By Tony Smith for The Register
This article has been reproduced with permission
The Mac maker announced in June that it was commencing a third-party led independent investigation into the mishandling of the options awarded to top executives. The probe will cause the delay of the formal submission of Apple's Q3 results to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the company also said yesterday.
That implies the numbers may have to be changed, a likelihood signalled by the announcement that the company may have to restate all its quarterly figures from Q1 FY2003 – the quarter that kicked off on 29 September 2002 – onwards. Apple's choice of words suggests it almost certianly will post new figures from then to now.
The announcement will fuel the lawsuits already underway against the company, filed in the light of its June revelation by investors who reckon they lost out as a result of the company's actions.
© The Register 2006