In iPhone-Sales Tizzy, Price Cut Minimized

So while he could have hit the million mark without a price cut, was passing it with typical flourish not happening unless Apple shaved prices? And is making a bad long-term business decision in order to come out on top of the short-term expectations game worth it?

Moreover, does making the million mark change the fact that Apple has transformed itself into a company that both competes on price and partners with every Tom, Dick and Howard Schultz -- from AT&T(T) to Starbucks(SBUX) -- thus giving up two elements of the control they have been famous for keeping?

Much was also made about how Apple hit one million sold in iPhones quicker than iPods. But it's a false comparison. It essentially created the market for iPods, a task that takes longer to build but has more lasting financial benefits. Cell phones are more common, making them easier to peddle at the outset, but more difficult going forward: You face competition on price and bells and whistles wherever you turn.

Interesting, then, that while I was reading about fears quelled in the Financial Times, a separate article called "Vodafone unveils new range" is all about how Vodafone(VOD) has prepared to compete with the iPhone in the U.K. by unveiling a range of mobile phones for Christmas with an "all you can eat" music download service.

But Apple hit that one million mark. So break out the bubbly -- right after you send me an email telling me why this was the dumbest, most misguided column you ever read and that if St. Steve knew he was going to have dandruff, he'd wear a white shirt. But once in a while, even a saint falls or, at least, mistakenly wears a dark shirt.

Finally, Apple loyalists? Please remember that blind emotion is no friend of a good stockpicker. Once you cross from being a stock holder to a stock booster, you set yourself up for a mistake.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints