Apple is borrowing at 2.42% (10 yr issuance) and then using the money to buy back shares and retire them, saving 3% dividend. It's like printing free money...
Goldman and Deutsche are "in the lead" to handle an Apple (AAPL +3.6%) debt offering, Bloomberg reports shortly after the company filed an S-3. Apple, which last week promised to return $100B to shareholders by the end of 2015, is said to have asked Goldman/Deutsche "to arrange phone interviews with fixed-income investors today in advance of a potential deal." Much like the Facebook IPO, banks are likely to offer discounted fees to win bragging rights. (institutional interest) [View news story]
Apple must be on the brink of bankruptcy. You read it here first folks!
The SNB holds policy steady with its benchmark rate still at 0-0.25%, and the CHF 1.20 floor for the euro to be enforced "with utmost determination." Pressure has come off the bank's need to defend the floor of late as the EU crisis fades (for now), and Credit Suisse (UBS rumors floating about as well) begins charging negative interest rates on deposits. [View news story]
You haven't given this much thought. People buy Swiss Francs because of the stability/safety. If since 2000 you had your net worth in Euros instead of Swiss Francs, then you'd have lost 25% of your fortune. If you had kept it all in US Dollars instead of Francs, you'd have lost 42% of your net worth. Negative interest rates don't seem too bad in this context, now do they?
Also, the inflation rate is negative in Switzerland right now. So technically, the real interest rate will most likely end up positive anyway.
Interest in purchasing an iTV (AAPL) is more than twice the initial interest in buying an iPhone or iPad, says Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty, with many consumers willing to pay a "meaningful premium." Success of the product, she says, could mean about $50B in revenue upside for Apple. Shares +0.5% premarket. [View news story]
I would love Apple to create an awesome product for my living room. Interacting with my Time Warner cable box is an absolutely miserable experience. However, as an AAPL shareholder my big concern with an iTV is the frequency that consumers will upgrade their device. With iPhones, iPads and iPods, consumers can reasonably upgrade every 1-3 years. However, with a big sticker item like a TV, I don't see them upgrading nearly as frequently. What is the iTV update cycle going to look like?
The iPhone 5 (AAPL) launch has once more made iOS the most popular smartphone platform in the U.S, but Europe is a different story. Kantar ComTech believes the iPhone's U.S. smartphone share for the 12 weeks ending Oct. 28 came in at 48.1% - that's up from the year-ago period's 22.4%, and slightly above Android's (GOOG) 46.7%. But in the EU5, the iPhone's share rose only 90 bps Y/Y to 21.2%, while Android's rose 1300 bps to 63.9%. Windows Phone had 4.7% of the EU5 , and 2.7% of the U.S., ahead of the WP8 launches. (previous) [View news story]
"Europeans are probably not as status driven as many in the rest of the world."
This is far from the truth. Maybe compared to China. But certainty not the US.
Some nuggets from Apple's (AAPL) FY12 10-K: 1) Apple plans to open 30-35 retail stores in FY13, 3/4 of which will be outside the U.S. There are currently 390 Apple Stores worldwide, following the opening of 33 in FY12. 2) FY12 ad expenses totaled $1B, up a bit from FY11's $933M. 3) Apple's FY13 capex budget has been set at $10B. The company spent $8.3B on capex (on a cash basis) in FY12, after initially guiding for $8B. [View news story]
I bet designing a custom CPU doesn't come cheap...
Good hardware only goes so far when its app ecosystem is deficient: that's the common argument found in The Verge's reviews of Nokia's (NOK) flagship Lumia 920 and Google/Samsung's Nexus 10 tablet. The 920's display, design, and (with some qualifications) camera get high marks, and so do the 10's display (considered on par with the iPad), performance, and battery life. But with Windows Phone and (as far as tablets go) Android still badly trailing the competition in terms of app support, neither product gets a resounding endorsement. (WP8 review) (app efforts: I, II) [View news story]
@Dantes_Will: Good point, but in my experience of having both an Android and an iPhone, if an app is available on both platforms then the app is likely (far) superior on the iPhone (Yelp, Bloomberg, Lync, Facebook to name a few examples). The Android platform is too fragment so it makes it hard for developers to deliver a consistent user experience that is enjoyable.
