Johnnymack's Comments

Apple's iPhone vs. RIM's BlackBerry: Who Wins on Comparison?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:32:06 -0500

The phone sucks? really?
What about 'fancy' functions, supposedly available for YEARS on other phones, but very hard to actually use?
CONFERENCE CALLS? very easy to do on an iPhone, or to add someone in to a discussion if they call during another call. Very crappy to do on FIXED tiny keyboards. You hang up on both people, get embarrassed, and vow never to do that again.
What about bluetooth earpieces? You know, when they're ON, but you put it in your pocket? I laugh when I see people answer the phone, hear nothing, and franticly fish through their pockets for the bluetooth earpiece! iPhone, with it's lack of fixed keyboard, is beautiful when your BT earpiece is in proximity! Three buttons come up on the display: answer phone, answer via speakerphone, or answer through Treo BT device. (yup! I had a Treo before, and the matching BT earpiece works BETTER on the iPhone than it ever did on the Treo!
Ex- Treo users are usually the biggest iPhone fans.

Apple to Open 50 More Stores - Let's Be Careful, Steve

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:58:50 -0500

A friend in another city is taking the One on One training at his local Apple store. He wanted to learn movie making software. The "kid" training him studied movie making in college! It's great! The workers at the Apple store also make a nice living. At one store, I pointed out a beautiful $4k+ video camera on display and joked to the person I was with that I really need to get one of those! The Apple employee nearby heard me and told us how nice it was, and his should be arriving next week! wow... they have some good people working there.
This is a great time to expand, with real estate down and many highly skilled people unemployed, what more do you need to see the greenlight?
Can YOU spot a bargain when it's in front of you? Find out!
Take this simple test! Less than a year ago Apple stock was under $80 a share. Today over $200.
How much did YOU buy?
The bigger the number you answer, the more qualified you are, and likely to agree, with Apple's push for expansion.

Apple to Open 50 More Stores - Let's Be Careful, Steve

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:07:58 -0500

Sorry, we need more stores! I live in NJ, near Princeton. There are 3 or 4 stores "near me", but they are 30+ miles away What's the chance I'll take a "One on One" class every week? Sorry, that's a haul!
This isn't Disney World, or some cult where the store is Mecca, and requires a pilgrimage. We have WORK to do, questions that need answers, and accessories to buy. We don't need YOU arguing to keep Apple a boutique brand or stiffling it's growth. There are huge swaths of marketshare out there, begging for quality. Let's not be timid.

Text of Steve Jobs Deposition

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:58:10 -0400

No. What's being avoided? taxes? Isn't there a whole aspect of financial planning and estate planning devoted to tax implications of your financial activity? Are 401k and Roth plans, and company matching contributions "convolutions" that should be ended, and let employers simply "pay bonuses? and be done with it?
Again, you're acting like any motion to maximize the award and minimize the tax implications, or an admission of doing that, is some kind of "gotcha!".
The powers that be tell us, over and over, that backdating options is FINE, but they just need to be accounted for correctly, which I find to be confusing anyway. It seems the general public hears about it and gets overwhelmed with the sense that something unnatural was done, a clock was turned back, or books were cooked. I'm just saying that there should be no moral problem with it. Also, if someone DID backdate an option 2 months prior to awarding, and DIDN'T pick the lowest price in those 2 months, then they are INCOMPETENT, not to mention being a jackass!

Text of Steve Jobs Deposition

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:05:33 -0400

Bearcharts, you seem to be another of these finger wagging "tsk tsk"'-ers who SAY options backdating is morally wrong but NEVER explain what is wrong about it, and somehow bring up tax fraud. Nobody is talking taxes here. It's not an issue.
I remember one time my wife was awarded shares of the company she worked for. an outright AWARD, maybe vested over 2 years, I forget. Was that immoral to accept? I don't think so.
What if we instead given "options, with a strike price of $zero"?
Would there NOW be a moral crucible brewing? Is there any real difference?
I'm afraid you really don't have an answer for that. There's nothing about the tax law here. People or companies always want to make moves and decisions with the tax law in mind! Do you refuse to invest in any 401k available to you, because it seems like cheating?
Experts can't really agree on how to treat options, and so they devise those GAPP rules, so everyone works by the same rule book. Those rules change from time to time too, and I don't think a CEO of a company, any company should be expected to know those rules.
I don't know (and likely you neither) how to account for plain straight options, that mature in 2 years, if the stock goes from $20 to $10, and so never get exercised. Do you?
What do we do the first year? Does the company claim an expense? does the employee claim income?
In 2 years, the options are underwater. Effectively NOTHING happened! It's as though the options were never granted at all? How does the company account for this expense (or non-expense) or balance whatever it did 2 years prior, if nothing really changed hands (money or shares) Does the company or employee get a credit for any taxes paid?
I honestly don't know, and would love an explanation if you have one. No more empty finger wagging! It's not effective.

