[geeks] Article: Sun's not so cheap trick doesn't work

[Mike Meredith]

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:47:05 +0200, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
> It's funny that you mention Apple. IMHO Apple has a big problem. The
> computer divison used to be it's big profit division, now it's small
> compared to the iPhone/iPod/iTunes business.

I'm not so sure the profits of the computer division are that small in
comparison to the other products. They may sell in smaller numbers, but
the margins are likely to be bigger.

> than the computer division. Eventually the stockholders will realize
> that force managment to concentrate on those products and their
> Windows support.

That's the danger of course. Concentrating on 'core' business (or what
the shareholders see as the core business) is problematic if that core
fails to grow. And of course some people predict the market for media
players/phones will become saturated although Apple has some pretty
nasty tricks to keep their consumers coming back for more (non
replaceable batteries).

> interface with it or not. Expectation that people buying iPods,
> iTunes and iPhones would convince them to buy a Mac, and either
> convert some or all of their functions to MacOS has not been
> realized.

Regional differences perhaps? Certainly if I look at the cybercafC)
across the street there's a 50% chance that the person with a
laptop in the window will be using a Mac. And it certainly wasn't like
that a few years ago. Hardly scientific but I do get the impression
that Macs are getting sold to places where they wouldn't do before.



--
Mike Meredith (http://zonky.org/)
 There has been such a thing as letting mankind alone; there has never
 been such a thing as governing mankind [with success]
  -- Zhuangzi