&ot
Blah, blah, blah… tells us all nothing we don’t already know… and then ends with a typical Wolverton-esque fabrica…, er, flourish:
The announcements came as Apple’s lineup was starting to look long-in-the tooth and sales were starting to slow. Apple’s revenue from iPod fell year-over-year for the first time ever in the first quarter this year and grew less than five percent in the second quarter. Meanwhile, a survey by research firm iSuppli released Tuesday suggested that iPhone sales had slowed markedly after their first days on store shelves and were not on pace to meet Apple’s own forecast for current quarter sales.
Full article, Think Before You Click™, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “B. H.; for the heads up.]
Let’s look behind Wolverton’s sloppily-executed sleight-of-hand, shall we?
Facts: Apple’s iPod lines continue to offers richer mixes with each passing year and consequently offer lower price points. And comparing sequential quarters ignores seasonality in favor of sensationalist tripe (which, by the way, also happens to be Troy’s nickname here in the palatial MDN headquarters). What Wolverton neglects to mention are that iPod unit sales continue to grow year-over-year in each quarter:
Q1:
• 2007 (ended 12/30/06): 21.066 million iPods
• 2006 (ended 12/31/05): 14.043 million iPods
• 2005 (ended 12/25/04): 04.580 million iPods
• 2004 (ended 12/27/03): 733,000 iPods
Q2:
• 2007 (ended 03/07/07): 10.549 million iPods
• 2006 (ended 04/01/06): 08.526 million iPods
• 2005 (ended 03/26/05): 05.311 million iPods
• 2004 (ended 03/27/04): 807,000 iPods
Q3:
• 2007 (ended 06/30/07): 09.815 million iPods
• 2006 (ended 07/01/06): 08.111 million iPods
• 2005 (ended 07/13/05): 06.155 million iPods
• 2004 (ended 06/26/04): 860,000 iPods
Q4:
• 2006 (ended 09/30/06): 08.729 million iPods
• 2005 (ended 10/11/05): 06.451 million iPods
• 2004 (ended 09/25/04): 02.016 million iPods
Facts have a way of cutting through, don’t they?
In addition, the survey by research firm iSuppli released Tuesday would have been deemed ludicrous had it not stated that iPhone sales had slowed after the initial hordes of camped-out line-waiters abated. It’s only logical. Right, Troy? Oh, sorry, we forgot.
Finally, the survey by research firm iSuppli released Tuesday stated that Apple’s iPhone outsold all smartphones in the United States in July, its first full month on sale, accounting for 1.8 percent of all U.S. mobile handset sales. In the survey, iSuppli reiterated its forecast that Apple would sell 4.5 million iPhones this year, rising to more than 30 million in 2011. iSuppli also stated that Apple’s iPhone sold more than Research in Motion’s Blackberry series, the entire Palm portfolio and any individual smartphone model from Motorola, Nokia or Samsung. iSuppli also said that it’s likely that the speed of the iPhone’s rise to competitive dominance in its segment is unprecedented in the history of the mobile-handset market. Apple’s own forecast (really, a goal more than a forecast) is for 1 million iPhone units by the end of September (they also have a goal of selling 10 million iPhone units in 2008). Apple today actually stated in a press release that they are on track to sell their one millionth iPhone before the end of September.
So, something’s wrong with Wolverton’s report. And that something would be Troy Wolverton.
Contact Info:
Sensationalist Tripe: twolverton@mercurynews.com
Sensationalist Tripe’s boss, Managing Editor, David Satterfield: dsatterfield@mercurynews.com
Sensationalist Tripe’s boss’s boss, Executive Editor and Vice President, Carole Leigh Hutton: chutton@mercurynews.com
NBC executives just lost their summer bonuses when they realised they’re no longer selling their content on the four top mobile devices (iPod Nano, classic, touch & iPhone), up from just the iPod classic and iPhone a week ago.
I won’t go to Bit-torrent or Unbox, but either watch what is left on iTunes or use handbrake on DVDs I own or eyeTV it from FreeView to the iPod or not watch the movie/show at all.
Though I’m a huge Apple fan, the facts are the facts. MDN misread or misrepresented Wolverton by claiming he was referring to sequential quarters. Wolverton’s data was clearly about year-over-year revenue changes, and he was right. Responding about unit sales is not a refutation–in fact unit sales are less important than revenue. I bet Apples’ profit FROM IPODS also dropped slightly year-over-year, tracking the change in revenue. Apple is still on top of course, but the mp3 player market is just not expanding quickly any more.
Jake
MW: “school” (some of those posting on this thread need to go back there)
Beware: there’s a pattern here! I’ve been following this for a few years now. Whenever Apple stock has a hard time, Wolverton publishes with near perfect timing a ‘Bad News article’ that has serious potention to push the stock down even further. This suggest he’s serving so called short traders (speculating on downward moves) and maybe he’s even going short himself at such times.
But as soon as the tide turns and just before the stock is on the verge of turning upwards again, with almost perfect timing, Wolverton goes in reverse and publishes a very positive ‘Good News’ article, setting the tone helping the stock up again.
About a year ago in a similar situation I posted a similar reaction here. Its about time we start tracking this guy more carefully. If only to make some extra money on the stockmarket. Go short as soon as ‘the wolf’ cries… go long the moment he switches.
My predection: as soon as the ‘iPhone pricecut crisis’ is behind us -by the time Apple nears its Q earnings we can expect Wolvertons turnaround article…