Text of Steve Jobs Deposition

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:25:04 -0400

Do people really get upset about "backdating options"?
So, to give someone something that ALREADY has value, is somehow morally wrong?
Couldn't they pay Jobs, or any employee in Krugerands if they wanted? They already have value, and may accrue MORE, or may plummet in value. So what?
Apple could just AWARD shares outright to an employee. Isn't that like awarding "options, with a strike price of zero dollars" ? Gee, when you look at it that way, doesn't all the sinister nature of this fizzle out like a leaky balloon?
Doesn't this "time shifting" occur in other cases in business? Ever hear of someone taking an early retirement because the company gave them "2 years towards retirement"? I've heard of that! And no one called any agency complaining that a company "backdated an employee's date of hire!".
So the question of how to account for all this... who knows? I don't, but that doesn't mean I can't run a company. That's what CFO's are for! So, suppose a stock is at $40, and I get "backdated " shares w/ a strike price of $30, exercisable in 2 years. But in 2 years, the stock is at $25, underwater! So they lapse and I get nothing. Who pays taxes, if anyone? Value was given, but not really. I have no idea, and neither do most readers here.
Backdating options is an EFFICIENT way to reward workers with both VALUE today, and POTENTIAL value tomorrow, with little tax consequences until a move is exercised. It's this efficiency that made it such an appealing business tool in High Tech companies.

How Much Profit Is Apple Making from the App Store?

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:11:17 -0400

It's ALL good!
The SYNERGIES of this company are amazing!
Each thing is good on it's own, but reinforces some other aspect of the company.
Even PARTS are interoperable, especially the more expensive ones, such that, if iPod Touch sales decline slightly, those screens can be put into iPhones instead, and so on.
May not seem like much, but think about the little keypads and many screens and models at companies like Blackberry or Nokia. Each model has it's own set of DIFFERENT moving parts. Logistical nightmare!

Will Consumers Line Up for the Next iPhone?

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:06:10 -0400

What about first gen iPhone users like me?
I love mine, but the 3G and GPS WOULD have come in handy over the last year! But folks like me were content, and showed restraint.
So, whatever might come out soon (all rumors at this point!) isn't only to be compared to the 3G iphone as far as incremental improvements , but to the 1st gen as well.
I just might "re-enlist" as the original contract passes!
Oh, I'm also a parent whose daughter has had Type 1 Diabetes since she was 3 years old, When I saw the 3.0 software special event, and the Lifescan Demo, I actually cried. Beautiful.
Some people carry "gadgets" because their life depends on them!
Our family is Apple, for life!

RIMs Latest Apple Apps Won't Catch on Well: Here's Why

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:24:43 -0400

OMG! Is it that bad?
Funny. I knew Apple had an advantage by just folding it into their iTunes Music (TV show/movie/audiobook) store, which already has millions of customers who bought billions of songs, etc, with accounts linked to credit cards all set to buy, from day one, and using software people already had installed and were familiar with.

Apple’s iPhone App Refund Policies Unfair to Developers

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:57:39 -0400

when a lot of the apps people buy are under $5, they would have to suck pretty bad for someone to think of asking for a refund.
How many apps have been "returned" that this is even an issue?
Sounds like something that rarely happens, so it's a chance to stress that apple is unfair or abuses it's monopoly, or something like that.
Yawn...

Apple Is Still Apple Even without Steve Jobs

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:34:45 -0400

No matter what happens to Jobs, he already did a LOT of work and make changes that will endure. Therefore, I AM certain of the following issues about Apple:
- Apple will not get back into the laser printer and CRT business Steve got them out of.
- Apple will not close down the sales of music, videos, and apps from iTMS because "people can get music free from limewire, etc"
-Apple will not go back to Power PC processors
-Apple will not go back to OS9.
-Apple will not bring back SCSI, or ADB ports, or floppies

The Battle Lines Are Drawn in the War for Mobile Developers

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:36:46 -0400

How can anyone beat Apple?
You need software for the masses, with an ability to sync effortlessly, or do firmwares updates, etc. Apple uses iTunes, which MILLIONS of people have installed TODAY. (I don't have a RIMM or Nokia data sync program on any computers in my home. Will they work easily, support what platforms, have any bugs??)
Millions of people have accounts with iTunes Music Store, tied to credit cards, etc. They've sold BILLIONs of songs since opening.
The iPhone works just like an iPod for syncing, Apps for iPhone download just like songs.
It's so rock solid I don't see anyone doing better!
I HAD a Palm (650?) and installed Palm Desktop software for OSX on my mac, to help sync data. I also needed something called a "conduit" for Palm, etc. I NEVER got it working correctly. It sucked, and that was mostly just for Contact info, not movies, music, photos, etc.

