After witnessing countless Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) conference calls and earnings announcements in the last few years, I think it's safe to say that the hottest consumer tech company goes out of its way to underestimate quarterly numbers so it can "surprise" analysts with one blowout quarter after another. While other companies try to predict exactly how each quarter will go, Apple plays that game like it does consumer marketing: very slick and masterfully smart.But are those conservative guidance press releases slipping? Is Apple trying to be truer to what it really thinks it will make when upcoming quarterly guidance is released? That's the thought from some market watchers. Analysts picked up on the "undersell" tactic Apple has been using for quite some time and has fed clients the real deal on Apple's expectations.
But when Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer gave out Q1 guidance back in October that seemed to be very aggressive -- with expectations of a $9.2 billion holiday quarter -- was he sandbagging or playing the standard line? Hard to tell. But if some analysts are correct, that expectation could be deceptive.
Will Rich Ross really have a positive impact on Disney's movie operations?
Consumers sick of recession, may spend extra on holidays
Corrections, seasonality and Santa Claus
