But in the current quarter, as markets slide, banks go belly-up, and consumer confidence plunges, even the Apple growth engine may hit speed bumps, say some analysts who are revisiting their estimates just a month before Apple is due to report quarterly earnings for the period that ends 30 September. Concerns, including slumping demand for laptops and a strengthening dollar, helped drive down Apple's shares more than 29%, to US$126.84, on 23 September from $179.32 on 14 August.
One of the bright spots of Apple's last several quarters has been its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines of notebooks, which in the quarter ended 28 June accounted for more than $2.2 billion, or almost 30% of sales. In a 22 September research note, Samuel Wilson of JMP Securities in San Francisco pointed to potential weakness in notebook sales.
