Michael J. Golde

Expect Apple's December Earnings to Grow 37%

Question: Are any mobile phones in China permitted to use wi-fi? If so, why is AAPL prohibited from doing so? The Chinese are generally unfair competitors so it wouldn't surprise if they purposely put AAPL at a competitive disadvantage in their own market.

Does Steve Jobs Deserve Fortune's "CEO of the Decade" Award?

Thanks for including the video of Steve Jobs' commencement address at Stanford. I have heard it several times before but it is still inspiring. It vividly demonstrates that when one's pursue his passions in life, inevitably those passions will seep into other aspects of our life, including the way we work and analyze and solve problems. A single-minded MBA without a well-rounded set of interests and experiences (and able to "Think Different") is simply not going to effective as one who does.

The Homebuyer Credit as Economic Success Story

Cash for Clunkers benefitted foreign automakers much more than Detroit. Moreover, it was a gimmick to boost third quarter GDP to create the bogus impression that the economy is on the rode to recovery.

The Obama Administration made a political decision, not an economically sound one, to artificially stimulate short-term demand. GDP that is based on smoke and mirrors such as home and car buyer credits distort economically reality and are cynical attempts by the government to intervene in the economy.

With unemployment nearing 10%, these government programs will have no positive long-term effect and may actually result in a larger decline in future GDP than would otherwise be the case.

Starbucks vs. McDonald's: Filtering Through the Coffee Wars

Katherine Glover has written a related article to this topic entitled: "Is Starbucks Good or Bad for Independent Coffee Shops?" citing my article at: industry.bnet.com/food.../

Bailout Nation Mentality: Ford Workers Reject Further Concessions

Please, no SPAM. Take it somewhere else.


On Nov 02 05:23 PM maketalwaysgoesup.. wrote:

> This market always goes up. DJIA 10,600 soon
>
> good articles: financeopinionss.blogs.../

Bailout Nation Mentality: Ford Workers Reject Further Concessions

Thanks for all the commentary (95% of which I agree). Also, a note of apology. I realized this morning that the article contained a variety of grammatical errors. I have changed them on the Instablog but am unable to update the article accordingly unless someone knows how to modify a "published" article.

Apple: Plenty of Upside Left

I agree with you that AAPL is becoming more and more of an international story. Unfortunately, the naysayers continue to focus on the overall decline in iPods sales to suggest that AAPL is losing revenues. This is a canard as increasing iPhone sales are inevitably going to cannibalize iPod sale ... and that is a good thing. AAPL generates significantly more lifetime potential revenue from an iPhone as compared to an iPod.

Given MSFT's ineptness, both AAPL and GOOG will benefit at its expense. The demographics also support a long-term growth story for AAPL. I wonder if there are any statistics as to the age of the average AAPL user of iMacs, iPods and iPhones. My guess is that the under-30 crowd, for sure, represents the strongest AAPL demographic. If that is the case, it seems a virtual certainty that the growth story remains intact.

How Apple's Market Share Will Propel Stock to $500, Part 1

It is not a question increasing the high-end market share above 91%. The question is whether Apple can sell more high-end computers. The answer is clearly yes by a substantial percentage. So, even if others are able to capture a greater portion of the high-end, it really doesn't matter if Mac sales continue to grow at their current rate or above.


On Oct 23 10:46 AM who wrote:

> All good and well, one important point is that Apple targets high
> end segment and with 91%, there isn't much room to grow. How will
> Apple compete with Windows at the low end of spectrum if it choose
> do so? Will entry into low end machines threaten its dominance
> in the high end market.

The Secret Paulson-Goldman Meeting

The problem with such a "secret" meeting is that Goldman was privately given the views and thought process of the U.S. Treasury Secretary. Clearly, if that meeting had been open to public view, it could have roiled the markets. This meeting was analogous to the good 'ole days on Wall Street where the investment banks basically received insider information before the general public.

Another example of extremely poor judgment by Paulson. Moreover, does anyone honestly think that he would hold such a meeting with other bankers in such a surreptitious way?

