Wall Street to Apple critics: Get your numbers straight

Forrester Research came out with a study two days ago that said Apple iTune sales were off as much as 65% in the first half of this year. Apple loyalists immediately branded the study a farce.

Now, brokerage Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) and research firm ComScore have come out with a study of their own. Their conclusion is that iTune sales are up 84% for the first three quarters of this year compared to the same period in 2005.

Now, both studies can't be right and Forrester and ComScore are both well-regarded research firms. But, the new ComScore data has some information Forrester didn't have that helps it's case. Traffic to the iTunes website hit 20.8 million unique visitors in November, up 85% from the same month last year.

Whoops.

In the two days since it was made public, the Forrester study made headlines across the world, using increasingly hyperbolic language. Sales were "Plummeting!" and "Crashing." A corresponding furor of denials rose up across the Internet.

Forrester quickly recanted it ever made the pronouncement. Industry watchers just chuckled wryly. Note to Forrester: Information is immediate these days, guys. Loose lips can sink ships, but only if you have your numbers right as the reports from Piper Jaffray demonstrate.