Spotlight: Apple Computer May Report $100-Million Loss

Apple Computer Inc. could report a loss as big as $100 million for its fiscal third quarter amid plunging sales of its Macintosh computers, analysts said. It also appears unlikely that Apple will return to profitability by the September quarter, as ousted Chairman Gilbert Amelio had said earlier this year. Amelio’s surprise resignation last week “certainly indicates that their earlier goal is not doable,” Oppenheimer & Co. analyst James Poyner said. Apple will report its earnings Wednesday.