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http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/04/21/bw.apples.current.issues/

BusinessWeek lines up Apple's current issues

updated 09:55 am EDT, Wed April 21, 2004

 

BW: Apple\'s current issues


This week's column on BusinessWeek Online tackles the implications of a crop of problems Apple is currently facing, including stagnant computer growth, a looming vote of no-confidence for its board of directors from a large institutional shareholder, and shareholder questions regarding dividends and the company's plans for its $4.6 billion cash hoard.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. tuscmat

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2004

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    04/21, 10:52am | report spam | Reply |

    Amazing

    It's amazing that such a mainstream publication would spend so much time (a regular column) on a company with allegedly less than 3% market share.

  1. Macint_sh

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    Joined: Feb 2003

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    04/21, 11:15am | report spam | Reply |

    They will use it for...

    security! It is always good to have money in the bank. Look at Bank of America, they had 30 plus billion in the bank several years ago...

  1. bganey

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    Joined: Dec 2002

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    04/21, 11:27am | report spam | Reply |

    Lame

    Go away Alex Salkever....your game is weak......this is web-hit pandering.

  1. mdshoreboy

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    Joined: Sep 2002

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    04/21, 11:28am | report spam | Reply |

    Apple

    I think since most journalists and media voices use Mac's they are using thier voice to express their concern for Apple.

    Here's my concern... on the one hand, Apple is a strong brand and people know they are getting a machine to last them at least 5 years or more. They are also on top of the "cool" factor for PC's, because they are different than mainstream. On the other, if Apple switches gear and moves into the commodity market like Dell and Mac's spring up everywhere that would be good for the market, but bad for Apple's profit margin

  1. stahmer

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    Joined: Dec 2002

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    04/21, 12:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    Opening Shot...

    ... in the next round of "Apple is going out of business" stories from publications that have no idea of why Apple is successful.

  1. macxonly

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    Joined: Jan 2002

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    04/21, 02:29pm | report spam | Reply |

    Okay. Enough is Enough.

    Okay, I am getting really sick and tired of these companies trying to pick out the death of Apple. At this point, I could give a s*** what an analyst company says about Apples status. I will still buy their products.

  1. z10n

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    Joined: Oct 2003

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    04/21, 03:52pm | report spam | Reply |

    Give me a break

    lol. Did any of you even READ the article? I highly doubt it. Where does it say in there ANYWHERE in there apple is going to go out of business?

    Where there a few negative comments in there about apple? Sure there were. But only because the author was trying to provide a ballenced commentary.

    Lets read a few of the article's comments, shall we?

    "Apple produced another triumphal earnings report" - Negative? Not in the least.

    "That's because Jobs & Co. still has some problems it needs to attack pronto if it wants to keep all those investors happy." - Excessively negative? No. Every company has problems and ways they need to improve.

    "Finally, while iPod sales looked huge, computer sales failed to grow as quickly as the overall industry expanded." - A fact, backed up later by "Apple managed to increase it by only 5% for the quarter, year-over-year. Worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter of 2004 grew 13.4%". The author is stating a fact, nothing more.

    "Apple may be mending its ways." - A postive comment. (Go figure that one!)

    "Apple now sits atop $4.6 billion, with no debt. What it plans to do with this cash other than admire it remains unclear. If Apple has grand plans, great -- tell the shareholders about them." - This is simply a suggestion. It doesn't imply that apple will go down the tubes if the suggetion isn't followed.

    And finally, which probably has people the most irked: "Yes, Apple's user base continues to widen. And Macheads tend to keep their machines longer than their Wintel counterparts. But the Windows PC lifecycle is stretching out well beyond two years now. And a relative loss of market share is definitely not something investors like to see. Further, claims that iPod can power Apple's long-term growth are overdone." - How is this overly critical? Investers WOULD be upset with loss of market share, which, although incomplete, is an indicator of apple's current heath. Similarly, it IS unreasonable for apple to assume that iPod sales can sustain future growth, especially when "Apple garnered five times more gross revenues from computer sales than from sales of iPods in the past quarter."

    I don't see where ANY of this is totally mind blowing in terms of the suggestions being made. If anything, the author tries extremely hard to give apple credit where it's due, instead of just spewing a bunch of negative comments, like most people do.

    Really, people need to get off the "Apple can do no wrong" kick. Why do you think macheads get repeatedly bashed for being "fanatics"? It's irrational to believe apple is a perfect company that can't make any mistakes. There are MOST DEFINATELY ways in which apple can improve as a company. Panning people off as being "apple-bashers" doesn't acomplish a thing, except to send apple the message that they are infailable and

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