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"Given that, I think it would be better for Apple to stick to making damn good PCs, MP3 players, and cell phones, rather than branch out into a wide number of p

"Given that, I think it would be better for Apple to stick to making damn good PCs, MP3 players, and cell phones, rather than branch out into a wide number of product categories and lose their reputation for excellence." Branching out into iPods (plus music), cell phones (plus apps) and tablets is what turned the company around and sent it into the stratosphere though. Prior to the launch of the iPhone and the launch of the iPad you would be hard pressed to find people who would have thought those products would have gone on to be the blockbusters that they've become. The only problem I can see for Apple is how to continue coming up with successful products - how many cool, new consumer electronic devices could they conceivably conjure up? EDIT: typo

quanticle 16y ago
While that is true, I do think that Apple runs the risk of becoming another Sony. In the 80s and early 90s, Sony was known for its great TVs and A/V equipment. Then, through the 90s and 2000s, Sony diversified into game consoles, PCs, MP3 players, movie studios and all sorts of other bits of consumer electronics and consumer content. The result was that competing priorities and diluted focus hurt Sony's dominance in its core market (TVs and A/V equipment) without contributing significantly to the bottom line. As a result, Sony has gone from being a big player in few industries to being a middling player in many industries. The one hopeful difference that I see between Apple and Sony is that Apple is much more willing to kill off unsuccessful projects than Sony, as demonstrated by the EOL of the XServe line.