Apple CEO blames rumor-mill for underwhelming iPad sales
(Read article summary)Apple iPad sales were up in Q4 of 2012 – just not as much as many analysts had predicted.
On Friday, Apple released its fourth quarter earnings report.
The good news: Revenue is up 24 percent, and iPhone sales are soaring – Apple unloaded 26.9 million iPhones in Q4, a 58 percent jump from the same time last year. The not-so-good news: Apple sold 14 million iPads during the last quarter, which is obviously a pretty hefty number, and up 14 percent from Q4 of 2011, but somewhat short of the 17 percent predicted by many analysts.
Summary: Apple is selling a lot of iPads, just not as many iPads as Wall Street would have liked.
So what's to blame for the discrepancy? Well, in an earnings call yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook pointed a finger at gossip-mongers.
"Customers delay purchases of tablets due to new product rumors," he said. "These intensified in August and September. Some was anticipated but some we wished wouldn't occur but it did."
