Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Wow, Apple is a Monster: 71% Revenue Growth? Unfortunately, my Feeling is Jobs won't be Back

This company just can't be beat.

Net income for Apple's fiscal first quarter rose to $6 billion, or $6.43 per share, up from $3.4 billion, or $3.67 per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet forecast $5.41 per share for the quarter, which ended Dec. 25.

Revenue climbed 71 percent to $26.7 billion, more than the $24.3 billion analysts expected. It was $15.7 billion in the same quarter a year earlier.

The bad part is I think Jobs might be hard pressed to come back to the company. His cancer seems like a pretty bad deal and he looks very gaunt and sickly in most articles I have read about him. In many ways he looks like my ratty pal Cinderbottom when he was near the end of his battle with his lung ailment.

The thing that got me thinking is the fact he doesn't shake hands as he is afraid that his weakened immune system cannot take the germs that the other person might be carrying. That is pretty serious stuff and it is just a gut feeling but I don't think Jobs will be returning to Cupertino for a long time.

I am seriously wondering if the heart and soul of the company would leave with Jobs or not. People are praising the interim guy Tim Cook as a person of the same mold but does he have the charisma of Jobs? Will the next I-Something-or-Other be as must-have (or as big a seller) with Cook giving the keynote at Apple's big shindig? I guess that question needs to be answered if they are to go up another 71% for next years revenue.

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