Which group do you think is responsible for AAPL's performance over the last six months, Richard?
Sorry to butt in, but I'd say investors had a lot more to do with Apple's renewal than users. Who booted Amelio? Users who were cheering his performance in this forum or investors, after a major shareholder (Jobs) sold all of its shares?
Who benefited more Apple? The users who dreamed about every Apple technology announcement (Copeland, exponential, newton, Rhapsody), or the investors who were tired of losses and demanded focus?
Apple loyal following was, particularly at the beginning, more of a curse than a blessing. Fleeting customers would have never let things get so screwed up, as they are unforgiving. On the other hand, Apple's loyal following gave room to the company to get into deep shit before noticing the odour.
By the time Apple was forced to acknowledge its screwed up status the battle for the desktop had been lost. |
