Everyone is starting to come around

If???? Please, when a company is measuring sales increases in multiples of 10% over previous quarters and growing twice as fast as the rest of the industry, it's time to stop wondering IF there's a halo effect and start wondering what the halo effect will end up doing to the industry overall. Will MS loose it's monopoly? Will Dell be forced to pay people to take their machines (they can't reduce their prices much lower)? Will Linux ever be more than a geeks OS? One guess on the last one.

I'm a college student now, and this trend is definitely noticeable. I took a PowerBook to school with me last year, and a lot of people mentioned, if they didn't already have a Mac, that they were very interested in them. I remember just a few years ago when I would go to (high) school and people would sneer when I told them I used a Mac at home.

Just recently, I convinced one of my friends to upgrade to an iBook after constant woes with her Dell laptop (the hard drive died, Dell replaced it, and it died again a month later). She absolutely loves her new Mac.

Nice that you could join us, you've been asleep for how long? If most investors knew how out of touch Rip Van Needham & Co. is with the markets they offer advice on I doubt they'd have many customers. University of Vermont did a survey and found that 80% of the students had iPods (I just find that amazing). That is great for the halo effect, bad news for new unit sales, but the market has to saturate sometime. iBooks are selling like hotcakes (do hotcakes really sell that well?) so the halo is in full force. Apple rising…

It's not just the iPod. Apple is the only company to provide Campus Representatives to market and promote the use of anything Apple on Campus. I am a Campus Rep at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC-C), and i make a huge difference with Apple technology on campus.

the next generation of consumers is into Apple not Microbloat.

what does this mean?

never too late to add AAPL to your portfolio. Microsoft/Dell is going to go the way of the big three TV networks. Relevant only to the older generation that grew up with them, not to the generation that knows nothing of them. (and I'm pushing 40 myself)

I don't think this story is the monster news that has everyone here all giddy and orgasmic.

"Discount computer makers eating away at Apple's education marketshare" isn't a positive statement inany way. So some dorm rats got some iBooks... big deal. Meanwhile, entire computer labs are being outfitted with all brand-new PCs, and schools are selling all their iBooks from discontinued programs.

I think Apple needs to improve it's quality and customer service before going full force. Defective shipments are up significantly, and in today's "geek makes website to launch protest" age, that is not a trend I want to see continue.

It's nice that some dorm rats got iBooks, because between my buddy's G5 FreezeBox and my MDD Leaf Blower, Apple isn't likely to get anymore business from us anytime soon.

If you want to be possessive it's just I-T-S...

'Dorm Rats' will probably be customers for life, and also influence other people to buy. A bulk purchase (at a discounted profit) into a poorly maintained lab doesn't get anyone to switch. The labs can sit there unused for all i care if all the 'rats' are back in their dorms using a better machine.

Also, how many schools are selling their ibooks? 2? And what is your hard evidence that 'defective shipments are up significantly?'

The FreezeBox G5 and the Leaf Blower G4.. well that's what you get for buying TOWERS. Get a laptop and you won't have issues. I still ponder WHY people think Apple makes decent headless systems when the company is an ALL IN ONE VENTURE! The original Mac was AIO... iMacs, iBooks, PowerBooks and eMacs have a pretty good service reputation and maintain it. The Towers are slacking, I admit that. GET WITH THE TIMES. a tower is SO 1995, man. I'd rather have my sleek iMac G4 or Minimal and unoriginal iMac G5 if I *NEEDED* that G5 power. For 99% of what college kids do or need to be doing a G3 is sufficient. This is from your never graduated perpetual college student who now works for Uncle sam supporting all things Apple.