Apple SEC Investigation: Rotten to Core

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:49:41 -0500

Apple says they do not comment on rumors.
Now the SEC is investigating them for , basically, not commenting on rumors!
They are trying to hold Apple accountable to THEORIES other people have made, like "Apple IS Steve Jobs", etc.
If you THINK that's so true, or THINK it's a one man show, or THINK he's terminally ill, you likely are OUT of AAPL. So let's move on!
I wish Jobs named another replacement, another "genius" named Steve to fill in for him. I wish he named Steven Hawking as CEO!
Let the whiners chew on THAT! hahaha!

Is There an Apple Community Anymore?

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:13:18 -0500

I agree Zach!
The internet has made solving any mac problem so easy! Either at Apple's site, or some of the ifixit type sites, where you can even order parts, etc.
The thing is, Apple has grown up, really huge too!
Remember having a powerbook in the 90s, and seeing someone else in an airport with one? You almost felt like buying each other a drink at the bar! Well, you'd have a HUGE bar tab if you did that today!
Macworld too, was just getting to be too "important", and produced THEORIES on "how to play Apple stock" going into Macworld!
Does ANY company need this?
Hasn't Apple done very well OUTSIDE of Macworld? The original iPod was announced outside of Macworld after all, as were the new macbooks and the iPhone 3G.
We had a situation where Steve would drop a "One More Thing..". Maybe that happened twice... I forget, but I remember AFTER that, EVERY time he DIDN'T do a "One More Thing", everybody got all "disappointed".
This happens a LOT in life, with movie stars and singers all expected to TOP their last big hits. The thing is, those people do not have to comply with something as artificial as a calendar, and put out at least one blockbuster EVERY year.
So I say "So Long!" to Macworld. Thanks for the memories.
And for all the bashers who got their last jabs in, and brought in every aspect of how bad ending participation in Macworld was, or how sick Jobs must be, etc, all I can say is "Hope ya enjoyed the bashing! 'cause it's the last you'll ever get!"
Think of it as "breakup sex" !

It's What Apple's Not Doing That Has Analysts Worried

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:38:01 -0500

ahhh! did that feel good? I hope so! 'Cause it's the last one you'll ever get!
No more MacWorld to pick apart!
Think of this as "break up sex"!
So Steve used to give a great show. Nice! I enjoyed many of them.
But to put the whole company through these higher and higher expectations every year was just getting too ridiculous!
"aw shucks! He didn't do a 'One more thing..." this year!"
(so the whole show sucked!
Now you're upset that they didn't drop prices, right?
Let me guess... if they DID drop prices wouldn't we honestly hear a lot of concern about "shrinking revenue/margins"??

Steve Jobs' Shrinking Billions

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:14:01 -0500

wow... the pity is that you probably patted yourself on the back for coming up with such a "witty" conclusion.
Take you own advice!

Mac vs. PC vs. Gold

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:54:06 -0500

When you think about it, Gold is just a "fiat currency" too.
Sure, it has a LONG history, but in some apocalyptic future, what will you be doing with that gold horde?
Oh... you'll be trading it for food, clean water, shelter, and fuel, won't you?
So WHAT IS "money"?
In "Your Money or Your Life", the author explains that money really represents "life energy". So you go to work, and donate some "life energy" to get "money", as a value keeper. You exchange that money with other people who do things for you, with the same incentive (design and build your house, car, bicycle, etc). Where does gold really enter into this? ok, instead of having a wealth of several pounds of gold, if we unwind the currency into gold (hey! that's creating a GOLD BUBBLE!) we all end up with a few grains of gold. So what? we really have no use for the stuff that a few grains wouldn't cover anyway! Sure, it's PRETTY in jewelry, makes good tooth fillings (did fluoride toothpaste wreck the value of gold??) and conducts electric swell. But a little goes a LONG way, and modern people are not going to revolve their life around how much of a metal element they need or consume.
Also, TONS of it are mined every year, so you can't say it's value doesn't inflate either.

