As usual, Apple must play by a different set of rules when it comes to Wall Street. You would think a company’s profits would actually make a difference, but that expectation would be wrong. So even though Apple’s margins, though somewhat lower than before, are the envy of the tech industry, it’s just not enough. […]

So on the surface, Apple had a pretty decent quarter. iPhone sales were unexpectedly high, growing 26% over last year to set a new record for this time of year. In contrast, iPad sales grew just a tiny bit, and Mac sales continued to drop, though not quite as bad as some other PC makers. […]

To some, iWork has remained the poor stepchild at Apple. A successor to AppleWorks, it was meant to provide all of the basic productivity functions, from word processing to spreadsheets to presentations, which most regular people would need. Within the limits for advanced formatting, you could also read and write files in Microsoft Office formats, […]

So Apple’s stock price was boosted Thursday by the news that billionaire investor and firebrand Carl Icahn had boosted his holdings in the company by some 22%, and was pushing for a $150 billion stock buyback. Supposedly such a move, if it’s done as Icahn suggests, would boost Apple’s stock price to four-figure levels. Supposedly. […]