Apple Computer Inc.'s blow-out quarterly results had investors cheering on Thursday, but Apple's profitability could weaken as the Mac and iPod maker goes after lower-priced consumer markets that it has shunned in its nearly 30 years of existence, analysts said.
At the annual Macworld show this week, Apple's co-founder and Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the Mac mini, starting at $499 and its cheapest Mac ever, and the iPod Shuffle, which starts at $99.
The products, which are less profitable than Apple's overall corporate average -- the Shuffle's margin is less than 20 percent compared with an overall 28.5 percent in the most recent quarter -- are a departure from Jobs' long-time characterization of Apple as the BMW of the computer industry that can command a premium on its products.
|