[MACinist]

Apple tries to capitalize off defining markets - sometimes considered an ignorance or a missed opportunity. Your typically non-innovative companies like Dell, HP etc... capitalize not from innovation but from what consumers are used to. Which is the comfort zone for most shoppers. Agree with previous post, Apple does not have the manufacturing capacity and surely can't do it alone. Their lack of support to the Apple reseller community and distributors is a factor. Ask any independent reseller what they think of new product releases. Most stock goes to fill up Apple stores, a lot of times at launch dates. Resellers are typically sent to the back of the line with backorders. Who's really missing the opportunity?

For Apple, it works. They are controlling the market at a pace they can handle. And it may not be a missed opportunity in their eyes, it might be a well executed strategy that most of us outsiders are not privileged to know or understand.

 

[MACinist]

It's nothing to do with manufacturing capacity. Does Dell build their own hard drives? It's all outsourced and OEM'd. T

I sure wasn't saying that Apple builds Hitachi hard-drives, Intel CPU's, Sony optical drives, Toshiba flash memory that is in their products!! However, they source supplies and hire plants in China to build and manufacturer the actual finished good. Every component is sourced from a supplier/manufacturer. If you think Apple gained more than a 50% market-share at a rapid pace that all those components involved in building a finished Mac or an iPod would be in ample supply to do so? You're dreaming.

I already know that LED screens used in Macbook Pros' are in tight supply by the manufacturers.

 

[MACinist]

Your Dell and HP point is irrelevant. For one, the marketshare between the top 5 is not that much different. And none of those companies have grown their share so quickly. So they were never in the situation of ramping up manufacturing to that extent. Secondly, aside from the common parts that there is ample supply of, there are very uniqe components that Apple uses down to the chemicals that are not. Especially when you are an innovative company that likes to use new technology and proprietary components. Again, manufacturing may not even be an issue because Apple may not care about growing at the speed of opportunity but rather at the speed of their liking and control.