What we can say, however, is that the sentiment and stock action related to Apple offer a perfect study in how conjecture and misunderstanding can trump actual knowledge when it comes to evaluating a company. When the company is as much the focus of worldwide attention and as uncommunicative about its own plans as Apple, the effect is even sharper.

Michael Hiltzick scores a bullseye here as he dissects the conflation of “myth-making” with actual news reporting on Apple and some fundamental misunderstandings of Apple’s clientele compared to Samsung’s and Google’s.