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Even The Mighty Shall Fall (12/15/00)
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Remember back when Apple issued that nasty ol' earnings warning, and several analysts said that the problem was Apple-specific instead of indicating an industry-wide slowdown? Well, since then, earnings across the entire personal computer market have been falling like dominoes, and we find ourselves searching for a word like "wrong" but times a million. Now, given that big computer companies like Compaq and Gateway have already announced earnings shortfalls (and CNET thinks that Dell may be next), what other high-tech company do you suppose might be caught in the carnage? Well, how about the company that sells the operating system that's bundled with all those computers that aren't getting sold?
That's right; while it shouldn't surprise anyone who's been paying attention, according to a MacCentral article sent to us by faithful viewer Mark A. Gangi, Microsoft has announced that its earnings and revenue for the quarter will be "less than previously forecast." As a Mac enthusiast, there are several reactions to this news that might be suitable for you:
- "Oh no, the company who makes Internet Explorer and Office:Mac is in trouble!"
- "Does Microsoft have to copy everything that Apple does?"
- "Finally, a chance to use the phrase 'beleaguered Microsoft' ad infinitum."
Pick the one that best suits your needs. Redmond-haters shouldn't get too giddy, though; beleaguered Microsoft's reduced expectations still amount to earnings of $0.46 a share. Compare that to Apple's expected $250 million loss and Bill's little software company looks like it's sitting pretty. Still, the investors don't necessarily agree; when last we checked, beleaguered Microsoft's stock was down over six and a half points, or about 12%. Could this be the beginning of the end? And if it is, to whom will we Mac users turn when we need an annoying animated help system?
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SceneLink (2746)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 12/15/00 episode: December 15, 2000: Rumor has it that Apple's internal Mac OS X builds are burning up the racetrack. Meanwhile, the company's ever-lovable lawyers order a Linux site to remove its Aqua-looking themes, and Microsoft is the latest to jump on the reduced earnings bandwagon...
Other scenes from that episode: 2744: All Behind Closed Doors (12/15/00) Apparently the "Ask And Ye Shall Receive" Fairy has seen fit to bless the AtAT studios with her divine and sparkly presence. Just yesterday we mourned the lack of publicly available information on Apple's progress in nurturing the sapling public beta into a mighty, towering Mac OS X 1.0-- and hours later, we received word from faithful viewer Mentholiptus that Mac OS Rumors has dished the dirt on post-public-beta internal builds... 2745: Not Winning Any Friends (12/15/00) It's been a while since Apple's crack legal team made an appearance on the show, and the fans are getting restless. "Where are the lawsuits against iMac copycats?" they ask. "Where are the cease-and-desist orders against well-meaning but technically copyright-infringing web sites?"...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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