This presents a significant value proposition for buying a Macintosh.
Power's a key issue. From a design standpoint, Apple constantly surprises us.
It's been important for Apple to overcome objections regarding sales of its servers into the large or mid-size enterprise. Apple's been challenged by a pervasive perception that its server offering is not compatible with existing technology.
I estimate that Apple's server revenue is less than 1 percent of the company's total revenue.
I am skeptical that Gateway's going to be able to successfully boost its professional and direct sales moving forward, with or without Inouye at the helm.
That's presenting a significant obstacle for the company in that space.
Apple is so firmly entrenched in the market right now it would be hard to imagine what kind of misstep it would take on Apple's part to lose this dominance.
Macs still present a price premium on the consumer side. That will always be an issue to many consumers. However, for those where technology and differentiation by innovation is the key purchasing factor, this certainly does remove that obstacle.
