Apple: 'We're going down 20% sequentially'

Despite the fact that Apple - with USD 54.5 billion - reported its highest ever quarterly sales, sales figures did not meet analysts' expectations.

• Apple sold a record 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter, up 78 percent from the previous quarter and up 30 percent from the year-ago quarter.
• The company sold 22.9 million iPads, up from 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter.
• Mac sales declined to 4.1 million, down from 5.2 million in the year ago quarter.
• iPod sales declined to 12.7 million compared to 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter.

“We’re thrilled with record revenue of over $54 billion and sales of over 75 million iOS devices in a single quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re very confident in our product pipeline as we continue to focus on innovation and making the best products in the world.” But, despite all those record fiscal figures, the forecast provided for the current quarter paints a gloomier picture. Revenue is projected to be between USD 41 - 43 billion. A lot of money to be sure, but in fact 20 percent lower than what was reported for the Christmas quarter. After-hours, shares fell 10 percent to USD 463, again wiping out some USD 50 billion of its market value.