2000: Apple has twice as many hurdles to overcome with its new machines. Right now, things are looking up for Mac users. If you want a new machine, you can buy now at a good price. You won’t suffer too much on the performance front (you hope) when Apple releases new machines (we hope) at Macworld Expo next month.

If you’re waiting to upgrade, Macworld Expo is just around the corner and (you hope) there’s a machine with a decent speed bump, better hardware and, of course, the signature Apple wrapping.

With rumors flying that a new Apple subnotebook is on the way and faster machines with several other goodies, it would seem that Apple is well on its way to recovering from the “speed bump” it encountered earlier this year. Things would appear to be on the upswing, so get your Apple stock now.

Unfortunately, waiting for an Apple stock bounce because of Mac OS X and the potential new products coming up might not be the best investment strategy. Investors will be looking for iMac-like success before they start scooping up Apple shares left and right.

It’s unfortunate but true that the majority of investors suffer from a herd mentality when it comes to investing. Few people actually understand how the stock market works or do their own analysis, or even select their own stocks. Many rely on someone else to do their thinking for them.

For those who do pick their own stocks, few, I suspect, do sufficient analysis to know what they are getting involved with. Apple’s recent stock plunge illustrates that most people just don’t have the time to analyze a stock properly before buying (or selling).

This means a couple of things for Apple and Apple investors. One is that armchair investors will not appreciate the good financial health of Apple. It’s all Greek to the armchair investors if you spout on about all the money lying in a vault below Apple headquarters.

The second is that non-Apple-using AAPL investors will want to see results on the scale of the iMac. Even if Apple releases the most stunning subnotebook to ever be seen on this planet, even if OS X is the most stunningly superior operating system ever released, and even if Apple releases a 1 GHz machine,* folks won’t buy Apple shares until they see the numbers (or hears the so-called “experts” rate Apple something worth having). Apple still has to overcome the recent setbacks of the lukewarm reception for the Cube, the softening PC market, and the doomsday scenarios being rehashed yet again.

So hold on to your investments seat. It’ll be a bumpy ride for the foreseeable future.

Update: At the January 2001 Macworld Expo, Apple introduced the 15″ PowerBook G4 with the largest, widest screen to date, a 400 or 500 MHz G5 processor, and everything inside a titanium case just 1″ thin.

keywords: #aapl