Sensory Overload... Social Short-Circuit,

Doesn't just about every human being on the planet that wants and can afford one of the various Apple products already have one? At some point, even the most successful innovations, products and services saturate their various target markets until the ascending sales parabola begins to plateau and eventually begin some descent back from heaven to the real-world realities that all business must eventually inhabit. 

The larger issue is that Tim Cook may be the CEO and the business end of the company, but he is not a corporate 'visionary' in the broader social context. Apple is sitting on well over $100 Billion in cash assets and he has done virtually nothing to 'give back to society' in ways that would strengthen the Apple image, enamour it's legacy and prepare for a more broadbased business future.

With even a committment of perhaps$ 2 Billion, Apple could invest $ 40 Million in each of the 50 states to create a regional "Apple Technology Campus". The facility would take the best and the brightest students from that state's high schools, junior colleges, universities and local tech centers and provide tuition free state-of-the-art training in R&D, computer technology, and all of the related sciences. These students would be the new 'seeds' for Apple's future ideas, technical innovations, product development and long term growth. This company simply needs to do a lot more than simply design and sell "i-Stuff"... they need some open-minded creative leadership to become more pro-active to create a softer, more positive corporate image, an improved public persona and, moreover, a strengthened social contract with America. They are surely big enough and rich enough to do absolutely anything that they want, but it's really time to step up to the plate to do some of the things that give back to society in a positive way.

Peace to all ~

Hope these a$$holes go bankrupt.  US economy is in the toilet and half the nation is obsessed with buying overpriced, mostly useless (for most peoples purposes) foreign produced garbage.

Better get on foodstamps so you can afford that new iPhone.  Wouldn't wanna miss out on the newest techno gadget gauranteed to be obsolete in a year.

If Apple is showing signs of weeakness .... then the rest of the stock market is really in trouble?? How many companies have prroduced bad earnings, which is giving you a inside look at the miserable economy which determines the stock market.  I don't think that there is one part of the economy that has signs of growth. 

So Barry ... what is your plan to get the economy back on it's feeet?? "DUH .... I have absolutely no plan or idea on what to do .... but I can make some pretty good beer" .... MORON!

Apples fall faster than they rise!

Killing people that manufacture your devices should not be good business.

Stealing and then claiming others stole from you should not be good business.

Robbing people, the mentally ill, should not be good business.

Apple will join Steve Jobs soon!

3rd quarter earnings are down almost every time, every year. This is a cyclical pattern that you can count on. If you can't see or forecast past a couple of weeks down the road - you're fools !

A [V]ery [L]ame poster around here spouts off that it's the end, the approaching catastrophe or something like that.  WHAT A IDIOT !!!!!!

Christmas is coming and with that season, many, many people will be snapping these Apple products up-as well as the new Windows 8. 4th quarter earnings will be fine with Apple & Microsoft.