That PC sales went down in times of economic downturn is not surprising at all seeing how as for most people there is not that much to be gained from buying a n

That PC sales went down in times of economic downturn is not surprising at all seeing how as for most people there is not that much to be gained from buying a new machine over an older one - performance is sufficient. That Apple sales went down is somewhat surprising because this company occupies a market segment which is closer to that of a lifestyle brands like Prada, Hermes and Gucci than it is to a more standard tech brand like Dell. If Apple customers collectively decide the new cool is to be found in using 5 year old tech Apple has a problem which is can not extricate itself from by simply upgrading their offerings. They'll have to do something to capture back the "new cool", e.g. re-introduce the possibility to upgrade machines with a wink and nod to the "environment" and "climate" monikers, move production back to the USA and Europe with a wink and nod to "rebuilding the economy", etc. Whatever they do will most likely be less related to upgraded technology, more towards less tangible but more marketable goals because that has been a large part of what has driven Apple up to the place it is now.