[glundquist]

Look, there's one thing we're avoiding. Tim Cook has done a fine job running Apple, just ask his banker, and there's not a scintilla of evidence to support the decline in the stock of the constant gnattering and gnashing of teeth on the part of those inclined to do so...i.e. Business School Graduates from safety schools whose GPA precluded their getting a job in an actual business hence the decision to prostitutes....which is how they were taught to spell journalists.. but.... BUT....

Tim Cook couldn't sell vaseline in a Greek YMCA if he had exclusive rights. And he not only doesn't care about investor relations, his claim that he does serves only to irritate those of us who are not institutional investors and who invest from the heart in products and company's the love. I'm not asking him to change policy mind you...I'm asking him to stand up and yell "This is bull[censored]... a PE under 9? Are you kidding me? Look at these products...look at these balance sheets... are you out of your friggin' minds?" And it doesn't help that he reduced his salary for this year, not after the stock options he and his board took last year.... do you look at insider trading at this company... does anyone at Apple ever BUY the stock?

OK... not worth what Wednesday night cost me...but I feel a little better.

[josu]

Quote

Why do all these Apple bashers think the only thing people want is a cheaper product? That's why Mercedes-Benz decided to fold their tent.

Well, to be honest, M-B right now is the weakest of the three premium german brands, but your point is as good with BMW right now the "coolest" IMHO. More, I have read in Marketwatch somebody suggesting to Apple to buy it. Absolutely ridiculous, to be honest, but at least Apple cash is more than double it's market cap.

[josu]

I have very good time reading the Macalope, but that he insist in the "one week less" theory is unworthy of him. Macalope there is much better argument to the naysayers. Q1 2012 Apple did't change anything in its product line but internal components in several of them, mostly the A5 and a better camera in the iPhone 4s. Q1 2013, in contrast have launched the totally redesigned iPhone 5, just 9 days before the begining of the quarter, a completely redesigned iPod Nano and Touch, this with same quality retina display as the 5, new iPad Mini, also new design, processor upgrades in iPad (with new lightning connector), and Mac minis. And a totally redesigned iMac. All this explain by themselves the drop in gross margins, nobody needs to be brilliant in math to see that without all this added costs the profits would have skyrockeyed this quarter.