"The services business really gives IBM a lot of cushion." As with any technology company with a solid track record nowadays, Wall Street won't care much about the past quarter's result. Investors want to know what executives see in the second half of year, which is why Intel investors this week shrugged off the chip giant's second quarter earnings shortfall; the company predicted higher gross margins and strong growth along historical patterns, and Intel shares went up. The same theory bit Apple, which reported stronger than expected quarterly results, but failed to answer questions about second half product rollouts. Apple expects gross margins to basically stay the same, but actually told analysts to lower their revenue expectations slightly for the third quarter, and refused to go into any detail about what might be driving fourth quarter strength. The result? Apple shares retreated after rising on high expectations prior to the earnings report.