Apple (AAPL) used legal loopholes and its Irish subsidiary to pay just $713M in overseas corporate tax in the year to Sep 30, or a mere 1.9% of its foreign profits of $36.8B, an analysis from the U.K.'s Sunday Times shows. The tax rate is down from 2.5% last year and well below the company tax rates of 35% in the U.S. and 24% in the U.K. In Britain, Apple is estimated to have avoided taxes of over $550M in 2011. [View news story]
If Apple can be taxed at 1.9% overseas, why would they repatriate the cash and take a 15% ding on it?
The iPad Mini (AAPL) is the best small-size tablet available, even if it's far from the cheapest. That's the consensus among reviewers, who frequently praise the device's build quality, thickness/weight, battery life, usefulness as an e-reader, and (of course) app support, as well as technology that rejects accidental touches caused by the Mini's small bezels. The Mini's display (lower resolution than Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD) and smaller keyboard receive a bit of criticism. (reviews: I, II, III, IV, V) (more) [View news story]
Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu does his best to defend Apple (AAPL -0.2%) in the face of its recent selloff. Supply chain checks indicate iPhone 5 demand remains strong and production appears to be improving, though Wu thinks lead times remain fixed at 3-4 weeks. He believes a consensus for 17M-18M FQ4 (Sep. quarter) iPad sales could prove high, but argues there could be upside to FQ1 estimates thanks to the iPad Mini. (Nomura) [View news story]
"Apple love comes from investors, no longer consumers"
Oh....is that why consumers are buying iPhone 5s faster than Apple can manufacture them?
Businesses are unlikely to adopt Windows 8 (MSFT) in large numbers before next summer, says Dell (DELL) CFO Brian Gladden, as they wait for kinks to be ironed out. It's not uncommon for businesses to take a cautious approach to a new OS, but Gladden's remarks carry additional weight in light of Intel CEO Paul Otellini's rumored comments (later called "unsubstantiated" by Intel), and existing worries about poor enterprise Windows 8 adoption. [View news story]
If you can't beat 'em, hire 'em. Apple (AAPL), stung by the flare-up over iOS 6 Maps, is reportedly aggressively recruiting ex-Google Maps (GOOG) employees who helped build up the product's giant data libraries. Meanwhile, a Google product manager tells TechCrunch the company relies on 1,300 data sources to make Google Maps, and integrates them all using a proprietary system called Atlas. [View news story]
Why are you so certain Apple had the choice to keep Google Maps in iOS 6?
Samsung (SSNLF.PK) expects to announce the Galaxy S IV in February and begin selling it soon afterwards, a company exec tells the Korea Times. That would translate into just a 9-month lag from the time the very popular Galaxy S III arrived - Apple, on the other hand, seems intent on maintaining its once-a-year timetable for new models. The S IV will reportedly feature a ~5" display and (like the international S III) use a Samsung Exynos app processor. Major Samsung suppliers include PANL, MXIM, BRCM, and SWKS. [View news story]
Apple leads the whole smart phone industry. It would be a very bad strategy to disrupt their release schedule (that they've had in place since the original iPhone) to "follow" Samsung.
Apple's A6 Is A Custom Design: What Does This Mean For Investors? [View article]
I don't see how iCloud has anything to do with this? iCloud is just a way of storing data files. It has nothing to do with running machine executable code.
The Mac App store would make the switch easy for end-users because apps would seamlessly update to the new version. But it would be a HUGE pain the the ass for all developers to have to re-write their apps from an x86 ISA to ARM ISA.
Epix isn't done signing streaming deals ... at least it hopes. The movie channel, co-owned by Viacom (VIA, VIAB), Lions Gate (LGF), and MGM, says it's talking with several companies, including Apple (previous), Google, and Hulu, about licensing its library. News of Epix's deal with Amazon did a number on former exclusive partner Netflix (NFLX -6.4%) today. [View news story]
"Never try and catch a falling knife. Wait for it to hit the ground then pick it up."
