Chris Krasowski

Cash for Clunkers Stalled? General Motors Comes to the Rescue

Each car maker can loan money to the its dealership network as a stop-gap to temporary cash flow issues encountered by waiting for DOT to sort out Cash For Clunkers paperwork and provide the rebates.

In GM's case the irony is that it is majority owned by the government, so any stop-gap funds it provides are technically government controlled funds, while it waits for other government funds to flow to its dealerships.

Will Google Lead the Way Toward Salvation?

SeekingAlpha does a lot of things well, but rewriting titles, I must admit is not one of them.

It seems the tone of the piece changes completely with SeekingAlpha's choice of title.

The original article title was "Google's Vision of Life to be Subsidized by Advertisers" and the fact that advertising subsidization of computing is becoming the new reality in a web-centric world.

Regards,
Chris Krasowski

Will Google Lead the Way Toward Salvation?

There will certainly some run-off late next year on both MSFT and AAPL. They are both players in the computer market and both ship operating systems.

Apple so far, will be less so since they do not roam in the netbook market, upcoming tablet plans notwithstanding, however MSFT had said several times that Windows revenue is under pressure do the the cheap netbooks and their need to sell Windows XP for pennies on the dollar to the netbook makers.

Give these makers a free alternative backed by Google versus paying for XP or upcoming Windows 7 and of course it makes a difference in the economics.

No one really knows just how Chrome OS will be and how it'll work specifically yet, but if there's one thing to like about Google (privacy complaints aside) its the shifting of the computing world to open source and open standards.

The bread and butter of this article however, is not so much about what Microsoft or Apple would or should do in the mean time, or even what Chrome will be when it does come it. It is the underlying trend of Google pushing each and every business it gets into towards the realm of "free" by way of Advertising subsidies.

Regards,
Chris Krasowski

Boeing's Dreamliner: Still Grounded But Its Stock Could Soar

Disclosure isn't included here. I do not own shares of BA. Would be looking to pick some up under $40 though, I think that's an attractive price and Boeing is still stocked with talent and airline orders. Although I'm still wary of the possibility that the Dreamliner might never be ready... vaporware in the airline industry? That's a new one.

Apple Is Still Giving Its Competitors Headaches

Well of course $99 is the subsidy price, but this isn't just an iPhone specific thing. Every carrier in the world, on virtually every phone in the world offers some sort of subsidy. So whether you pick up an iPhone, a Pre, some Sony Walkman phone or a Nokia, your phone company is picking up part of that tab.

I don't believe a car analogy is effective in the same way as cell phones because it is not as if Exxon Mobil pays for half the car but then only lets you fill up at Exxon Mobil owned stations for the next 2-3 years and if you "roam" to other stations you pay twice as much per gallon.

The subsidy is part of the phone business and seemingly always will be.

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Chris

Apple in the Bargain Bin

Disclosure: Author is long AAPL.
It was included in my original article first published on the WC Power Tech Fund Investment Blog

Bright Nights for IMAX and the Dark Knight

Just to clarify, the article was originally written here wcpowertechfund.blogsp... on July 7th, with IMAX hovering in the $6.30s.

While the 5% move upwards, even during the market's recent sell-off has been welcomed, I still see some upside past $7 when the momentum of opening weekend results arrive for The Dark Knight.

Bright Nights for IMAX and the Dark Knight

Richie,

I've made the comment that "And yes, studios have released movies on IMAX screens before, why is this different?" within the article to specifically address that point.

Movies have been blown up to be shown on the IMAX screen before, some very successfully, but never has a big commercial movie filmed sequences with IMAX cameras. This is a big deal.

Furthermore, the movie's premier on July 14th will be at an IMAX theatre, saying to the movie that this film needs to be seen the way it was intended.
IMAX also just sent out a press release that this is the biggest pre-order ticket seller for the theatre chain ever, and it will be released on a record 94 screens domestically and another 15 internationally. All-time high numbers for showings of a single film.

I'd say that's different than the previously re-made Superman film.

Regards,
Chris

Is Anything Worth Owning in the Auto Industry?

Gearhead, just to add to your comment about the Prius sales and how long it stays on the lot.
Toyota does things differently then the American auto makers. They do not produce a car until it is actually sold to a dealership. And a dealership obviously doesn't buy a number of cars without a clear rough estimate of typical demand.

While other automakers produce cars all the time, leave them at the plant until they are sold, and when no one buys them they shut the plant down for 2 weeks and send everyone home, Toyota is different. They produce cars that are already sold to dealerships and use overtime to produce any excesses if needed.

There is a reason why Toyota cars dont stay on dealership lots very long.

Is Anything Worth Owning in the Auto Industry?

Yes, of course I'm aware that Chevy is a part of GM, however, in terms of auto design, each brand is its own house and makes its own bed. Chevy styling simply is staggering bad, but don't get started on those GMC SUVs and large Trucks.

Apple Earnings Sweet in Sour Economic Times

You are right from a semantic point of view. What I was illustrating with that statement is the fact that no new iPhone revenue will be counted in the quarter. It is clear, due to Apple's spreading of iPhone sales over 2 years, that all of the previously sold units will provide revenue.

Google's EPS Beat Aided By Lower Than Expected Taxes

Google's tax rate was mentioned in the results as 24%. Only 1% lower than the preceding holiday quarter (25%). The better International Mix has a lot more to do with the earnings beat than a 1% lower tax rate.

--
Chris

Apple Might Have Fallen Unfairly, but Look Before You Take a Bite

In the opening paragraph, the unrealisitc expectations and results are meant as part of the Investor stumbling blocks set by the world at large/investing community, not by Apple itself.

Hope that clarifies

Apple and Intel Fail to Impress: Waiting for the Fed's Next Move

Hello all,

It is nice to see some discussion come out of this. But I'm a little perplexed at how a "market overview" article has taken such an Apple centric approach. I'm merely commenting on how recessionary fears have taken out the best in technology. I've been an Apple long for a very long time, and have written focused articles on the company many times before.
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I know that's a lot to focus on one company but it was and still is the biggest holding of the WC Fund.

I'm not a professional analyst, never claimed to be, I write about markets, things I would be investing in and things I would stay away from. SeekingAlpha has chosen to reprint my articles and I believe that stands for something from a quality perspective.

Regards,
Chris Krasowski

Oil Hits $100: Time to Look at Transocean

More over, while RIG is a great long term name for the above mentioned oil supply channel, I'm specifically talking a trade here because I think oil can get a pop higher if it breaches the $100 level for good, and I think its headed there sooner rather than later.