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In the aforementioned CNETnews.com report from 11/28, president of Endpoint Technologies, Roger Kay is quoted as saying, "The halo effect is barely detectable. There has been a jump in notebooks in the past two quarters that could be attributed partly to the iPod, but they are lagging in desktops."

As CNBC reported two days later, which we reported here back on 11/30, they said that Apple's sales for iPods and Macs were heating up in time for the holiday shopping season with shares then at an all-time high. CNBC also reported that current data showed that iPod sales were directly influencing Mac hardware sales, namely notebook computers. [SEE RELATED ARTICLE]

CNETnews.com staff writer, Michael Kanellos who wrote that 11/28 report, says in his article, "The lack of a halo effect could be a good thing for Apple... ultimately, for Mac fans, it will be better if their favorite computer thrives on its own merits, rather than on the hyper-sales of a digital music player."

The little engine, the little digital mp3 player, the little tiny box that could. What do others have to say about all of this?

eWeek.com reported two weeks ago that Piper Jaffray analyst, Gene Munster, is predicting Apple will gain a huge piece of the pie, more market share in 2007. Munster attributes this to four things that Apple has under its belt: moving to Intel, making their computers appeal to a broader base, Boot Camp, and...? Of course, the iPod, which has influenced PC users to switch to the Mac.

Maybe Munster was talking to our own source Naomi Pearce, very recently? He took the words right out of her mouth, it seems. (And no, Gene Munster is not the name of "Pearce's husband" which we've used to identify Naomi's significant other, for reasons due to the pre-interview agreement).

So, what does our famous married couple on the street in front of the Apple Store on the night of Black Friday think?

Naomi Pearce herself said, "The 'halo effect' sounds mystical, something magical, but it's not. When an experienced person uses a Mac and it just works, PC users see a light bulb."

Frankly, we believe in the "light bulb effect" theory (that can create a halo too!). About Windows not working and PCs crashing, what not, and the PC user finally sees that light and says "hello?!?" (Hey, that's it, maybe it's the "hello effect" like, "duh, why didn't I switch to a Mac before??").

If the little iPod had something to do with it, well thank you iPod. But this columnist would rather get into the sleigh with Santa Claus and help him deliver presents on a cold and blustery night and suffer a severe case of PC-bite (a PC freezing, frostbite? never mind) before accepting a halo theory.

And the big red fruit seems to be in the same sleigh as us (though unlike them, we believe in the man in the big red suit), since they're looking for hard data to prove this "halo effect" just the same.

Final thought? Pearce's husband's last comment on the subject: "The iPod 'halo effect'? Oh, it's real," he said. "They see the iPod, they like the hardware. It's going to shift the computer world!"

Ah, that shift, the "Shift in Newton's Law" as we've discussed before...

They say you learn something new everyday, and nothing could be more further from the truth when a fellow Mac-ophyte, well two, agrees with an analysis that you don't believe yourself. It just takes someone to open your eye-Pod, uh, ball, before you can really see it.

But, we can all live on opposite sides of the fence and still like each other, right? Like Tim Allen's character from the show "Home Improvement" and his neighbor Wilson, played by Earl Hindman. (Also an homage to Allen who plays, of all characters, Santa Claus on the big screen).

Now that would be a sight to see... Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor having an infamous hollow discussion with Wilson over the iPod "halo effect."

Happy New Year to all and see you in 2007!

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