This is a breathtakingly inane argument. Yes, if an evil spirit took away Apple's profits they would not have profits anymore. In other news, if my grandmother

This is a breathtakingly inane argument. Yes, if an evil spirit took away Apple's profits they would not have profits anymore. In other news, if my grandmother had balls she'd be my grandfather. However, the evil spirits do not exist: There is no entity that can upset Apple's entire business model by blocking their retail channel. This is not a coincidence, and it is not because Best Buy and Wal-Mart and the cellular carriers are run by angels and saints. It is because Apple recognized the importance of consumer sales ten years ago and deliberately built a retail channel of their own, with patience and focus and at great expense. The result is so valuable that companies will apparently pay 30% of gross revenue to access it. If you hate Apple's deal, find an alternative. If the alternative does not exist, build it. Surely Apple is not the only company on earth that can possibly make a decent product. And if they are, they should charge accordingly.