Apple's Good Problems

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:53:46 -0500

Timbo,
Good observation!
How "democratic" too, for software developers, not having to compete for floorspace or product positioning on a shelf of software, or risk the outlay of funds for physical production of CDs, packaging, and shipping.
Would ANY of that have happened for some of the "cute" addictive games , like "Word Freak" that we just download from iTMS?? No.
I want to mention the ELEGANCE of how well the product lineup integrates with your home computer. Firmware updates on iPhones and iPods are super easy, and they all work alike, with the same program. When iPhone was introduced, 100 million people ALREADY had the necessary program installed with libraries of tunes and videos just waiting to sync! how nice.
Also, the assemby of iPhones and Touch iPods looks VERY simple. AND most of the parts are interchangable! So if iPhone sales go down, they could use the parts for iPod Touches, and vise versa.

End of the Line for Apple's FireWire

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:24:25 -0400

What they did was give the MacBook some of the "goodies" that were previously only found in the "Pro" series of MAcBooks, like a metal case, LED backlit displays, and backlit keyboards, and took away Firewire so you need to step up to a "Pro" to get it.
Most complaints are from people , who were actually "Pros" (using it for a business purpose) but using regular macbooks, getting their work done, and saving money.
From Apple's view, that's "canabalizing" of their higher end notebook computers. I actually use my plain macbook for my business, and get along fine. I only use the FW for external drives, but most that I have also have a ISB2 connector.
I would likely still get the improved macbook, and get one of those wireless "vaults" Apple sell, for external disk storage.
I would guess most of the FW ports on macbooks went unused.
But no, Firewire is far from dead.

Was the iPhone Deal Worth It for AT&T?

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:36:00 -0400

Should we also factor in not only TAKING new customers, higher margin customers, into ATT, but also the effect of TAKING those customers AWAY from the Verizons/TMobiles/and Sprints of the world? Those folks are going to be less able to compete, and will be left with the whiners who want everything for nothing! Cheers to them!

Nokia Is the Smart(phone) Bet - Barron's

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:38:09 -0400

< As smartphones become ever more popular among average users and emerging market customers>
...those users will likely buy a phone from a company whose devices they are already familiar with, like maybe an iPod, and whose software that syncs between the phone and their computer they ALREADY have installed on their system!

AAPL) and Research in Motion (RIMM),>

which will likely continue and redefine those "niche players" as something other than "niche players".
And oh! NOK is coming out with a NEW model! wow! HOW MANY models do they produce anyway? All with different screens, keyboards, electronics, etc... all needing advertising dollars too.
See any elegance and MONEY savings over at Apple, by having one device (ok, 2 memory and 2 color configs) and also that one phone shares many parts (especially the expensive touch screen) with the iPod Touch !
Whose inventory do YOU want to be in charge of stocking parts for and tracking sales??? That's efficiency, that's economies of scale, that's MONEY

Apple's Biggest Rumor: iPod or Jobs?

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:35:28 -0400

TanToday, good idea, but let's go FURTHER !
First, Steve should start coughing a lot, and limping, and visiting hospitals. He should progress to using a wheelchair sometimes, and having a mask and oxygen tank, all the while making "no comment' about his health. I would even have a cemetary plot picked out with my headstone if I were him, "Steve Jobs" carved into it, and the year of death carved in as 200_ (as though he won't see 2010!)
Put on this whole show for about a month, and let the stock plummet to $30 or so. THEN give stock option awards out the wazoo!! This will be a sign to "the faithful" to buy in.
Then finally, do a 10k run and shock all the nasty pessimists, as you provided "backdated" options for everyone with a brain, in a way that no SEC could touch you for!
that would be funny!

Apple: Great Company with Lofty Valuation - Due for Pullback

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:13:05 -0400

What's all this "payroll tax" interest? It's small change!
If someone exercises options, aren't they now dealing with stock sales, subject to Cap Gains tax, and that's it?
I guess if AAPL shares STAYED at $14, so the options were worthless, we would all be toasting to the tax payments we saved, right?
I guess every silver lining has a black cloud if you just take the time to look for it!
Also, the "3 reasons" insider sales are bad really seem like TWO reasons, as the first two are sort of redundant:
- It increases the amount of shares out there
-It dilutes the earnings per share

Do I really care how many shares are out there, except that the earnings are diluted over that number? kind of redundant, and grasping, as the author realized that "two reasons insider options are bad" just didn't have the "zing" that THREE reasons did!
So he padded the reasons.
weak.

