(B) Apple (AAPL)

I. The Rise of the Mac Computer

After the success of the iPod, Apple inked a deal with Intel in June 2005, announcing a partnership where Apple would begin using Intel chips in its Macs. This development led us to immediately survey our members to find out how much of an impact it would have on consumer purchasing decisions.

June 2005. ChangeWave’s June 2005 consumer PC purchasing report said: "Long Term the Intel Deal Looks Great for Apple. Overall, nearly one-in-five respondents (19%) say the Apple deal with Intel makes them More Likely to buy an Apple computer in the future, compared to just 3% who say it makes them Less Likely.”

February 2008. Fast forward to our latest PC purchasing findings from February 2008: "Apple Mac Sales Relatively Strong. Looking at the next 90 days, Apple remains the leader for planned consumer laptop buying (31%) – down just 2-pts from the all-time high recorded in our previous survey. Apple planned desktop purchases (28%; down 1-pt) are also near record levels.”

II. Apple iPhone Enters the Picture

In January 2007, Steve Jobs announced Apple's entrance into the smart phone market with the introduction of the Apple iPhone.

February 2007. Immediately after the announcement, ChangeWave surveyed Alliance members on the potential market for the new device, and was one of the first to pick up on the extraordinary strength of the iPhone. Our February 2007 report headlined: “Apple iPhone Set to Roil Telecom Industry.”

March 2008. Cut to our latest smart phone purchasing results from March 2008: “Among respondents planning to buy a new smart phone in the next 90 days, better than one-in-three (35%) say they’ll purchase an iPhone – a whopping 12-point jump since the previous ChangeWave survey in January 2008.”

Here’s a look at Apple’s stock price over this same period:

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