Insider Trading With A Screwdriver
I like clever people. Not smart people, exactly. Smart people do dumb things all the time. I'm talking about people who look at a situation a little differently than the rest of the crowd, and profit from it. Not cheaters. Inspired.
So while everyone was lining up to pay an outrageous amount for an iPhone, because the item seemed nifty or cool, others looked at it as an opportunity. They bought one, and in the most counterintuitive act you could think of, tore it apart. And then they invested in the manufacturers of the component parts, unconcerned with whether an iPhone deserved its hype, but knowing that the hype would make it sell.
So while everyone was lining up to pay an outrageous amount for an iPhone, because the item seemed nifty or cool, others looked at it as an opportunity. They bought one, and in the most counterintuitive act you could think of, tore it apart. And then they invested in the manufacturers of the component parts, unconcerned with whether an iPhone deserved its hype, but knowing that the hype would make it sell.
Among the beneficiaries of Apple's business and the tear-down buzz were the semiconductor heavyweights Intel, Broadcom, Texas Instruments and Infineon Technologies, as well as lesser-known companies like Skyworks Solutions and Linear Technology.
Some researchers said Apple's secrecy surrounding the iPhone's component suppliers was yet another example of the company's vaunted ability to keep its partners tight-lipped even when facing a media frenzy and rampant speculation.
It's the same reason you find yourself sort of rooting for the mildly bad guys in a movie from time to time. They're the only ones working hard and being clever for their money. Hardworking honest people like that. Here's to you, Mr Screwdriver Insider Trading Man -- Real American Hero.
