Shares of Apple Inc. fell sharply as investors focused more on the company’s cautious guidance for the current quarter than on the blockbuster Macintosh and iPod sales during the previous three-month period.

Investors sent Apple shares down $12.60, 7.6 percent, to $153.69 in midday trading Tuesday.

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said it shipped more Macs in its fiscal third quarter than ever before — 2.5 million, up 41 percent from a year ago, with desktop shipments growing faster than laptops.

That’s

a much steeper growth rate than the overall global PC market. Total computer shipments rose about 15 percent in the three months ended June 30, according to Framingham, Mass.-based research group IDC.

“The quarter was a home run,” Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said in an interview.

Apple additionally said iPod unit sales jumped 12 percent, a strong showing despite last year’s launch of the iPhone, which melds iPod features with those of […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News