Quote:
Originally Posted by Shane R
Apple isn't like those other companies. Even with off the shelf parts, it's PC products are more boutique than commodity because the people that want them really want them and there's only one place and one price that will provide them. That brand loyalty has been around for decades and it's PC business is profitable because of it.
Its market may reduce from it's current size, but i think they are developing the same sort of audience for their idevice lines. I know lots of people who want a bigger screen but say they will wait for Apple to make one instead of moving to something available right now.
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Yes, but being boutique is largely a perception, not reality. As you mention they use mostly "off the shelf" parts that are available to anybody. What they do is take those parts and make a compelling package out of them. Well, anybody can do that, it's just nobody has had much success making inroads. At some point somebody will. In fact I'd say they are today as there are numerous premium mobile devices on the market right now. Will Apple's piles of cash be enough to survive if they continue to not keep up with the market? For a good amount of time I'm sure.
Indeed they have always been like this, and they have struggled mightily at times because of it. Today as I mentioned they have far more cash to offset a downswing, but once you lose mindshare it is very difficult to earn it back. Palm, Blackberry, Microsoft, etc have all learned this. Only Microsoft survived, and only because of their diversification.
That's the whole point here...I have been saying since page 1 that Apple is not Microsoft because despite perception Microsoft is still growing and making money. They are very different from Apple and the analyst that prompted this thread is nothing more than a blowhard whose main purpose is creating click-bait.