Apple (AAPL) is sued for patent infringement by Intertrust Technologies, an early pioneer in digital copyright protection jointly owned by Sony (SNE) and Royal Philips Electronics (PHG). Intertrust has won these things in the past, getting a $440M settlement from Microsoft in 2004. [View news story]
iPatent is not Apple's strong point: they sue Samsung and only got half of $1B when they asked for $3B, VernetX sued and won a few hundred million this year, and there is a 'pipeline' of legal issues ranging from a Taiwan university, countries where iPhones names are registered, ITU and European's 2-year warranty, and now this.
For their next product, they need to make it 'copycat-proof' somehow. Use ecosystem, product registration, iron-clad reinforced patent portfolio, more aggressive lawyers, and hard-to-copy designs or hard-to-reproduce materials.
Oh yeah, the Samsung toilet seat with seat warmer, scent dispenser, 5 levels of water hose intensity and direction, and plays "soothing" music. The massaging feature is next.
Apple's Money Back: A Desperate Act? [View article]
Stock buy-back in essence 'shrinks' a company because the cash that could have been used to 'expand' the company is instead used to decrease the float. Dividend payment in essence bribes/reward investors for sticking around but does nothing to 'expand' the company. iPref is indeed a 'silly sideshow' because it will cripple the company cashflow for years to come.
For Apple to do any of the above in significant amount is for the management to capitulate and admit that they have no better use for their free cash and free cash flow. They can do a little of the buy-back and slightly increase dividend to assuage the disgruntled shareholders, but their real focus should be to focus on R&D (ie. to churn out new products quicker), supply chain (ie. new foundry and assembly suppliers) and "demand chain" (ie. China Mobile and other telcos).
These talks of buy-back and dividend are short-term band-aid. Product innovation and speed-to-market and the panacea.
The Galaxy S IV shows the contrast between Apple's (AAPL) minimalist approach to smartphones and Samsung's (SSNLF.PK) "maximalist" approach, writes Forbes' Anthony Wing Kosner. Whereas Apple carefully weighs the impact of product changes and lets the iPhone speak for itself, Samsung is constantly making big upgrades while promising its phones will change your life. Kosner thinks Apple's low-key approach resonates better in the U.S., but TechCrunch's John Biggs argues Samsung's approach has its strengths. "[Samsung] figured out that people didn’t care about specs. Instead, they care about use cases." [View news story]
I don't think the eye-movement technology in S4 is that advance, yet. I wouldn't worry about Google monitoring your eye movement.
Instead, I'd be more concerned about it misinterpreting the users motion (either via incorrect eye movement scolls or inadvertant errors when hands are moving over the screen). Soon people will turn this feature off and they'll have to wait til S5 or some improvements.
I will short Apple stock if people will sell their kidney and virginity for an S4, and fights broke out by people waiting overnight in long lines, and the lucky few smuggle them across the border to resell. What are the chances?
So, how do you buy Samsung stock? It is not trading here in USA, (except for that pink-sheet ADR with symbol SSNLF which is not tradeable and don't even have bid/ask.) Let's go open a brokerage account in S. Korea : )
Apple Fell To Earth And Now It's Time To Seek Alpha Elsewhere [View article]
Your fisherman analogy is entriguing even though it is wrong. Cash do not go bad & stink. But if it does, we all still love stinking cash : ) The last time I checked, a company is in the business to make money, and to maximize the net profit.
If you measure cash as a percentage of the stock's market cap, Apple is 33% (137/411) but only because it fell to 450. But if it returns to $600 and no new cash is added, it'll be 25% 137B/548. There are many stocks with 50%+ yet nobody talks about them. So let's stop worrying about Apple making and keeping too much money.
Jury Concludes VirnetX's Patents In Suit With Cisco Are Valid But Does Not Find Infringement [View article]
A biased press release by the patent troll itself.... VirnetX stock took a tumble because Cisco won the suit, yet this press release wants the reader to focus on the validity of its patents.
Will The X-Phone Kill The Android Monster? [View article]
I guess I'm not alone when I say that Samsung is the antagonist, or the "bad guy" in the business... First, the CEO was involved in a widely publicized government corruption; then the patent infringement with Apple... it's own customer when it comes to supply chain; then it turns around and sue Apple based on FRAND related patents; now Google is wary of Samsung because of the royalty contentions.
In the short run, unethical business practices will aid Samsung but in the long run, the bad karma will come back to haunt them.
BlackBerry: Not So DOA Anymore, Is It? [View article]
Nice article George K. What is your opinion now that Samsungs' Galaxy S4 just got released and that Apple is shifting its focus to target the corporate world (same target that BB had a strong-hold on)? Will they continue to pressure BB or perhaps they are different niche players? Also, any comment on a recent article about how BB wants to become a platform (BES) solution company, rather than being a hardware (low-margin) vendor?
Apple: Wall Street's Ignorance At Large Again [View article]
I guess the author did not bother to read the past articles where we really beat up and humiliated other authors who misuse the 'law of large number' : )
Anyway, this article losts its credibility because the author (like many others before her) fell asleep during the intro statstics 101 class.
Money Parked Overseas Continues To Increase [View article]
Blame the game, not the player... All these tax loopholes and reasons for not repatriation can all be fixed by Congress. Too bad the US politicians are so dysfunctional that they can't even put a budget together.
Congress can do one or more of the following: 1) A tax holiday for repatriation with the condition that the repatriated funds be reinveted to create domestic job. 2) A lower tax rate for repatriation for the current fiscal year will increase revenue intead of letting the corporations "borrow from uncle Sam at 0% interest" by keeping it offshore 3) Close the loophole so that US tax must be paid for all future foreign income. 4) Craft the law to further discourage US firms from holding funds oversea.
