Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has had tremendous success in the digital music player and now cellphone markets. Starting with the iPod and (not) ending with the iPhone, the company has been a force -- if not the force -- in consumer electronics this year. But, was it all to get more customers buying Apple's computer products? That argument -- known as a the halo effect -- has been drawn up in countless articles and blog posts. Surprise, surprise -- it is most likely working.The market share Apple's Macintosh computer products have been seeing has taken the Cupertino, Calif., company from a single-digit slice of the PC market to a force to be reckoned with in 2007. In a November report from research firm ChangeWave Research, the data indicates that more potential buyers than ever plan to buy a Mac in the near future. Is Steve Jobs dancing in his office? Probably not -- this has been part of his plan for more than just a few years. After all, capture them with marketing and surround them with your other products behind the competitor's back, huh Steve?
Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) ended that day down 41 cents or 0.50% to finish up at $81.05. This is a settling down since the amazing gains of last week as things fall back into business as usual. Today Apple updated its 
The MacBook Pros have been solid selling upscale laptops for Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). The switch to Intel chips increased speed and added the ability to dual-boot windows. Now Apple has added the Intel Core 2 Duo processor to the professional laptop lineup at 2.16 or 2.33 gigahertz to give the laptops a stated 37% speed boost. 
Apple is issuing a worldwide recall of all 15" MacBook Pro batteries. This is a small PR and profit struggle for Apple. Notebooks are the flagship product for Apple right now, both in terms of brand appeal and sales. The cost of giving everyone who finds out about the recall a new battery eats into Apple's profit margins, and the black eye of admitting that they got past Apple quality control is a tough blow, as Apple prides itself on very good quality control.
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