B usinessWeekis Charles Haddad is wondering aloud if Appleis resistance to the current PC marketis lackluster performance is finally fading. In his latest iByte of the Applei article titled "Whatis Spoiling Appleis Summer," Mr. Haddad cites falling education budgets, a slackening demand for the iMac and other factors. From that article:
So far, Apple has held up amazingly well. It has managed to juice sales with a continuing parade of new products, including the first UNIX-based operating system for the masses, an affordable flat-panel home computer, and dazzling new laptops.
Still, like a wolf that persistently hunts its prey, the PC recession is starting to catch up with Jobs & Co. Schools, which represent 25% of its sales, continue to slash spending. Demand is also slowing for its new flat-panel iMac, and Apple now has a four- to six-week inventory of them.
Mr. Haddad goes on to elucidate other signs that he sees that may indicate that Apple is starting to run out of steam, while offering some reasons that Apple is also still positioned well to compete going forward. The article is worth the trip over to BusinessWeek.