Credit Agricole's Avi Silver "downgrades" Apple (AAPL) to Outperform from Buy, while lowering his PT to $505 from $575. Silver expects iPhone sales to be weak in the June quarter thanks to growing competition ahead of a 5S launch (presumably the Galaxy S IV takes center stage here). He also doesn't expect an iPhone with a larger screen, which (like others) he considers "much needed," to arrive this year. Shares -0.8%. (Berenberg) [View news story]
Avi Silver the "Johnny come lately". If he is really good at predicting, then he should've downgraded the stock half a year ago before the 300 point fall.
Samsung S4 is going to take away market share from BB Z10 and iPhone in the short term... The dual-SIM feature is something we haven't seen here in the USA, although it is popular in HK/China border, where people must otherwise switch SIM chips when they cross the border to get to work.
Apple's March Uptrend Is No Sucker Rally [View article]
"...hence a continuous rally? I wouldn't bet against that"
which contradict yourself.
Still a good article but your vacillation weakens your own arguments. You either exalt or bash but no middle ground when you want to prove your point.
Apple (AAPL) is sued for patent infringement by Intertrust Technologies, an early pioneer in digital copyright protection jointly owned by Sony (SNE) and Royal Philips Electronics (PHG). Intertrust has won these things in the past, getting a $440M settlement from Microsoft in 2004. [View news story]
For their next product, they need to make it 'copycat-proof' somehow. Use ecosystem, product registration, iron-clad reinforced patent portfolio, more aggressive lawyers, and hard-to-copy designs or hard-to-reproduce materials.
A Day Samsung Would Like To Forget [View article]
Apple's Money Back: A Desperate Act? [View article]
Dividend payment in essence bribes/reward investors for sticking around but does nothing to 'expand' the company.
iPref is indeed a 'silly sideshow' because it will cripple the company cashflow for years to come.
For Apple to do any of the above in significant amount is for the management to capitulate and admit that they have no better use for their free cash and free cash flow. They can do a little of the buy-back and slightly increase dividend to assuage the disgruntled shareholders, but their real focus should be to focus on R&D (ie. to churn out new products quicker), supply chain (ie. new foundry and assembly suppliers) and "demand chain" (ie. China Mobile and other telcos).
These talks of buy-back and dividend are short-term band-aid. Product innovation and speed-to-market and the panacea.
The Galaxy S IV shows the contrast between Apple's (AAPL) minimalist approach to smartphones and Samsung's (SSNLF.PK) "maximalist" approach, writes Forbes' Anthony Wing Kosner. Whereas Apple carefully weighs the impact of product changes and lets the iPhone speak for itself, Samsung is constantly making big upgrades while promising its phones will change your life. Kosner thinks Apple's low-key approach resonates better in the U.S., but TechCrunch's John Biggs argues Samsung's approach has its strengths. "[Samsung] figured out that people didn’t care about specs. Instead, they care about use cases." [View news story]
Instead, I'd be more concerned about it misinterpreting the users motion (either via incorrect eye movement scolls or inadvertant errors when hands are moving over the screen). Soon people will turn this feature off and they'll have to wait til S5 or some improvements.
Arch Rivals: Samsung Vs. Apple [View article]
Arch Rivals: Samsung Vs. Apple [View article]
Apple Fell To Earth And Now It's Time To Seek Alpha Elsewhere [View article]
If you measure cash as a percentage of the stock's market cap, Apple is 33% (137/411) but only because it fell to 450. But if it returns to $600 and no new cash is added, it'll be 25% 137B/548.
There are many stocks with 50%+ yet nobody talks about them.
So let's stop worrying about Apple making and keeping too much money.
Jury Concludes VirnetX's Patents In Suit With Cisco Are Valid But Does Not Find Infringement [View article]
Will The X-Phone Kill The Android Monster? [View article]
In the short run, unethical business practices will aid Samsung but in the long run, the bad karma will come back to haunt them.
Samsung Galaxy S4: A Gift To Apple Shareholders [View article]
Q: Sir, is that the new 5" Samsung S4 in your pant pocket?
A: No, I'm just glad to see you : )
BlackBerry: Not So DOA Anymore, Is It? [View article]
What is your opinion now that Samsungs' Galaxy S4 just got released and that Apple is shifting its focus to target the corporate world (same target that BB had a strong-hold on)? Will they continue to pressure BB or perhaps they are different niche players?
Also, any comment on a recent article about how BB wants to become a platform (BES) solution company, rather than being a hardware (low-margin) vendor?
Apple: Wall Street's Ignorance At Large Again [View article]
Anyway, this article losts its credibility because the author (like many others before her) fell asleep during the intro statstics 101 class.
Money Parked Overseas Continues To Increase [View article]
Congress can do one or more of the following:
1) A tax holiday for repatriation with the condition that the repatriated funds be reinveted to create domestic job.
2) A lower tax rate for repatriation for the current fiscal year will increase revenue intead of letting the corporations "borrow from uncle Sam at 0% interest" by keeping it offshore
3) Close the loophole so that US tax must be paid for all future foreign income.
4) Craft the law to further discourage US firms from holding funds oversea.
Credit Agricole's Avi Silver "downgrades" Apple (AAPL) to Outperform from Buy, while lowering his PT to $505 from $575. Silver expects iPhone sales to be weak in the June quarter thanks to growing competition ahead of a 5S launch (presumably the Galaxy S IV takes center stage here). He also doesn't expect an iPhone with a larger screen, which (like others) he considers "much needed," to arrive this year. Shares -0.8%. (Berenberg) [View news story]
Samsung S4 is going to take away market share from BB Z10 and iPhone in the short term... The dual-SIM feature is something we haven't seen here in the USA, although it is popular in HK/China border, where people must otherwise switch SIM chips when they cross the border to get to work.