They are the kinds of products that come from extraordinary leadership and are inspired by something more than the prospect of a paycheck. As a company, Apple Computer prides itself on innovation and providing consumers with products that have long-term value. There's nothing cheap about a cheap PC any more than there's anything inexpensive after 50,000 miles on a cut-rate car. Conversely, few Mac users migrated away from Apple machines because of general dislike or unhappiness. They were motivated by the widespread fear that Apple was about to close its doors.
Perception is often a more potent force than reality.
The road ahead for Apple Computer will not be an easy one. There's much talk that in a few years PCs will be given away by advertisers in exchange for control of certain parts of the desktop. If you think the Justice Department's suit against Microsoft is only about Web browsers and today's QuickTime technology, please spend some time quietly reading the testimony of key witnesses. The computer desktop and the software by which digital messages are delivered to consumers will be the commercial gateway of the future. Like it or not, Apple must play the market share game.