Recently, my wife heard a kitchen installer bemoan his economic fate on a local talk radio show. A job that netted him $10,000 a year ago, now goes for $4,000. This shows that the economy is not discounting goods and services. It's correcting prices.

The installer will never get $10,000 for that job ever again. How could he since he's willing to accept less than half the original price? The same thing holds true for the automakers. Every consumer with good or decent credit will now insist on zero-percent financing. How will the automakers -- especially the embattled Big 3 -- be able to afford these incentives? Is it any wonder that one in 30 new car dealerships are expected to fail this year with another 1,000 expected to shut their doors in 2009.

Retailers are offering huge bargains early in the holiday season to entice cash-strapped consumers. The problem, though, goes beyond this expected dismal season. Consumers are getting used to paying less and getting more and will not be satisfied if they do not get what they want.

On June 30, 2008, the last PCs with Windows XP were sold (theoretically) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) went hard on Vista, its less than celebrated operating system. I was one of the hold outs, opting to buy my laptop with Windows XP last year even though Vista was being touted as the latest and greatest system. Today, I am sure the remaining XP devices are going for a premium.

What does this mean for the future of PC sales? I think there will be some measure of reduced PC sales in the short run just because the economy is already suffering and consumers and businesses are looking to stretch their devalued dollars.

It also means that some people that do not want the burdensome Vista system and all the baggage that goes along with it will be opting for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) Macs. There are many people like me who have been weighing the switch to a Mac for a while. The rest of my household has made the switch (4 Macs, 1 PC) and I did consider this prior to my last purchase. I may swing the other way next time.

For other PC users who remain satisfied with XP, they may not only think to stretch their dollars, but try and hang onto their PCs longer until the value proposition for Vista becomes more convincing. I can always add more memory or speed to my existing computer.

I do not know what the trade-off is for Microsoft. It would make money selling the XP system as well as the Vista system. Any slowdown of PC sales or continued movement toward Apple products has to hurt revenue a little?

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money.

Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) just can't stop taking market share in one area or another. The iPod and iPhone maker was found in a recent study by research house NPD Group to have about 66% of the PC market for machines costing more than $1,000. Although the majority of PCs don't sell for over $1,000, Apple's still kickin' it when it comes to those nicer PCs.

Apple's current share of the U.S. PC market stands at 14% which is impressive considering it's grown that figure in every quarter since 2007. The company's retail store presence has been a success, and the brand euphoria from the iPhone's debut almost a year ago has helped Mac sales continue to grow.

This isn't some overnight success story, though. PC competitors such as Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ) and Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) ship millions of sub-$1,000 PCs every quarter, but Apple only has one PC below that price point, the diminutive Mac Mini, which does not even come with a keyboard, mouse or monitor.

A customer can buy a fully-equipped desktop of laptop PC (non-Apple) for that price -- so why doesn't Apple compete better in the sub-$1,000 space? Because it doesn't have to. Its brand and product designs command premium prices and customers seem eager as anything to pay those prices. That's the power Apple has -- one that any manufacturer in any industry would love to have.

Tech superstar Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is going to be joining the earnings parade tomorrow afternoon when it reports is fiscal second quarter numbers following the market close.

The last time Apple reported earnings was back on January 22, when it reported its fiscal first quarter numbers. The company blew away analyst estimates by posting earnings of $1.76 a share, well above the $1.62 that Wall Street had been expecting to see. This led to a huge jump in Apple stock, right? Wrong. Instead, the company's stock went into a tail spin, falling over 40 points, and erasing around $36.5 billion from the company's market cap.

After the collapse, the stock did rebound nicely, and is once again trading above the $160 mark, so it will be interesting to see just how the market reacts to the company's numbers this time around.

Oooh, ahh, oh. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced its newest luscious piece of hardware, the MacBook Air, today at the MacWorld conference. Every one of my geeky friends on Twitter wants the newest, thinnest, most desirable piece of hardware since the iPhone (one of my friends has already purchased one, in fact) -- but most of us can't afford it.

Could it be because we're just not Jobsian enough?

I was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the MacBook Air on Engadget's hands-on photo gallery when I saw this photo, above. Notice something? Each and every MacWorld attendee allowed to touch the super-light laptop is wearing a variation on Steve Jobs' trademark black mock turtleneck. Sure, there are a few button-up shirts, a sport coat, a crewneck or two, but all is a sea of black. Note to self: If I go to MacWorld next year, wear orange! And see what happens. All that conformity could be key to Apple's stock price (seriously!): Apple followers, both spiritual and financial, tend to behave a bit like lemmings.

At any trade show featuring Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), hordes of Apple-believers start foaming at the mouth, wondering what magical sentences will float from the tongue of CEO Steve Jobs. More than any CEO in recent business history, Jobs causes an odd panic and a consuming guessing game by ardent Apple followers, with legions of websites and blogs dedicated just to what the man says, let alone what product Apple actually delivers.

