macmatthews

Apple: Like Starbucks and Whole Foods, A Trend That's Past Its Prime

'Is a Mac computer really worth 2x the amount I can get a similarly functional product from Dell (DELL) or Lenova?'
Yes!
Although it's not actually twice the price, this is a myth that Apple is that much more expensive. People are finally realizing that there is a better operating system than Windows, and Apple share of the market has been growing steadily for several years, yet with only 10% market share there is still plenty of room for growth.
You, and many others are making a mistake in thinking it's about the physical product, it's about the operating system. Apple are getting back at Microsoft for what they stole back in the eighties.

Analysts Weigh in on Apple Earnings; 10-15 Points More Downside?

The iPhone has revolutionized the mobile phone business. Apple are years ahead of their competitors. Why do people need to see another revolutionary product in the near future? This is just childish and unrealistic. Even without any new products Apple should be over $200.

Analysts Weigh in on Apple Earnings; 10-15 Points More Downside?

The iPhone has revolutionized the mobile phone business. Apple are years ahead of their competitors. Why do people need to see another revolutionary product in the near future? This is just childish and unrealistic. Even without any new products Apple should be over $200.

Apple's Leap from Mediocre to Marvelous

It is totally missing the point to suggest that marketing and advertising are the keys to Apple's success. People constantly talk about the Apple Hype machine and the Apple Fanboys, but these are people who genuinely appreciate the products that Apple produces. Steve Jobs has clearly stated that he and his team produce products that they themselves want to own. The iPod was a success because of its connection with iTunes, and the ease of downloading music, where previously there was total chaos in this space. Similarly with the iPhone, most people were very dissatisfied with the mobile phone industry. Apple set about making a phone they would like to use. It has nothing to do with advertising. Apple has the best possible advertising - free advertising from satisfied customers.

Why is Apple So Disconnected From Its Fundamentals?

I doubt very much that the average Apple fan is also a holder of company stock. Therefore the so-called 'crazed' behaviour of these 'tech geeks' is hardly what is moving the stock price. Rather it is the hysterical reaction of the analyst press to good or bad news that causes these wild swings.

A Closer Look at Apple Stock

"The iPod market seems tapped out"? The iPod Touch and the iPhone are iPods that are also mobile internet devices and media browsers that will be bought in addition to existing music iPods, as I have done. Apple are at the heart of the internet revolution, that's what the 'i' stands for, and are well ahead of the game. They will no doubt continue to innovate, but in a sense they don't have to - the Mac OS is so superior to Windows that it will grab market share much quicker than most people realise. Microsoft have to bolt and superglue new stuff to their system in an attempt to imitate Mac, but it won't work unless they rebuild from the ground up.

Defending Apple's MacBook Air

I don't think emphasizing the 'fashion' aspects of the MacBook Air is doing Apple any favours. For years they were saddled with the impression that they were all style and limited function, and that serious computer users really needed a PC. The important issue here is that Apple, as usual, are well ahead of the game and can see that optical drives and wires for internet connection are set to be largely redundant. However, I fear they may be too far ahead of the game in this instance, as they were with the Apple TV. I am not a fashion designer, just an ordinary working person with little excess money to spend on luxuries, but I will be considering buying one in the future.

Apple's iPhone Price Cut: An Unfair Blow to Shareholders

Just for the sake of accuracy, the iPhone is now $200 cheaper, and I think this reduction will definitely lure many wavering customers. The refund is $100, not $200. i think the real issue is whether the iPod touch will dilute iPhone sales.

Is Apple Beginning Its Long Delayed Descent?

With various baseless 'anti-Apple' articles appearing in the past few weeks it seems obvious certain people are trying to beat the stock price down, presumably with a view to getting in at a better price before the 'iPhone' effect begins to kick in.

Steve Jobs: Marketing and Musical Genius

Steve Jobs has stated his case quite clearly, and yet now out come all the cynics looking for the 'real' motivation. Apple's position has always been motivated by 'user experience'. That's why they don't want to licence the Mac OS to operate on third party hardware. That's why all those 'suckers', as you call them, choose to use iPods in conjunction with iTunes, because it all works so beautifully. And because the iPod is so popular now, all these people now turn against iTunes saying people are only using iPod's because the music can only be played on an iPod. Well don't use iTunes then. No, hang on, you want to use iTunes because it is so good. But you want to use your tunes from iTunes on a crappy mp3 player you got from a Christmas cracker. I'm no lawyer, but I cannot see any justification for these countries insisting on Apple giving details of their DRM. Neither am I a computer geek, but even I know that it is child's play to get around the DRM by copying music from iTunes to a CD (which you should do as back-up anyway) and then re-importing the CD to iTunes. So who are the 'suckers'?

Apple's 'Get a Mac' Ads Cross the Atlantic

The two guys are pretty well known on television here, but the PC guy is on television much more, and is, I think, perceived as a very likeable person, so the ads may backfire a bit. I believe the US ads had the same problem in that the actor who played 'PC" was very well liked, but the 'Mac' guy was perceived as being a bit too smug. Nevertheless, I still like the ads.