Fortune had Apple #1 in innovation and #2 in "most admired" of computer industry, behind IBM. Just thought a clarification was in order. I just couldn't think of who would be more innovative than Apple. Turns out Apple is #1 in their survey.
1) "I just couldn't think of who would be more innovative than Apple." I totally agree, but it depends how you get the data. I get Technology Review, and Apple fares less well there do to dubious metrics like "number of patents issued". As an inventor, I can tell that "number of patents" and $3.00 will get you a Grande at Starbucks...
2) I share Carl's optimism on Apple, but temper it with concern given that A) last quarters' units shipped numbers were lower than I'd hoped B) Durable goods orders, and I feel the whole economy, is going into a period of weakness. Having said that, I just put most of my 2006 Roth IRA into AAPL. Maybe I'll be able to retire before 70........(20-ish years away, for me).
Numbers always have to be viewed in context. Apple does not follow a standard corporate calendar year as with other retailers (even before they opened stores). And quarters from year to year will vary by a week and/or a major holiday which can skew results (especially since retail store numbers are so important now) ... or in the case of sales numbers - for instance, NPD does not count amazon, walmart or apple but will happily release numbers as "accurate." Or an an increase of 4% market share to 6% market share is NOT really a 2% increase but really a 50% increase from the base so sometimes it all depends on the viewpoint of the author ... so whether the numbers are good or bad, look deeper before leaping.
So, whether it's good news
"NPD does not count amazon, walmart or apple"
That's astounding. I buy ALL my electronics from Apple or Amazon.
NPD Doesn't count Amazon or Apple??
That certainly skews things quite a bit. I too always make my Apple purchases directly through them, as I'm sure many many other Mac users do.
Commenting by HaloScan
