Bertrand Russell once said—and I'm paraphrasing here—that genius is to present a problem in a way which allows a solution. And that's exactly what is needed in Apple's current situation, which is both highly encouraging and somewhat preoccupying in terms of midterm perspective. Phenomenal as it may be, the success of the iPod will not suffice on its own to pull Apple out of the "über-stylish, niche innovator" role the industry has typecast the company in. It is also quite clear that the Macintosh platform on its own will not be able to grow significantly if it continues its course at the current rhythm of market penetration.
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