Bill; As I read it I recall it all. Seattle Computers, for example, when they sold their QDOS to Gates they kept the right to produce and sell any evolved product from it, DOS....Win xxx....?, as long as they sold it as part of a system. They dropped that ball, and when they went broke gates snapped up the residual aset shell. That shell would have been worth $50 per box to CPQ or AAPL etc., as they could have made their own DOS from MSFT supplied masters.
Another item, Mac sold for $2000 with a clear profit to AAPL of $1000, and the dealer made about $400, which put the production cost under $600. The board and box etc cost about $300 and the rest was AAPL dev overhead.
That excessive price at retail was the critical decision that killed AAPL and nichified it. People compare prices above all else, especially neophytes. The dedicated graphics people knew and boughht, but the newbies in homes and offices just compared prices. AAPL should have made a price competitive entry machine to get them on the path.
Scully, the once king of sugar water, made that decision to maximize reteined profits, equivalating the brand to a permanent monopoly, immune to price competition. He also kept to this policy far too long, and so I place the prime blame on him for the downfall.
Amelio perpetuated things, screwed up the only way to save apple at the time, (cloning, still a viable option).
Ah memories.
Bill |
