Interesting story by Philip Elmer-DeWitt (probably the coolest financial journalist name ever) about how poorly sales of iPhones have gone in China.
Is it me, or is there a story everyday spelling doom for the Cupertino cash machine?
When I used to work at Apple (1991-1999) we had our share of real issues. Our machines in those days were overpriced and underpowered and based on the failing PowerPC platform. Developers were leaving the platform in droves for better pastures in Windows-land. There was no roadmap for new Apple products or even a new operating system. Even if you loved the Mac good luck finding one in Circuit City or (yikes!) BJs, Costco and Sears (yes, we sold them there in those days). Yet with some Stevie J. magic and some amazingly good marketing (and just a bit of that reality distortion field thrown in Philip) we managed to turn that ship around.
Flash-forward ten years and everything that ailed the company is now a huge asset. Apple products are competitively priced and based on the newest Intel chipsets. The App Store is now the new platform for small developers to get to market and make some real cash. Apple's roadmap and design prowess has never been sharper and the world is beating a path (literally) to Apple Store doors. And there is real innovation here - unlike the original iMac which was really no better than the Performa it replaced (yet marketed a whole lot better - get the theme?) And have you seen or used a new iPod Nano lately? (my son just got one.) Amazing. And a lot more 'amazing' is coming soon...
So I have a message for the financial pundits out there spelling Apple doom. If it didn't happen in the 90s, it ain't gonna happen now. Save your ink.
If any of you folks who read this blog want to save some money and help your wallet, please sign up for a free 30-day trial of my Dimdim web conferencing product by clicking this link. It will save you a lot of cash vs WebEx, a lot of heartache (it works equally well on Mac, Windows and Linux and doesn't require your meeting guests to install anything) and may even help your business during this flu season. And to have some fun, I'll give away an iPod Nano to 2 random people over the next few days who simply try Dimdim free.
UPDATE 11/4: Winner of the first iPod Nano is Dimdim ID pk22901. If this is YOU, send your mailing address to steve @ dimdim.com so I can ship it along with your pick of colors: Blue, Green, Yellow or Red. I'll give out the next and final winner tomorrow night, so sign up soon!
