Apple Sales Rise, Shares Dip

Updated from 9:41 a.m. EST

Led by strong sales to consumers, Apple Computer beat Wall Street's earnings expectations for the December quarter and reported its best sales in four years, the computer maker reported after the close on Wednesday.

Nonetheless, a small slip in margins due to some quality problems, and a somewhat slower-than-expected transition to the fast newG5 Macs, apparently disappointed some investors. As a result shares of Apple dropped Thursday, along with other technology companies. ...