Nah, you're not getting the point.
LTD's first point is that Mac sales increased during a down market when Windows PC sales decreased.
Also, he pointed out (which you don't seem to understand) that unit sales isn't as important to Apple as gross margins are. Apple and Microsoft are difficult to compare because one is a hardware company (Apple) and the other is a software company (Microsoft). Apple doesn't see OS X software sales as a large component of their business; they look at Mac sales. Microsoft converse sells little Windows hardware (a few peripherals like their fine Natural Keyboard), but Windows software sales are a major income.
Apple doesn't want 90% of the overall computer market. They do want 90% of the high-margin computer marketplace, hence their virtual dominance in computer sales over $1000.
It's like saying that Apple is running a white tablecloth fine dining restaurant, not a drive-through burger joint. The public desires some of both types.
Actually that's not quite right: Apple's products a premium priced, but not extraordinarily out of line. A more accurate description is that Apple has is a fancy mom-and-pop grilled-to-order burger counter whereas their competitors are more standard fast food joints. About the same amount of calories, but which one is tastier?
Well, I'd argue that I get more than people like LTD, and apparently yourself, in that MS is selling record copies of Windows. So where do you get the idea that PC sales are decreasing?
They are setting records! So there goes that idea.
Also, someone in the position of market dominance is in a stronger position. Apple's position is tenuous because it hinges ON those high margins. A vertical integration strategy
never wins. Surely Apple is peaking now, and will begin the same downward slide they experienced before. Steve Jobs failed pretty hard at NeXT, and the Mac wasn't any sort of success until Apple canned jobs and opened up the platform a bit.
If Apple "dominates" in the over $1000 market it's BECAUSE most of their models are in that range, and MOST PC models are not! It's a specious argument at best. Using all of these silly food metaphors just confounds the reality that OSX is nice, but it's simply not better than Windows. In quite a few ways, it's behind. Yes, it's a nice little package, and it's what I use. I have all of the Apple crap, iPhone, iPad, iMac, MobileMe...yeah, I've paid for all of it. However the difference is that I'm not a blind raving fanboy that doesn't understand how this stuff works, or that doesn't see the plain writing on the wall for Apple.
They aren't going to be media darlings forever, and they are engaging in some highly stupid activities. Steve Jobs is in a position of power and is showing his true colors to the general public, instead of just to the people who know him or pay attention. Apple's stock price is slightly inflated due to the stock market's current infatuation with them. MS makes more money, and actually has higher margins. I agree they have a stark lack of leadership and vision right now, but they are executing on some fronts. I know a few Apple diehards who are becoming fairly disillusioned with the quality of Apple's pro market offerings...things are going to start coming apart for them unless they start paying more attention to the markets that actually matter. Things like the iPhone and iPad could turn so quickly on them, and all they would be left with is a neglected OSX platform. Of course we will see what they come up with since apparently they are doing something "revolutionary"...
Anyway, the point of this is before you go around accusing other people of "not getting it" or whatever you want to call it, make sure it's not you yourself that is the one that doesn't really understand what is going on here. I am pretty confident that I know exactly what the game is, thanks.
