"What seems absent to me in the pro-Apple discussion is any candid
evaluation of the marketplace."
Most of what you call "pro-Apple" discussion is simply people correcting inaccuracies about Apple and its products. Without an accurate knowledge of the products, where they're going, what their applications are and who the potential customers are, the marketplace discussions are wandering in the dark.
"Why would a non-Apple user convert to Apple at this point?"
That's easy, because of what a Mac can do for them. If you're familiar with Macs and what their capabilities are, and what the needs of their customers are, the answer is plain. Not everyone buys a computer because "that's what everyone else has." Some people actually look into it and see what they'll get for what they pay for. Of those people, a percentage realize that a Mac is what they need, and they buy it. So, if you want the answer to your question, you're going to have to do some research.
"In five years, would you prefer to own Microsoft or Apple?"
If you mean the computer/OS system, I'd have to say that based on the trends I see, Apple. For what I do, the speed of forthcoming PPC CPUs and the plan of a MacOS/NeXT OS would make it the more useful platform.
If you mean the stock - I'm not sure the question makes sense beyond the obvious. People want to own stocks that are valued significantly above what they paid for them. If you tell me what the stock prices will be in five years, and what they were when I bought the stock, I'll tell you which I'd rather have.
"Clearly, Microsoft is pretty confident about its future or it would not have issued the preferred stock recently."
Great, I'm happy for you! Invest in Microsoft and go talk about it on a Microsoft thread. The value of Microsoft stock has little to do with the subject of this thread. We're discussing Apple's prospects here.
"You have to separate your love for the technology from your analysis of the stock."
I'm glad someone knows what's best for us. One can depend on a technology and be realistic abot the company's stock, but you're not going to get very far if you separate knowledge of the technology from your analysis of the stock. |
