While my blog was down...

I was bummed to have my blog down for most of the weekend. I was out of touch and this kind of stuff makes you feel pretty helpless so I just tried to wait it out.

Some scary developments in Israel over the last week and for that matter Lebanon so I am hoping that things take a calmer turn this week. Seems rather hopeless for a slow resolution as it escalates by the moment.

I will be visiting New York on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week on blogging business with my pal Chartreuse and hanging with local boy Loren Feldman . Shoot me an e-mail if you want to hook up on Wednesday or Tuesday evening.

Apple took front page coverage in Barron’s this weekend which other than adding some financial details is a long winded post no better than the quick one I put together on Friday when I was considering a purchase but went golfing instead. Here is the key excerpt which mimics my thinking:

“APPLE’S RETAIL STORES, now numbering about 150, could play a big role in the conversion of Windows users. The latest sign of the retail network: A gleaming glass cube on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, marking the entryway to a sprawling, subterranean world of iPods, computers, speakers and other accessories.

While Windows users may have never considered buying a Mac before owning an iPod, their visits to the retail stores put the other products right before their eyes and in their hands. Plus, they are treated to generally helpful and knowledgeable salespeople, who can take the guesswork out of any conversion anxiety.

Some stores have begun offering Switch at Six classes (as in 6 p.m., after work) to help instruct would-be Mac owners on how to transfer their favorite digital images, music and other files from their Windows machines. Apple looks to be getting great results from the stores. Retail real-estate sources say that smaller Apple stores can command annual sales of more than $3,500 a square foot. That dwarfs the performance of traditional mall anchor stores like department stores; they’re lucky to rack up $250 a square foot.

There’s been other good news on the retail front. Apple recently stuck a distribution deal with mega-electronics retailer Best Buy (BBY). With six pilot stores having tested Macintosh sales, Morgan Stanley’s Rebecca Runkle believes that a full partnership could add sales of another 100,000 units, generating some $160 million in revenues, and two cents a share in earnings. If Best Buy can peddle Macs in stores within a mile of each other without cannibalization, the relationship could add $400 million in revenue and five cents a share to earnings, Runkle estimates.

Yes, there are risks in Apple’s new strategies. The conversion of Windows users could take longer than expected. New Intel-fueled machines geared to professional users may not get much attention until software applications are written for the new operating systems. Microsoft, meanwhile, is expected to launch its own MP3 music device, with wireless Internet capability; that clearly could hinder iPod and iTunes. And most recently, Apple has announced an internal investigation involving improper backdating of stock-option grants, and has contacted the Securities Exchange Commission. A number of analysts don’t think that issue will amount to much, but it’s still too early to say for sure.

The upside, however, is crystal clear. Apple has undergone an extraordinary transformation with the success of the iPod. The music player, even if it stops producing explosive growth, will continue to carry a sizable load for the company. Jobs could eventually revolutionize mobile digital-video like he did with music. In the meantime, Apple has an opportunity to sell a ton of its sleek computers to a new breed of consumer, jump-starting market share in the process.

As they say in the song, Mac is back in town.”

The Chairman gives you the weekly Barrons crib notes.

Minic, over at The Blogging Times had a nother great weekend edition with a great mix of videos.

Trader Tim who has been pounding the short-side of the market says he may be booking profits and going long for a bounce. The Nikkei is down big again tonight and if we open down big or get down big intra-day Monday, I will be looking for longs to trade.