In some cases it leaves stock management in the hands of its suppliers and does not take ownership of the products until the moment they are sold.

When we began, I imagined we would rush out the moment we were done and stock up on groceries after breakfast at our favorite pancake place. Then maybe hit the mall or go to the movies.

A chart shows the cost of Apple products versus today's stock gains.Let us pretend for a moment that the year is 1997 and you're in the market for a new laptop computer.