|
The Press Gets Smoochy (3/13/98)
|
 
|
| | |
And we hope that Jobs does stick around, if he's even partially responsible for the veritable Love Fest Apple's enjoying in the press lately. For a prime example of the kind of turnaround Apple's receiving, just check out this CNET article, which begins by stating that Apple is "rotten no more." Did you ever think you'd read anything so positive in an article on the Intel-sponsored CNET? Neither did we.
Among the reasons listed for Apple's shedding of "unclean" status are the advent of product-focused ads in its "Think Different" ad campaign, the build-to-order Apple Store, and their deal with CompUSA to open Apple stores-within-stores. One financial analyst quoted in the story estimates that Apple will ship 300,000 Powermac G3's this quarter, which may indicate a profit to be announced next month. And Apple's stock just keeps on rising, having closed this week at 27 1/8, the highest it's been since August. (If you ignore the short-lived spike when Apple announced Microsoft's investment, AAPL is higher than it's been in over a year.) In fact, Apple's year-to-date gains are higher that Dell's, IBM's, and Compaq's, according to MacCentral. Sounds like a comeback...
One quick thought about the CNET article-- we suppose it's possible that it's so positive precisely because Intel is such a visible investor in CNET. It wouldn't look right for CNET to bash Apple the day after the latest Pentium-bashing ad premiered; people might think their bias was showing. It's also completely possible that we're so used to reading negative Apple press that we're looking for hidden explanations when the truth is simply that the press is realizing that Apple's well on its way back to being a force to be reckoned with. Now let's see if it lasts.
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (532)
|  |
 |
 | | The above scene was taken from the 3/13/98 episode: March 13, 1998: Does the appointment of a new VP of Worldwide Operations imply that Steve Jobs will be sticking around the set for a while? Meanwhile, Apple and the press show signs of rekindling their old love affair gone sour, and the Justice Department denies that they've made any decisions about whether or not to target Windows 98...
Other scenes from that episode: 531: Reading the Tea Leaves (3/13/98) A couple of days ago, Apple hired ex-Compaq VP of Corporate Materials (ewww, with a job title like that, no wonder he left) Timothy Cook as its new VP of Worldwide Operations. (That's better.) Cook will be responsible for all aspects of manufacturing, distribution, etc... 533: To Block or Not To Block (3/13/98) Reports have been flying all over the place that the Justice Department was planning not to block Microsoft's plans to release Windows 98 this June. However, today Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein squarely denies this, stating that they're still pooling their options...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
