[adorno]

Have you finally given up on the idea that Apple is due to collapse any time now?

Apple won't be disappearing any time soon. It will take time. Palm and RIM and Nokia, were the brands that could do no wrong, and they had very big and loyal followings. Apple is bigger than any of those companies every were, so, it will take Apple much longer to come back down to Earth, and become just another tech company, with a market cap no bigger than HP or Dell or Samsung.

Apple is still, basically, a one-trick pony, and the iPhones will eventually start to crumble, when people realize that they don't need to pay premium prices for things that are costing hundreds less to other people.

[Star Traveler]

Apple has been due to disappear for the last several decades ... LOL ...

You would think that after a couple of decades, these naysayers would be way too embarrassed to keep parroting the same failed prognostication ... :-) ...

[Swordmaker]

Apple is still, basically, a one-trick pony, and the iPhones will eventually start to crumble, when people realize that they don't need to pay premium prices for things that are costing hundreds less to other people.

Oh, adorno. . . People have been saying that phrase for 30 years. . . they've been wrong. The iPad alone brought in more profits than Samsung's phones did this year. The Mac is up 21% this year over year and selling record numbers while the overall PC market is down 18%. . . including the Mac sales. Your "niche Macs" are now the number 3 computer seller in the United States, unseating Lenovo. In Worldwide sales, Apple is number 5. Some Niche. A couple of the companies who track computer sales are now counting tablet sales in with computers. . . and those two companies place Apple as the number ONE seller of computers in the world by a long shot.

One trick pony? Apple Pay is just taking off and will be a major profit point for Apple. . . after just one month after introduction for use only on iPhone 6 and 6plus, 1% of ALL digital payments in the world were done with Apple Pay, despite it being only available in the US. Compare that to the 4% Google Wallet commands after more than THREE YEARS availability around the world on Android phones. The iPad portion of Apple's business generated more profit this year than all of Samsung's smartphone business after deducting for Samsung's marketing. Apple's iTunes store generated $12 Billion in revenues in 2014. The Apple Mac takes home 53% of all the profits in the world's PC markets. The iPhone takes home 87% of the profits in the mobile phone handset market. . . not just smartphone, all phones. One trick pony, my rear end.