in a world of AAC audio where NI's emulations of analog gear are considered 'state of the art'...
what do you need an XITE for at all ?
this is pro audio and not toys'r'us - a niche by default and that does by no way mean it's an economic desaster.
you know I sold Macs when they were rather exotic items (prestigous)... what you don't know is that my personal(!) commission was 10% of the sales price... today dealers roughly have a 7% margin on the whole thing...
the point was: when you wanted a Mac, you had to buy one - there was no alternative
you paid a little more, but you definetely knew that it would save you from the 'regular' PC bs - and it really was bullsh*t in the pre-98 days

at the end of the day the machine had paid for itself
today the Mac is an Intel box with a boring old OS
everything is covered in fancy color schemes, but honestly... sometimes it strangely reminds on an overdressed and bitched up old lady

effectively Apple sells by (life)style reputation and superior design
they sell a lot today and are back in super-market, but what's the balance then ?
in particular for those folks selling and supporting the stuff ?
I really don't get all the whining - you have to adress
your market properly, that's all there is about.
There is no mission to save the world by flooding it with 19" boxes
cheers, Tom