Or the whole market for things called "computers" is growing, and the high-end market is just growing slower than the rest of it.
This doesn't mean that the high-end market is doomed. It might just be growing at a slower rate.
You may ask: Why doesn't Apple then try to get into a business that is growing faster? The answer is: Sales growth is not the metric. Any business can boost sales by lowering their profit margin. (Old-school dotcoms used to grow like wildfire by giving the product away below cost and hoping to make it up in volume.) What matters is profit growth.
No, my answer would be: they did. iPhones and iPods are definitely markets that are growing faster. Apple did the smart thing and moved into other markets where its design expertise could make a big difference.
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the high-end market disappears
Or the whole market for things called "computers" is growing, and the high-end market is just growing slower than the rest of it.
This doesn't mean that the high-end market is doomed. It might just be growing at a slower rate.
You may ask: Why doesn't Apple then try to get into a business that is growing faster? The answer is: Sales growth is not the metric. Any business can boost sales by lowering their profit margin. (Old-school dotcoms used to grow like wildfire by giving the product away below cost and hoping to make it up in volume.) What matters is profit growth.
No, my answer would be: they did. iPhones and iPods are definitely markets that are growing faster. Apple did the smart thing and moved into other markets where its design expertise could make a big difference.