Suck... on... this:

The most important factor is said to be a shift towards higher average selling prices, contributing to a sizable gross margin of 36.6 percent. The public is willing to spend deeply on Apple products, according to Wu, including the most expensive ones, in spite of an economy in recession and overall industry trends towards buying cheap. People see Apple as being worth the extra money charged, the analyst concludes.

Microsoft... not so much.

America wasn't always this way. People preferred upscale goods if they could afford to buy them. This new American age of buying the cheapest c*** you can get still surprises me. It doesn't make sense at all. People getting educations to get better jobs to make more money and then turn around and buy some goods that look like junk, feel like junk and probably break in a short time would just doesn't add up. I only know that Apple doesn't have to appeal to the majority. If Apple can garner just 20% of the computer and smartphone markets, they'd stay flush selling to those that don't want the cheapest stuff they can lay their hands on.

Maybe Microsoft doesn't care about how cheaply made computer systems are because all MS wants to do is move Windows OS and the more the better. But surely the PC companies should know better than that. They should build solid products at higher costs and leave those $300 pricetags to the China computer companies. Maybe I don't understand everything about computer sales, but I do know that people usually want some sort of quality and good customer service that usually won't come with cut-rate products.

It's the race to the bottom, for which we have globalization, MBAs and bean counters to thank.

Wu is consistently wrong with his projections. Stop listening to the guy. AmTech was smart to fire him.