Apple Inc (AAPL)

[langostino]

getting nervous

"$69+ ... Anyone else getting a bit nervous about this?"

Whether he's nervous or not, I know one guy who sure should be -- Andy Neff of Bear Stearns, who slapped on that ridiculous 14.1 mm iPod unit sales projection for the current quarter. Apple as much as lit up a neon sign in front of analysts' faces last month and said sales of iPod Nanos this quarter were going to be capped by production of the NAND Flash memory they contain. There has been repeated independent confirmation of that, yet Neff still felt compelled to go manic.

Nervous? I suspect he's like the kid who looks up at the high dive and thinks "that's not so high, I can do that easy", then climbs the steps, walks out on the board, looks down and thinks "Oh crap! This is way, way high. There's no possible way I can do this!"

I'm sure articles don't exactly help the acid churn either.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2005/tc20051121_750935.htm

Nothing like having your name hung out there with that preposterous number so everyone remembers -- and right next to it, to have to read the most bullish analyst on the street reacting to your projection and saying it is ... "inconceivable" that it could be met, that he is projecting a number more than 50% lower ... and is thinking of lowering his even further! Ouch. Time for an industrial-size container of Maloxx.

p.s. on the off-chance that Andy Neff has a twin on the board or anyone's as delusional as him, I'll give 2:1 payoff on the over-under for 14.1 mm iPod units this quarter. Any time, anywhere.