RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:EPS & Revenue numbers for this Friday"Your modelling of SW&Services revenue can be whatever you want it to be, but if you're following Chen's guidance, it's got to start with that $687m. You choose 14% as the median between 13 & 15%, so your four quarters ultimately should add up to $783.2m."
Yes, my modelling starts with $687M and specifically $166M in Q1. Chen will lead the call with commentary and remarks on the quarter. And in this commentary he will quote a % year-over-year revenue growth figure for the Software and Services category. This quoted figure will be based on the Q1 figure of $166M. By taking the overall 2018 revenue forecast of $776M-790M (we both agree on this range) and dividing by 4 your comparables will be misaligned with both company and street figures. If you seek alignment you must compare on a Q1 to Q1 basis.
As you point out there are many reasons to expect a solid beat and the professional services number is a good one as that category was non-existent last year. So an easy comp this quarter, and tougher comps in Q3 and Q4.