If you annualize our quarterly revenue, it’s surprising that Apple is now a $50+ billion company. - Steve Jobs
And if you follow Apple's guidance, you wouldn't annualize the quarterly revenue:
Q1 (This Quarter) - The Company posted revenue of $15.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share.
Q2 (Next Quarter) Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue in the range of about $11.0 billion to $11.4 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $2.06 to $2.18.
Apple's guidance for Q1'10 was $11.3b-$11.6 which as EPS translates to about $1.74. Based on this, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple deliver actual results close to Q1 in this next off-holiday-season quarter, which would be both impressive and a support of Jobs' statement.
While this is not a confirmation we'll be seeing a tablet from Apple on Wednesday, it is the first thing we've heard from Apple in terms of launching a new product that I know of.
Translation: "No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame."
Apple may be a one-eyed man in the realm of the blind, but even so that does sometimes make them king. Apple doesn't do anything that the rest of the industry can't: they coordinate good usability and aesthetic design with strong execution and solid brand management, but the rest of the industry doesn't. And that will continue to give Apple a huge competitive advantage until the rest of the industry wakes up and "gets it".
(See also: Google, re: combining solid usability design, top tier application development, and revolutionary data center/IT operations on the web.)
And if you follow Apple's guidance, you wouldn't annualize the quarterly revenue:
Q1 (This Quarter) - The Company posted revenue of $15.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share.
Q2 (Next Quarter) Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue in the range of about $11.0 billion to $11.4 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $2.06 to $2.18.