Apple will host its 2013 second fiscal quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday, April 23. The call will start after the market closes at about 5PM eastern time, or 2PM pacific time, and The Mac Observer will be here with our usual event coverage and analysis.

Apple will host its second quarter earnings report on Tuesday, April 23, and analysts aren't optimistic about what the company will announce. Analysts are expecting the iPhone and iPad maker to report its first drop in profit since 2003 with an 18 percent decrease in net income, and an 8 percent revenue increase, yet no matter what Apple announces it's a safe bet someone will be disappointed.

Verizon announced during its first fiscal quarter earnings report on Thursday that it activated 4 million iPhones, which comes in above Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um's 3.5 million unit target. The cell service provider's activations were down compared to last quarter, but are up year over year. Still, Apple's quarterly iPhone numbers may come in below expectations, leaving investors unhappy.

Shares of Apple Inc. dropped more than 5.5 percent on Wednesday, with guidance from Cirrus Logic helping to weigh down the stock. The company, which supplies audio chips for Apple's iPhone, said that it had to take an inventory charge during the March quarter. Investors and analysts alike have taken to mean that Apple's iPhone sales will disappoint.

Former Rochedale Securities trader David Miller has entered a guilty plea in the U.S. Federal Court case charging him with wire fraud and conspiracy. Mr. Miller tried to game the system by using a client buy request to purchase about $1 billion in Apple stock for his own profit, but the scheme fell apart when it dropped instead of climbing as he expected.

Apple will host its 2013 second fiscal quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday, April 23. The call will start after the market closes at about 5PM eastern time, or 2PM pacific time, and will be the first earnings report since the company announced it has moved to what it called a more accurate system for reporting revenue and expenses.

Bryan Chaffin spent some time with Gene Steinberg on The Tech Night Owl. They talked about T-Mobile,  $AAPL, taxes, and the politics surrounding Apple's cash hoard. Joe Wilcox from BetaNews was also a guest in the same episode, so check it out.

Renewed talk of a dividend increase pumped some life into shares of Apple Inc., pushing the stock above US$455 for the first time in weeks. After talking to six analysts on the topic, Bloomberg reported that Apple was likely to boost its quarterly dividend to $4.14 per share, a 56 percent increase. Bryan Chaffin explains how this works.

Apple is reducing build plans for the iPhone, according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. His sources in Apple's supply chain also indicated the company is working on a lower-cost iPhone model and an iPhone 5S for the second half of 2013. More interestingly, he said that Apple is showing signs of working on a large-screen iPhone model that could be ready in 2014. Bryan Chaffin examines the issues.

Apple's cash on hand is at its highest point so far and investors want some of that back. The company's stock is lower than it has been for months, and some analysts are lowering their expectations for Apple based on rumors and speculation. That means it's time for Jeff and Bryan to put on their schoolin' caps and dive into the world of Apple investors.