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Tech
Apple shares slumped 20 per cent yesterday morning on the back of news that the beleaguered Californians will lose between $100 million and $150 million for its first fiscal quarter, due to be reported January 15. Sales for the first quarter are expected to be about a third below those for the first quarter of 1996 when Apple also made a big loss.
CEO and chairman Gilbert Amelio blamed poor sales of the Performa range and shortages of PowerBook notebooks. The surprise figures come on the back of a profitable fourth quarter which many analysts hailed as heralding a turnaround in Apple's fortunes.
Amelio is due to give the keynote address at the opening of the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco today.