My guess? Hype. All the companies at the top have a lot of hype. I don't think that explains everything, but I believe it is an important factor. I also think with tech we've really entered a Lemon Market. It is very difficult to tell the quality of products prior to purchase. This is even more true with the loss of physical retail. I actually really miss stores like Sharper Image. Not because I want to buy the over priced stuff, but because you would go into those stores and try things.
I definitely think the economy has shifted and we can see it in our sector. The old deal used to be that we could make good products and good profits. But now "the customer" is not the person that buys the product, it is the shareholder. Shareholder profits should reflect what the market value of the product being sold to customers, but it doesn't have to. So if we're just trying to maximize profits then I think there is no surprise when these things start to diverge.
I definitely think the economy has shifted and we can see it in our sector. The old deal used to be that we could make good products and good profits. But now "the customer" is not the person that buys the product, it is the shareholder. Shareholder profits should reflect what the market value of the product being sold to customers, but it doesn't have to. So if we're just trying to maximize profits then I think there is no surprise when these things start to diverge.