Apple - What A Difference Eight Years Can Make 580
conq writes "It's been eight years since Michael Dell was asked after a speech at a Gartner conference in Orlando what he would do if he were in charge of Apple Computer. His answer: Shut the company down and give the money back to shareholders. BusinessWeek in its new Byte of The Apple Blog looks at how the tables have turned since then. For example, over the last four quarters Dell has been coming in with a net profit margin of about 6.5%. Meanwhile Apple just finished its fiscal 2005 with a profit margin just shy of 9.6%."
Apples to Apples (Score:5, Funny)
Apple is dying! (Score:5, Funny)
With Dell's recent quarters slipping and Apple's recent quarters showing growth there can only be one conclusion:
Apple is dying!
Re:Profit Margins (Score:4, Funny)
Case in point: A soda costs $0.05 at Taco Bell. It costs you $0.99.
Yet how much value is there for you in:
1) Lugging around syrup
2) CO2 canisters
3) Mixing equipment
Myself, I drink water, but the point stands: If Apple offers more value, Apple can effectively price higher and not be over-charging.
Another example would be the $0.99 burger at Wendy's. In raw part it would cost you only $0.25
Do you want to lug around a fridge, fresh lettuce, a package of buns, a grill, ground beef, and cheese whenever you feel like eating a burger for lunch?
More importantly... (Score:3, Funny)
Innovation vs. raw profit (Re:Apples to Apples) (Score:2, Funny)
In summary, unattractive squares should stick to Linux [imageshack.us] and Windows [imageshack.us]. Vertical integration is for different thinkers. [imageshack.us]
Re:Apples to Apples (Score:5, Funny)
Dell does R&D? To them it must mean 'ruin and destroy'. We haven't had a dell server that hasen't had some kind of hardware problem - out of dozens. Our Apple servers haven't had any problem at all.
I guess by 'shut it down', he meant what would happen if he ran a company that had to make good hardware to stay afloat....
Re:Ha, Ha! (Score:2, Funny)
To hell with Dell (Score:4, Funny)
Dell? Dell? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Apple is dying! (Score:5, Funny)
Don't you mean beleaguered ?
Apple Is A Monopoly. (Score:1, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)
Re:It's not going to last... (Score:3, Funny)
Yet you don't hear people bitching about the price of BMWs.
That's because it's hard to hear much of anything over death rattle of my Volvo station-wagon.
Re:More importantly... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Dell? Dell? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Dell? Dell? (Score:3, Funny)