The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is expecting its new retail operations to break even in the December quarter, Appleis fiscal 1st quarter of 2002. The company also said retail operations would post a profit in fiscal 2002. Apple CFO Fred Anderson made the comments at a technology conference hosted by Solomon Smith Barney.

Reuters is also reporting that Mr. Anderson refused to offer specific further guidance on Appleis current quarter, but offered an overt hint:

Anderson said, however, that the lack of a profit warning could be considered good news. "If you donit hear from us, thatis obviously good news," he said.

There you have it. Back to the WSJ, Mr. Anderson made favorable comments for Apple going forward. From the Wall Street Journal:

According to Mr. Anderson, Apple is "well-positioned" to renew growth when the industry comes out of the downturn. The financial chief said innovative products, its MAC OS X operating system, as well as its retail stores will fuel future growth. He added that Apple also intends to beef up its reseller channels and increase its points of presence in Asia and Japan by 25% this year and Europe by 15%.

There is additional information in both the Reuters and the WSJ articles, and both are good reads.