If you'd like to point out where I failed to focus on the subject that would be nice.
You claimed that Apple isn't different yet you can't come up with a single company that they aren't different from! I think this discussion has run its course.
...Here we go again...after the man again...
Yes! I claime Apple isn't different from anybody! They are now like all the others. And I dont want to pay (or pay even more!) for an Iphone since its "all" the same "boring" phone as the old one and its like all the others.
Who cares if Apple will exist in the end (in 20 years). 99 % of the consumer market is about getting most costumers. The 1 % left dont care. They do what they want. Some of them gets extrem succes, some others dont. But they did what they wanted, and played there chances in a non-specualtive way. And when you are like Apple, and have a solidt economic ground, you should definetly go for it. But its all laying on the assumption, that I believe Apple is playing the "market game" and not "their own game". Maybe Im wrong. Maybe this is what Apple want.
The big problem is ofcourse all the stockholders, who just wants a big profit. And thats why they - in this situation - must do it this way.
But, they could have done like the founder of IKEA and just kept the hole. I think they could have made it finansiel anyway.