|
Let the Good Times Roll (2/25/98)
|
 
|
| | |
Much has been made of the recent Computer Retail Week article which showed that Apple's January sales revenue amounted to 11.9% of total retail PC revenue last month. That makes Apple the third largest computer manufacturer based on revenue percentage. That's better than Hewlett Packard and IBM. Not bad for a dying company with only 3% of the market.
Now, before you get all worked up, that 11.9% isn't even close to the front-runner. Compaq has 34.6% of retail PC revenue, which is a serious slice of the pie. Packard Bell came in second with 14.8%. Still, the fact that Apple's 11.9% beats out the revenue of HP and IBM (not to mention Gateway 2000-- who, appropriately enough, is , well, not mentioned) gives us reason to feel confidence in Apple's continued viability as a key player in the personal computer market. With a little luck and a lot of care, perhaps Apple can turn those revenues into a second quarter profit. So far, the analysts seem to think so.
Is it just us, or is there a palpable upswing in the media coverage of Apple lately? It seems we're seeing less of the "it's only a matter of time before they go under" story and more of the "Apple is poised for a comeback" one instead. Just in the last couple of months since Apple posted a small profit, we've seen a lot of positive signs from the company: sales are stronger than we would have expected; the snail ad is still getting airplay (and terrific viewer reaction); their stock (currently hovering over 22) is now higher than it's been since last August's Microsoft-inspired spike; and G3's running VirtualPC and Office 98 are enough of a reason to make many corporations sit up and take notice. Could Apple's karma wheel finally be on an upward cycle?
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (483)
|  |
 |
|
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
| | | |
|
| |
|
 | | The above scene was taken from the 2/25/98 episode: February 25, 1998: Against all odds, Apple's January sales show that they can't be written out of the game yet. Meanwhile, they're still poker-facedly denying the upcoming price cuts and system announcements, while smoke rises from AOL after a junior accountant stuck a knife in the kitchenette toaster and fried the system for a few hours...
Other scenes from that episode: 484: "We Deny Everything" (2/25/98) You've got to admit one thing about Apple: when it comes to publicly addressing leaks and rumors, they are consistent to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. Despite numerous sources reporting this weekend's G3 server introduction and price drops first revealed on MacInTouch a couple of weeks ago, Apple is sticking to their guns and denying that any of it is true... 485: Well Well Well: AOL Hell (2/25/98) Looks like we're not the only ones having server problems, lately... All of AOL apparently suffered a two and a half hour outage on Monday night, when electrical problems shut down their central servers in Virginia...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