MacWorld, Apple's own trade show for its developers and customers, is scheduled in a few weeks. As such, the first few weeks in January will be filled with massive buzz on the web about what new products, enhancements, initiatives or other things Jobs will announce or hint at. With the iPhone's release last year, the continuing dominance of the iPod and massive sales increases of Mac PCs from the company, 2007 was a rather ritzy year for the company and its charismatic leader, who commands an almost god-like following in many circles.

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?

MAJOR PAPERS:

• While United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is preparing for the busiest time of the year, high costs and a slowing economy are set to present big challenges for the Atlanta company once the holiday season is over, the Wall Street Journal reported.

OTHER PAPERS:

• BusinessWeek's "Inside Wall Street" column reported that shares of Abiomed Inc (NASDAQ: ABMD) have recovered nearly to its 52-week high of $15, rallying on buzz that the FDA could approve the company's chief product, Impella, a miniature pump at the end of a catheter, within 12 months.
• The "Inside Wall Street" column also reported that Focus Media Holding Limited (NASDAQ: FMCN), the top advertising company in Internet, Mobile and Poster/Panel Markets, should benefit from the 2008 Summer Olympics.

WEB SITES:

• According to sources and reported by AppleInsider, there have been additional sightings of an "unfamiliar MacBook model floating around" Apple Inc's (NASDAQ: AAPL) campus perhaps indicating a new Macbook is coming at next month's Macworld Expo.

Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) gets a ton of press about its ever-popular iPod, but the company makes darn good desktops and notebook PCs too. In fact, the growth of this product segment has been credited in recent years to the 'halo effect' of the iPod: as more consumers buy iPods, they end up buying a Mac as their next computer.

A Bernstein Research analyst notes that Apple's global PC market share has gone up in 10 of the last 11 quarters. In a PC market that continues to find growth as more customers replace older machines and emerging countries buy more new machines, this feat is pretty impressive. Here's the kicker: Apple's U.S. notebook sales have made up about 47% of Apple's Macintosh PC unit growth and 52% of its revenue growth in the company's most recent quarter. Now, which tail is wagging the dog here?

Perhaps it was not Steve Jobs' intention to generate such a spike in Mac sales from such products like the iPhone and the newer iPods, but that may be what is just happening. Apple enjoys a very decent margin on its PC systems, so this is probably a relief to Apple's bean counters.

The problem noted in the report is that Apple's share of the market it likes to play in -- the higher-priced PC market -- is already high, so there is little room for growth there. I doubt Apple would price-commoditize its PCs to the bargain-basement level of Gateway and Acer, so is growth doomed to slow down soon?

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is an extraordinary company that has rebounded with tremendous might over the past couple years. Apple's innovative genius is stretching to newer markets every year, starting with the iPod revolutionizing the MP3 player market, and more recently into the laptop market. Apple's Macbook and Macbook Pro laptop offerings are wildly popular amongst the entire U.S. consumer market for their ease of use, stylish appearance, and convenient size. Apple's computer segment is most likely going to continue growing, and many expect the company to launch an upgraded desktop computer within a few months. Oh, and we can't forget the iPhone, Apple's latest and greatest product offering that had a very successful launch about a month ago.

Shortly, Apple's financials for the quarter are going to hit the wires. Like many Wall Street analysts, I believe Apple will probably deliver an above-guidance/consensus earnings and revenues figure.

Anyone who reads my content knows that I'm a strong believer that trading and investing require different mind-sets. People interested in making a trade on the long side in Apple probably will make out well through earnings, but I'm not planning on getting long the stock simply because I think a consensus-slashing earnings report is already widely-expected on the street, and therefore priced in.

After saying all this, I still have a guilty confession: I don't think Apple is going to be a good purchase for long-term investors who believe that this growth can go on forever or that the current valuation on the stock is justified. While I would never short the stock because shorting only on value is a losing proposition, I think investors need to be aware of the risks in this seemingly effortless investment.

See also:
Brian White: Apple sees new 52-week price target of $175 and up
Brian White: Apple up 14% since iPhone launch
Georges Yared: Apple outlook: Why AAPL is on its way to $200
Peter Cohan: 7 Wonders of the Investment World

It seems that everywhere I look around my small college campus I see some sort of Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) branding. From iPods to MacBooks, Apple's logo is ubiquitous. And I bet ours is not the only campus where Apples grow unabated.

It was therefore surprising to me to see an article Saturday morning that cited data from market research firm, Metafacts, indicating that nearly half (46%) of Apple's customers are 55 and older.

