[karamazov]

I think you're mixing up cause and effect here. Even if it's true that stock buy backs are frequently undertaken by companies which doubt their future growth potential (I have no idea if this is true), I don't think there's any danger of a buyback from Apple sending this signal. They're in a historically unique position, and whatever their decision, it's not going to be analyzed solely based on the status of other companies who have undertaken similar actions.