Why does Apple stock tank when they announce new products?

[gmoney]

Apple just announced an amazing looking new laptop, the world's thinnest, and some other cool ancillary products, and announced that movie rentals will be available from the iTunes store, plus they're projected to clobber earnings expectations. So why is the stock off about 7% today, almost 20% since late December?

Maybe I'll blame Ridley Scott, director of the original Macintosh "1984" ad.

This is not just today, but seemingly whenever they announce new products, no matter how amazing, the stock takes a beating. WTF? Maybe this means they'll be hiring more people to open more stores, rather than laying off people and liquifying assets -- the two things most investors love.

This economy is so FUBAR.

[Bake]

1. Expectations.

Everybody expects their new products, every time, to be the end-all of everything ... like the grand unification theory of physics or the answer to the mystery of life.

When it's merely a really cool, functional, useful product, I guess they're disappointed. So the stock tanks.

Bake

[Ikonoklast]

2. I think maybe the recent revelation that Steve Jobs is a

Replicant skeeved out investors.

[DS1]

3. buy on rumor, sell on news

it always works like that

[bif]

4. A big percentage of my 401k is in Apple stock

Scares the heck out of me. But they can have a couple big days and get right back into it.

[gmoney]

5. yeah, me too...

of course, it DID bump into $200 a share a few weeks ago... and I imagine will hit there again.

[bif]

6. I'm still way ahead

It's still a great company. I've owned it since 1999. You just have to be patient and don't panic. It'll hit 200 and then split. They're overdue for a split.