This study, believe it or not, totally goes against conventional wisdom. If anything, I would have thought the PC man in the Mac versus PC commercials captured the demographic just right. Then there's the Apple commercial with its 20-something appeal of the hip dancer flailing his arms and legs (and wired white ear buds). Is the Metafacts data accurate?

Even Apple contested the report by saying, "MetaFacts data is incorrect. Our customer data shows that only around 20 percent of Mac users are over the age of 55. The Mac is more popular than ever, and we are thrilled that our products appeal to people of age 1 to 100."

Maybe Apple's "older" appeal is trending with the demographics wherein today's baby boomers are rediscovering the brand 20 years later. Many, no doubt, owned Macs in the early days, but eventually migrated to Windows. Today, the data seems to indicate, they are returning to the their Apple seeds.

Whatever the trends that are supporting the data from MetaFacts, I do know one thing: My Dad's considering dumping his Dell Windows machine for a MacBook Pro. That's validation enough for me.

Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) saw a very nice increase in the stock price today. The computer manufacturer ended at $82.45, up 2.41% or $1.94. That's a big leap in price. A lot of it might be attributed to news stories today about the tremendous interest in the new iPod shuffle. Apple's head of marketing thinks the new iPod shuffle is going to basically rock out for Apple with holiday sales, and as a lot of Apple investors are fair-weather iPod investors, it helps convince more people to jump aboard.

In a previous post, I said "I'm not sure how much the Shuffle will contribute to the bottom line for the holiday sales with Apple. The Nano will probably have higher margins and a bigger impact, but the Shuffle is a nice price point and should move fairly well. Having them available at the start of November will certainly add to sales as that initial burst of sales comes out. Certainly the form factor will be more attractive than the previous Shuffle, I wouldn't be surprised for Shuffle 2.0 to do better than Shuffle 1.0 for Apple." I still think this will hold true.

Another boost for holiday sales will be the MacBook. The latest upgrade gives the MacBook the latest Intel Core 2 Duo chip for $1099 and on up. The consumer level notebooks are heavy hitters in Apple's lineup, so expect this and the shuffle to help Apple stuff some stockings this winter.

Tobias Buckell is an author, freelance writer, and professional blogger who owns Apple stock.

Is this a line dance? Last week, Dell's recall of 4.1 billion Sony-manufactured laptop batteries must have sent every laptop manufacturer scurrying to their quality control department. I should have just gone ahead and bought the domain, "applebatteryrecall.com" right then, because here it is 10 days later and guess who's recalling Sony batteries now?

Yep, Apple. The cutest of all computer companies only has 1.8 million batteries as a part of its recall, from 12" iBook G4, 12" PowerBook G4 and 15" PowerBook G4 laptops sold between October 2003 and August 2006 in the U.S. Unfortunately for the headline writers, no Apple laptops actually caught fire, although two consumers did receive minor burns when their laptop overheated.

While no one likes a recall, it doesn't seem as if either Apple or Dell will feel it on the bottom line; and, in fact, Apple stock is up a tick on the news, 21 cents, to $67.52. Sony Corp (SNE), on the other hand, is down nearly 3% to $43.27.

[Photo courtesy Dat Nguyen]

Apple finished the day at $57.27, down X$1.70. Today saw some good news for Apple. Covered already was the good news in Maine, providing Apple a strong place in exposing students to its product and generating a nice bulk purchase deal with the Maine education system.

Also of recent note is that Intel will start shipping the new "Yonah" chips that will make their way into future iMacs, MacBooks, and other Apple computers. Over previous years Apple continuously struggled with suppliers to get updated processing chips, it must be a breath of fresh air over at Cupertino for it to be raining new versions of chips.

Businessweek took a close look at the Apple/Foxconn situation, weighing in with a unique suggestion of their own: that Apple create its own factory in China that it can more closely control. No matter what Apple's investigation shows, a lot of eyes are carefully watching to see how they'll handle this.

[Disclosure: I own Apple stock at the date of this post]

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks Apple is going to have a heck of a fourth quarter this year. While iPods got a bump this Spring as graduation as gifts, and MacBook Pros sold somewhat better, Gene thinks this September is going to start out a heck of a sales season for Apple due to a number of reasons that will all line up at the end of summer.

The first is the back to school season. The second is the availability of two lines of MacBook laptops that analysts think are very attractive. Third is the effect of Apple's Boot Camp software which allows Windows to be run on a Mac. Last is the iPod 'halo effect,' which posits that people using iPods consider switching over after developing Apple brand loyalty.

With most of Apple's cheaper lines of machines on Intel chips, the lineup this summer is actually very strong for consumers. Plus, there are more Apple stores across the country every month. When I first used to study Apple as a stock, analysts were throwing out predictions of Apple's death and demise. Now they're talking about market share growth and 'breakouts.'

[Disclosure: I own Apple stock at the date of this post]