You do realize that the information about write downs, poor sales, and declining financials is coming from Rim, don't you?

Oh, and that was before *free and open* Linux/Android entered the picture.

So this is going to be the year of Linux on the desktop.
How does Android being free and open help the consumer? Is the phone free?

And they have been saying that for 10 years. But for the last 5 or 6, Apple has been growing faster than the market.

"Therefore you're fooling yourself if you think Android manufacturers are losing money per device. Some are, some aren't, it depends mostly on how efficient the engineering organization is."

You don't have to believe me, you are free to look at the publicly available quarterly reports from Sony-Ericson, HTC (barely profitable), Motorola Mobility (loss money every quarter for the last year and a half), or LG.

"Now if I had shorted Apple when they first dropped into number two position in the smartphone market,"

Apple was only number one by market share for one or two quarters. But if market share is important, how is HP doing in the computer market? They are number one by volume and tried to get out of the market.

"I already would have made a bunch of money. as of today See, Apple's margins are in clear and present danger, and where Apple's margins go, so goes Apple's stock price."

People said the same thing a decade ago. How are Apple's Mac margins compared to every other PC manufacturer?

I'm simply stating a fact.

But from where I'm looking, the top Android devices cost the consumer as much as the iPhone. Why do I care if the carriers have to pay a larger subsidy to Apple as long as my monthly cost is the same?

". The bulk of their products come from apple addicts who funnel a substantial portion of their digital recreational dollars through them,"

So why is it that in the US, most people who can buy an iPhone without switching carriers do so?

From their own financial reports,,,,

Verizon: 51% of all smart phones sold last quarter were iPhones
AT&T: 80% of all smart phones sold were iPhones,
Sprint: 51% of all smart phones sold were iPhones.

That must be a relatively large cult.

But why should I care if the carriers have to pay more to subsidize the iPhone? The price I pay is no more than the equivalent Android.

" without making real world price comparisons. They are not gaining any new market share they are losing it,"

Right, that must be why revenue and profit is not doubling year over year. Ask HP how much good "market share" is when it comes to selling PCs......

It seems impossible or at the very least, unwise for Apple to maintain their high margins in the face of steadily increasing Android market share in both phones and tablets. Is the market right? We shall soon see.

Where is all of the market share getting Android manufacturers? Most are losing money. Only Samsung and HTC are making any kind of profit and HTC's profit is miniscule and declining. Apple and Samsung make 99% of all profit in the mobile market with Apple alone making 73%.

http://www.cultofandroid.com/10093/samsung-and-apple-all-your-mobile-profits-are-belong-to-us/

(I'm waiting for someone to say that"cultofandroid" must be an Apple fansite)

That must be why all of the Android and Windows OEMS are reporting record profits and Apple is struggling....

So do you own any game consoles?

So does that mean Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are monopolist because you can't buy their consoles separately from their OS and they control what gets sold on their platform? Can I run AIX on a non IBM server?