[eatmyshorts]

I think you've got your history a little wrong. The iPod marked the turnaround of the company some 5+ years earlier than the release of the iPhone. The date of the release of the iPod is very near the low point of their stock. The glow surrounding the iPod also renewed interest in MacOS, which had recently been revamped with the release of OSX. While the iPod became its own enormous profit center, I credit it with the turnaround of their computer hardware & OS business, too.