Apple: Great Company with Lofty Valuation - Due for Pullback

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:21:29 -0400

junk journalism. Anything positive is already factored in the price, right? sure.
"recent strength of dollar" will hurt Apple's exports? give me a break! look at a 2 or 5 year chart of dollar vs Euro.
And I always love "Inside Seller" theories! "What do they know that we don't???" well, lots I'm sure, but if they start buying or selling based on inside information, their entire gain will be eaten up by legal fees and fines, and they will be having tea with Martha!
Hey! Look back at Ron Johnson (Officer), and his direct sale of 470,000 shares in Feb 07 ! He sold at $86 for a cool $40 million !
What did HE know??? I'm not sure, dut I guess he DIDN'T know that AAPL was going to touch $200 last Christmas!
So much for reading into Insider Trading.

Jobs' Health Is a Matter of Public Interest, Whether Apple Likes It or Not

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:15:37 -0400

hmmm...
When Jobs was awarded millions in options and the jet plane, etc, people talked about it as though he was ripping off the shareholders! Remember those days?
Now the SAME voices (often) will tell you how S Jobs is worth 100 Billion of Apple's capitalized value! I guess the shareholders were ripping Steve off, huh?
ALSO! Does anyone know Balmer's resting pulse rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers? Also, is he still on Prozac ? (yes or no)

Steve Jobs: Honesty Is the Best Policy

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:08:40 -0400

So AAPL is down because the Market thinks Steve is sick?
How can you be so sure?
When I buy or sell stocks, I don't recall filling out a questionaire or essay question .
But MSFT bothers me...Does anyone know Balmers resting pulse, blood pressure and if he's on Prozac ?

iPhone Can Replace Laptops for Majority of Computer Users

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:47:05 -0400

It's like this.
Since the iPhone, I use my MacBook half as much, BUT I STILL need the MacBook.
It's a convenience, and can be used quickly where other solutions are cumbersome (boot up laptop, put in cellular data card, connect online to get new emails, versus get email through iphone)
New programs will only make the iPhone MORE useful and convenient.
Also , realize that there is a SAFETY, or vulnerability to the devices.
Desktop iMacs are relatively safe, especially if you back them up.
laptops are a bit more fragile and prone to damage, since they're portable, can be spilled on, or more likely stolen.
So not many people have JUST a laptop, they just use it MORE than the desktop.
Now, the iPhone has MORE vulnerability, as it's carried around all day, can be stolen, or dropped in a URINAL! haha! which probably hasn't happened to many laptops (unless it was on purpose!)
so...WAY too soon to talk about iPhones canabalizing the laptop market.

Apple Will Flourish With or Without Steve Jobs

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:34:02 -0400

What are people ACTUALLY afraid of?
Would a new CEO do these things?
- Return to OS9! Let's see 9.3!
- Return to Power PC chips, so we can't run Windows natively again!
- To heck with USB and Firewire, bring back SCSI !
- Wireless 811 and Bluetooth, since they are invisible, don't give people a perception of value, so we'll discontinue them!
- iPods will change to Parallel Port connection, or optional floppy transfer.
- MacBook Air will have 3 pounds of steel added, to give it "more substance"
-Let's bring back the CRT imacs!

ridiculous, right?
Steve did the "heavy lifting", and this company will grow on autopilot for years!
Besides, aren't people really concerned because he isn't obese like most Americans?

$1.2 Billion in iPhone Apps? Not Likely.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:29:50 -0400

ALSO!!!
When developers make a neat game for an iPhone or Touch, MOST of their work is done to actually bring it to the MAC itself!
What a difference an OS makes!
Of course, I recall all the critics forever harping about how "Gamers" drive the PC world and the success of Windows, etc. Where are those voices on the iPhone now? Won't this kill Symbian and WinCE?

$1.2 Billion in iPhone Apps? Not Likely.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:27:04 -0400

How much? I dunno, but a LOT of apps will fly! Many of the games shown at the WWDC will be $9.99, and likely stay there! That's CHEAP for a game from these companies! And the convenience of downloading it directly or through iTMS just KILLS every other type of game systems software distribution! I HAVE a Wii, and I think you can go online and get games, etc...I just never got around to figuring it out! But I, along with MANY others have figured out how to download BILLIONS of 99 cent songs through iTunes. This will be the same process, NO learning curve. Very little pirating expected too, so developers will see RESULTS instead of wondering what they might have lost this month to pirates!
You have about a month left to criticise the Apps store! Everyone get in now and pick it apart! You'll join the ranks of naysayers who thought iTMS would fail because "people can get all their music free from Napster".