated the iPad after only 7 months or so. They're trying to even out the peaks and troughs.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It makes you wonder how many updates to the Nexus 7 Google will have to release to even out their troughs! We'll be getting one a week.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "It makes you wonder how many updates to the Nexus 7 Google will have to release to even out their troughs! We'll be getting one a week"

        Nice attempt at a joke, but wrong. You're saying that their sales go up and down on a weekly basis, rather than an annual basis like the iPad's?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So analysts are wrong....

    yet again!

    Got to love a job where you can talk the talk. If you over predict the actual results - you blame the company, if you under predict you revise your figures.

    1. Andrew Moore

      Re: So analysts are wrong....

      I'm guessing that they are still using goat entrails in order to make their predictions.

      Remember, you can't spell Analyst without "anal"

  3. a_been

    The end is nigh

    Well that's it clearly Apple are doomed.

    1. Captain Scarlet Silver badge
      Flame

      Re: The end is nigh

      No people like me being asked:

      Person: I need a new Ipad/Iphone/Android * (Other eletricals are available)

      Me: Well no your current device is fine, you still have the bleeding warranty on it!

      Person: But this has what I need

      Me: Like what

      Person: Its the new <brandname> Device, its got new stuff like <insert random tech they have no idea what it is>

      Me: Your current one can do that/There is nothing out that takes advantage of that feature

      I am currently forcing people to save their money (Including everything really, if it works and has everything you need why replace it).

  4. BozNZ
    Joke

    Wow!

    I didn't know sheep farming was so profitable!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No one with a brain ...

    ... believes ANYTHING that comes from a Wall Street analyst. Speaking as someone who has worked on the street,. I can say unequivocally, that "the message" that analysts send is closely aligned with aspects of the market that ordinary people are unaware of (oops bad grammar but I am too lazy to fix it). The analysts are trying to "create value" by talking up or the opposite by talking it down, based on the position of (a) his/her firm or probably as likely his buddies.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I would say one thing...

    ...as the owner of both PC's and a late-2011 Macbook Pro;

    The Macbook makes for a superlative laptop - especially running Win 7 via bootcamp (sorry Apple).

    However, as things stand this will be both the first and last Macbook I purchase.

    For an ultra-thin device, such as an Air, I am willing to compromise on upgradability.

    However, for my day-to-day working laptop I am not.

    I absolutely do not want a machine where I can't upgrade the RAM because it's soldered onto the board, where I can't _easily_ upgrade the HDD/SSD because it's a customised connection or one where the battery will rupture because it's epoxied into the case.

    And I'm sorry again, Apple, but a super-duper-hi-res-wow-aren't-we-innovative screen is all but meaningless to me when taken with all of the above. Possibly so, at a personal level even regardless of it.

    And in order to cripple my upgrade options, you expect me to pay stupid money ?

    I was fortunate enough to pick my current device up in the States, and as a result of a semi-decent exchange rate it was around 25% less than the UK equivalent. Still and expensive laptop, but about equivalent for similar spec in the UK at the time (core i7, gaming graphics card etc). If I'd had to pay full UK prices, I probably wouldn't have bothered.

    Just my thoughts on why the macbook sales are slowing.

    1. zapgadget
      Thumb Down

      Re: I would say one thing...

      Agree. As a long-time Mac laptop user, I have upgraded over time all of my Macs, extending the life.

      I like the enhanced resolution of the Retina, but I am simply not prepared to buy a sealed-unit laptop where I can't upgrade the RAM or storage.

      1. Andrew Moore

        Re: I would say one thing...

        That's the idea though- they make you pay for the full-whack RAM and HHD options up front rather than hope you will upgrade them in the future (in which case they hope you will just buy a new Macbook)

        1. Geoff Campbell Silver badge
          Paris Hilton

          Re: "Make you pay"

          Ah, well, that's rather the point, isn't it? Apple cannot, in fact *make* anyone pay for anything. What they can do is to *ask* consumers to pay for certain things. And if they get the functions or price/performance wrong, consumers will say "Err, no thanks", and go elsewhere.

          There is no sign of this happening at the moment, I should say. But any company is only ever one wrongly-designed product refresh away from disaster, whether they are Apple, Dell, Ford, or Tomy.

          GJC

          (Paris, because of course her price/performance offering is always right, and it's Friday)

        2. Dan 55 Silver badge

          Re: I would say one thing...

          But given Apple's target market, I find it very hard to believe that there are many geeks who ask for the lowest RAM/HDD price and source their own RAM/HDD upgrades.

          I suppose they've done their research into this to find out how much they're 'losing' on options, but did they research into how many geeks would be annoyed by non-standard RAM/HDD connections and how many computer sales they're losing? I'd say it's about the same.

  7. Drew 11

    I stopped buying iMac's last year when they began to dumb down Safari and OSX to turn my iMac into a glorified iPhone. Oh, and when the "app store" option appeared in the apple menu.

    1. Mike
      Happy

      I've got bad news for you regarding Windows 8...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Number of shares

    Isn't the number of shares a publicly known fact for public companies? Then how could analysts get the total earnings underestimated and the earnings per share overestimated? I thought their relationship was simple division by number of shares...

    1. Quando

      Re: Number of shares

      One is revenue, the other is profit. So looks like their margin might have dropped a % or 2 this quarter.

  9. MachDiamond Silver badge

    Analysts are always disappointed.

    What makes an analyst happy?

    I keep seeing the statement that "analysts" are disappointed over the 5 million and not 10 million iPhone 5's sold right out of the gate when Apple says they only had 5 million copies ready to go at the time. All the inventory gone over the weekend, nothing left, sold out. Nice! Profitable! Screw the "Analysts". Christmas bonuses for the staff.

    5 million is a huge number of items. Especially when we are talking high tech kit and not gum balls.

    Me? I don't need a smart phone. I'd probably buy an Android if I did anyway.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ANALysts...

    ...moaning about a quarterly revenue of $36 BILLION.

    Greedy twats.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    so all their lines of business are going up and analysts are disappointed?

    Even iPod sales are up for even sake,

    Mac sales are up when the rest of the PC industry is experiencing an 8% drop and the analysts are complaining about margin.

    Not the level of margin but the fact that it isn't what they thought it would be.

    Well, when you launch new products you have to invest in things called Tools, shipping, advertising and R&D, those things impact your margin negatively. Apple refreshed their entire line in Q4. Duh...

    Why did I chose to work in procurement when I could have become an Analyst?

    I would have been able to write garbage all day and got paid handsomely for the privilege. Wrong career choice I made.

  12. Edward Noel

    Shoioppnig

    I think there will be sufficient people "shoioppnig" for their products over Christmas for Apple to survive.

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