You’d think the tables have really been turned now that Microsoft is trying to explain why Wall Street shouldn’t downgrade its stock. After all, it needs a huge slush fund to fight competition from Google and Yahoo, so if profits aren’t so great for a while, well, no big deal. Besides, how much more money […]

It’s no secret that the manufacturers of printers do not make the lion’s share of their profits from selling the printer itself. In fact, some of the low end inkjet models are free, assuming you’re one of the lucky few to receive your factory rebate; or would you rather regard that as the short-term low […]

Through a large part of Apple’s history, it has focused primarily on the higher-cost, fully-outfitted professional models, with prices to match. As a result, profits were kept high, but sales figures weren’t so terrific. Sure, Apple made occasional forays into the consumer market, but not with such great results. The Performa series comes to mind. […]