Dear Friends,
Twenty years ago when we started the company, Apple was struggling and I clearly remember an early meeting at Apple headquarters where the goal was set for Apple to become a $5 billion company. These were the days when Michael Dell, when asked what he would do with Apple, said that he would liquidate the company and give the money to the shareholders. Well, those were the days before Steve Jobs came back and the obituaries for Apple were in every paper. Fast forward a couple of short decades and Apple is putting up $50 billion QUARTERS and is poised to post a $50 billion annual profit. The greatest story in American business history continues as Apple posted a 27% year-over-year increase in sales. That is unprecedented not only for the largest company on the planet but also for any mature company. Normally, that growth slows and a company’s size takes over.
I have run out of words to describe Apple’s quarter after quarter record-setting results. It is simply amazing that Apple continues to set record after record even in the face of a maturing market and increased competition. I will go over the numbers below, but Apple outperformed even their own optimistic projections and this is all before the Apple Watch has had an impact.
Speaking of the Apple Watch, I did finally order mine and I expect to see it in June. There were reports that tattoos might interfere with the watch’s sensors so I guess I’ll have to test that out, too, or wear the watch on my other wrist. The initial reviews from journalists were pretty positive overall but the reviews now coming in from consumers are overwhelmingly positive. Many of the first to get their watch have already integrated it into their lifestyle. Battery life seems to be a non-issue and apparently the Apple Watch is more water resistant than expected, too.
I was able to re-stock on some of the Apple Certified Refurbished MacBook Airs last week. These Macbook Airs have been brought back to “as-new” condition by Apple and carry Apple’s 1-year warranty. They are eligible for AppleCare, too, which not only extends your 1-year warranty to 3 years but also extends your 90 days of free technical support to 3 years as well. This technical support not only covers your MacBook Air but also the Mac OS and other Apple software.
This week’s Kibbles & Bytes special features the Apple Certified Refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air with 4GB of RAM and a 256 GB solid state drive. It features the latest in wireless technology with Bluetooth and 802.11ac wifi. Weighing in at less than 3 pounds this unit has USB ports, a Thunderbolt port, and a SD card slot. This could be the ideal Mac for your grad or for Mom or Dad. This week I am bundling it with AppleCare protection so that you have that full 3 years of coverage. In addition, because most people need two chargers, we are bundling an extra Apple 45 watt MagSafe 2 power adapter so you can have one at your desk and one to carry with you. To complete the package, and because we always want you to have your data backed up, we are including the Seagate 1 TB Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive. Normally, this bundle would sell for $1300 but for exclusively for Kibbles & Bytes readers you can buy this for only $1199!