Goldman Bonuses Based on Socialist Policies, Not Capitalism

I intend to and thank for the support!


On Oct 21 05:39 PM Tony Petroski wrote:

> Mr. Golde: Keep the firebrand going!

With Vonage App, Apple Isn't Even Bothering to Lie Anymore

It is really arrogant to try to preempt any negative comments regarding your article by calling any supposed detractors Apple Fanboys. Does that remark mean that anyone suggesting an error in your logic or misinformation in your article is automatically discredited in advance?

Perhaps you should read more about AT&T's role in denial of the Google Voice app on the iPhone. But, then again, you might actually have to do some investigation instead of mere bloviating.

Here's a link to give you a headstart on your research: www.google.com/search?...

Why Android Is Gaining Ground on Apple

This is a simplistic and self-righteous article of limited anecdotal value. Apparently tens of millions of people disagree with you. Otherwise please explain the iPhone phenomenon that everyone else gets but to which you are philosophically opposed on a misperceived notion of capitalism and competitiveness.

Cash for Clunkers May Cost Up to $45,354 Per Vehicle

I am not sure I understand the math in the article, but I do think it is fair to say the some reasonable percentage of the people who will receive rebates would have otherwise bought a new car without the rebate. Therefore, the only real benefit of the program is the incremental number of cars sold than would have otherwise been sold without the rebates. Maybe, as another posted suggested, that is how the figure of 22,000 new cars was derived or $45K+ per those vehicles.

The program is also obviously speeding up temporarily the car buying cycle. The program is obviously intended to get people to buy new cars now as opposed to the future. But, what happens when the incentives are gone? Future months could easily show a decline in sales because some of the sales that are occurring now, will take away from sales in the future.

The danger of a program of this sort is that it doesn't really create a sustainable growth model. And the worst thing would be if the automakers ramped up for potential demand that doesn't materialize because the government "juiced' sales now.

Why the FCC Wants to Smash Open the iPhone

I completely disagree with this article. Apple invented and owns the iPhone and has the right and duty to maintain the integrity of its product as it sees fit. I am sure Apple rejects apps all the time it consider inappropriate because of content, competition with the basic functions of the iPhone itself, etc. It also receives significant financial incentives to enter into exclusivity arrangements with carriers like AT&T. Why shouldn't AAPL have the right to decide if it can make more money by being tied to a carrier or not? That's what they are supposed to do for the benefit of its shareholders, not for the public at large.

I am getting tired of the socialist mentality overtaking business decisions in the country. AT&T has invested good money into getting as many paying customers to use the iPhone under various payment options. If people don't like the plans, they don't need to use an iPhone.

As an AAPL shareholder, the government should stay out of the business of dictating Apple's or AT&T's business practice. Or if GOOG wants access to the iPhone, they should have to pay for that access. GOOG seems to want everyone to give everything away for free simply because it does so.

Goldman Sachs: Still Arrogant and Unrepentant

Yes, they paid the government back by borrowing more money from the government at virtually zero interest and then calling it a profit. Any fool can make money by merely buying government backed instruments if given free money to do so.

Now the latest is that Goldman is essentially front-running the market. The guys are using heavy-duty supercomputers to place and immediately cancel bogus order before the less sophisticated exchange computers and execute the order. In this way, Goldman is able to see limit price offers which is supposed to be private info. Goldman is using this information in a way to prevent the average investor from getting the best fill possible on a limit or market order.

Here is a link to their current game: opinionator.blogs.nyti.../


On Jul 26 11:06 PM dividendmachine1 wrote:

> This may be unpopular but unlike most who have sucked from the teat
> of the government GS has paid them back in full and the Government
> made a 22% profit.
>
> No offense but BOTH political parties and their lobbyists have not
> paid us 1 dime and instead have looted the trasury with their salaries
> and health care and excellent pensions
>
> Is GS perfect ,No of course not
>
> But at least they aren't freeloaders like GM AIG and the politicans
> and lobbyists are.peace