By definition, GDP is a summary of final sales for new goods and services and not of all economic activity.

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One final thought on the New Beetle Convertible: It's not going to salvage VW sales all by itself, especially because it's got company coming.

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While most investors are obsessed with iPhone sales--Apple reported it sold 270, 000 of the all-in-one gadgets during the final two days of its latest quarter--the most telling figures Apple reported were its gross margins.

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