Writing for Wired News , Jeffrey Benner suggests that Apple could be “the big winner” in the war of attrition now being fought over the PC market. His comments come in a new article entitled Apple Expands as PCs Cut Back.
Benner notes that HP has bought Compaq, Gateway is cutting staff and Dell is dropping prices, all to attract customers that have little if any brand loyalty at all. In fact, IDC analyst Roger Kay said that Mac users march to the beat of a different drummer. “They want Apple when it’s Apple, but they don’t care about Dell, Compaq, Gateway, or IBM,” said Kay.
Even with Apple’s status as a niche player in a market that has seen more downs than ups in recent months, the company is expanding by opening 25 retail stores and may be poised for bigger and better things, according to Benner. In fact, IDC analyst Ann Bui suggested that the HP/Compaq merger could be good news for Apple — the consolidation may lead to higher prices for PCs.