From this Financial Post story:

“We have been waiting for signs that the anticipated halo effect from Apple’s retail stores and iPod would materialize. This quarter’s results provided the first definitive data point, suggesting that Apple’s core businesses may not be destined to continual decline,” said First Albany Capital analyst Joel Wagonfeld.

May not be destined to continual decline. Well if that’s not a ringing endorsement that you’re on the right track, what is?

But seriously, I’ve been interested for a while to see how Apple’s retail initiative and then the surprise “crossover” success of the iPod would affect their computer market share. I’ve got to imagine that if they’ve been able to hang on this long just through word-of-mouth and repeat buyers — How else do people find out about and get persuaded to the Mac platform? Certainly not through traditional electronics sellers. — that the Mac’s future is bright. Or at least not destined to dim a little more each year, forever.