Hi David,
No need to request gentleness. Here's why I own AAPL.
Apple has IMO made some truely fundamental and important changes in the last year. The company, under the leadership of Amelio, is much leaner and better focused. Amelio hasn't gotten much credit for this either in the press or on this thread, but this is my observation. As I see Amelio as a transition leader (taking care of the "bad guy" stuff like layoffs etc.), I think that it could be a good time for him to leave. The legacy he has left behind includes a product line that includes the fastest mass produced laptop computers to be found anywhere. A desktop line that is among the fastest (top honors going to PowerComputing Mac clones) that contain outstanding features for ease of use and maintainance, all at competitive prices. He has simplified distribution, sales and support. And he has turned the quagmire of next gereation OS development (read Copeland) from a fiasco, into a well focused (I think brilliant) strategy. A strategy that has already succeeded in renewing developer interest and has rolled out products on time every step of the way. See the news on Computer Associates for a major new and atypical partnership.
At this point, with great OS software and hardware starting to emerge, Apple needs a charismatic leader (which Amelio was not) that has vision and understands what the MacOS has to offer to the world. They have already succeeded in losing their old advertising agency (which I thought sucked), indicating an awareness of the problem. They have Steve Jobs back in the mix, which I know has been good for employee moral and I think will continue to bode well for Apple's new direction and future choices. He's not a kid anymore and he knows what's up.
Other positives would include an emergence of interest in the Asian markets, notably the Japanese where sales are up 17% this quarter. I think this could be big for the MacOS as it is the only OS that can handle Asian languages well. I also believe that Asian sensibilities seem to more easily appreciate the power to be found in the elegance of the MacOS.
Maybe the strongest point requires that one has used both Window's and the MacOS and as such, cannot be explained here. The benefits derived from the Mac have been available for many years and have not led to Apple's success. But given the current restructuring along with with current harware and OS software situation, I think there is a good potential for an increase in share value in the next 6 months.
Regards,
Scott
P.S. There are other important positives, but this post is already way too long. |
