卡尔•伊坎放了苹果一马

    如今，关于苹果公司（Apple）应当如何处置自身持有的现金，可谓是众说纷纭。这不禁令人怀念起过去的日子，彼时，人们只痴迷于苹果公司的产品。

    眼下，《时代》（Time ）杂志封面人物卡尔•伊坎正敦促苹果公司将更多现金用于回馈包括自己在内的公司股东。伊坎提出这样的要求也无可厚非。毕竟，苹果坐拥的资金金额已经上升到九位数，而且未来也不大可能有需要花这么多钱的地方。事实上，苹果已经承诺，将斥资1000亿美元，用于股票回购和股东分红，让伊坎等人都与有荣焉。

    上周三，伊坎向《时代》杂志以及自己在Twitter上的近119,000名粉丝表示，他计划提出一项建议性提案，呼吁苹果扩其回购计划的规模。（建议性意即“表达愿望或请求”。换言之，这份提案不具有约束力，不过是伊坎哀求苹果的一种方式。）

    问题在于，伊坎承认，自己新要求的（金额）不再是1500亿美元。要知道，伊坎此前曾表示，苹果应当马上拿出1500亿美元回馈股东。（而且，伊坎当时主动提出，自己不会从这1500亿美元中拿一分钱。这大概是因为他反正能从苹果股价的上涨中得到好处。）

    那么，伊坎现在要求的金额是多少？美国消费者新闻与商业电视频道（CNBC）援引知情人士称，伊坎现在希望，苹果能在本财年结束时（也就是10个月后）拿出500亿美元。不过，伊坎没有向《时代》杂志透露这个数字，也没有在Twitter上公布。我们唯一的信息来源就是CNBC的线人。

    不过，假设这个数字准确无误，那也就是说，伊坎要求的金额已经从1500亿美元减少到了500亿美元，给出的期限也从“马上”延长到了十个月。迄今，大部分评论认为，伊坎仍然在叫板苹果，强烈指责它持有的现金量过大。《福布斯》网站当初就报道称，伊坎要求苹果拿出1500亿美元回购股票是动了真格，眼下看来，情况恐怕并非如此。

    需要说明的是，苹果公司已授权斥资600亿美元回购股票，并已经回购了230亿美元的股票。此外，这家公司总计已经派发了130亿美元的股息。苹果公司上周三表示，计划在明年年初就此事作出回应。

    所以说白了是这么回事：伊坎与苹果首席执行官蒂姆•库克共进了晚餐，现在，他放宽了对苹果回馈股东的要求。而在过去半年内，苹果的股价已经从每股400美元左右攀升至了每股565美元。

    现在，我们能不能象过去那样，抱怨点重要的事情？比如说苹果电视到底什么时候面世？（财富中文网）

    译者：项航

    All the noise over what Apple ought to do with its cash almost makes one wistful for the days when everyone obsessed only over Apple's products.

    Time coverboy Carl Icahn is on Apple's (AAPL) case to give back more of its cash to shareholders -- like himself. It's a perfectly reasonable position to take. Apple's hoard had grown to the nine figures with no reasonable prospects for spending that kind of money. It is a credit to whiners like Icahn that Apple already has committed to spending $100 billion on a combination of stock buybacks and dividends.

    On Wednesday, Icahn told Time and his nearly 119,000 Twitter followers that he plans to make a precatory proposal that Apple increase its buyback program. (Precatory means "of, relating to, or expressing a wish or request." In other words, it is non-binding. It's his way of saying "pretty please.")

    The catch is that Icahn acknowledged his new request is "not at the $150 billion level." That's a reference to his previous suggestion for the amount Apple should jump on straight away. (Read to the end and you'll see that Icahn volunteers to not receive any of that $150 billion, presumably because he'd benefit anyway from the rise in the stock price.)

    So what is the new level? CNBC, citing a source, says Icahn wants $50 billion now, and that he'd like it by the end of the current fiscal year, which is 10 months away. Icahn didn't tell Time that figure, and he hasn't yet tweeted it. We're relying on CNBC's source for it.

    But assuming the figure is correct, Icahn has gone from $150 billion right now to $50 billion when Apple can get around to it. For the most part, the commentary has been of the variety that Icahn remains on Apple's case, riding it hard for the cash hoarder it is. Forbes.com wrote that Icahn"wasn't joking" about the $150 billion buyback. Except it appears he was.

    For the record, Apple has authorized buybacks of $60 billion and has already made $23 billion worth. It has paid out a total of $13 billion in dividends. The company said Wednesday it plans to respond on the matter sometime early next year.

    So let me get this straight: Icahn had dinner with Apple CEO Tim Cook, he's scaling back his request for cash that should be paid to shareholders, and Apple's stock has risen dramatically in the last six months, from around $400 to $565?

    Can we now please return to grousing about important things, like when Apple's television will arrive?