apple just announced their earnings for the last quarter. they were monster. huge. historic. $13billion... zowie. it was the biggest quarter _ever_ for _any_ tech company. heck, the biggest quarter ever for _any_ company, except for one other -- a quarter when exxon made $14billion, owing to naked exploitation during a "gas crisis" period, for which it deservedly suffered severe public displeasure. apple's customers, on the other hand? voluntary, happy. considering that, its achievement is virtually unmatched. if you want to get a feel for the immensity, consider that google's _total_revenue_ for last quarter was $10billion... no matter which part of apple's business you look at, it's nothing but sharp upward trends and profit profit profit. anyone who didn't think the iphone would be huge is stupid. anyone who didn't think the ipad would be huge is stupider... -bowerbird