Everyone here is missing the real goal of this dividend: removing uncertainty;
In much the same way that the stock was held back while Steve was alive because there was so much uncertainty about his health, but since his death the stock has been on a $200+ rampage. There's been speculation about what Apple might do with it's cash hoard for so long and the uncertainty has always been weighing on some investor's minds. By actually doing something with some of it, they've laid a path and removed the uncertainty.
In much the same way that the stock was held back while Steve was alive because there was so much uncertainty about his health, but since his death the stock has been on a $200+ rampage. There's been speculation about what Apple might do with it's cash hoard for so long and the uncertainty has always been weighing on some investor's minds. By actually doing something with some of it, they've laid a path and removed the uncertainty.
Investor psychology is a really crazy thing.