Shame On You, Apple [View article]
Goldman and Deutsche are "in the lead" to handle an Apple (AAPL +3.6%) debt offering, Bloomberg reports shortly after the company filed an S-3. Apple, which last week promised to return $100B to shareholders by the end of 2015, is said to have asked Goldman/Deutsche "to arrange phone interviews with fixed-income investors today in advance of a potential deal." Much like the Facebook IPO, banks are likely to offer discounted fees to win bragging rights. (institutional interest) [View news story]
The SNB holds policy steady with its benchmark rate still at 0-0.25%, and the CHF 1.20 floor for the euro to be enforced "with utmost determination." Pressure has come off the bank's need to defend the floor of late as the EU crisis fades (for now), and Credit Suisse (UBS rumors floating about as well) begins charging negative interest rates on deposits. [View news story]
Also, the inflation rate is negative in Switzerland right now. So technically, the real interest rate will most likely end up positive anyway.
Interest in purchasing an iTV (AAPL) is more than twice the initial interest in buying an iPhone or iPad, says Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty, with many consumers willing to pay a "meaningful premium." Success of the product, she says, could mean about $50B in revenue upside for Apple. Shares +0.5% premarket. [View news story]
The iPhone 5 (AAPL) launch has once more made iOS the most popular smartphone platform in the U.S, but Europe is a different story. Kantar ComTech believes the iPhone's U.S. smartphone share for the 12 weeks ending Oct. 28 came in at 48.1% - that's up from the year-ago period's 22.4%, and slightly above Android's (GOOG) 46.7%. But in the EU5, the iPhone's share rose only 90 bps Y/Y to 21.2%, while Android's rose 1300 bps to 63.9%. Windows Phone had 4.7% of the EU5 , and 2.7% of the U.S., ahead of the WP8 launches. (previous) [View news story]
This is far from the truth. Maybe compared to China. But certainty not the US.
Some nuggets from Apple's (AAPL) FY12 10-K: 1) Apple plans to open 30-35 retail stores in FY13, 3/4 of which will be outside the U.S. There are currently 390 Apple Stores worldwide, following the opening of 33 in FY12. 2) FY12 ad expenses totaled $1B, up a bit from FY11's $933M. 3) Apple's FY13 capex budget has been set at $10B. The company spent $8.3B on capex (on a cash basis) in FY12, after initially guiding for $8B. [View news story]
Good hardware only goes so far when its app ecosystem is deficient: that's the common argument found in The Verge's reviews of Nokia's (NOK) flagship Lumia 920 and Google/Samsung's Nexus 10 tablet. The 920's display, design, and (with some qualifications) camera get high marks, and so do the 10's display (considered on par with the iPad), performance, and battery life. But with Windows Phone and (as far as tablets go) Android still badly trailing the competition in terms of app support, neither product gets a resounding endorsement. (WP8 review) (app efforts: I, II) [View news story]
Good point, but in my experience of having both an Android and an iPhone, if an app is available on both platforms then the app is likely (far) superior on the iPhone (Yelp, Bloomberg, Lync, Facebook to name a few examples). The Android platform is too fragment so it makes it hard for developers to deliver a consistent user experience that is enjoyable.
Apple (AAPL) used legal loopholes and its Irish subsidiary to pay just $713M in overseas corporate tax in the year to Sep 30, or a mere 1.9% of its foreign profits of $36.8B, an analysis from the U.K.'s Sunday Times shows. The tax rate is down from 2.5% last year and well below the company tax rates of 35% in the U.S. and 24% in the U.K. In Britain, Apple is estimated to have avoided taxes of over $550M in 2011. [View news story]
The iPad Mini (AAPL) is the best small-size tablet available, even if it's far from the cheapest. That's the consensus among reviewers, who frequently praise the device's build quality, thickness/weight, battery life, usefulness as an e-reader, and (of course) app support, as well as technology that rejects accidental touches caused by the Mini's small bezels. The Mini's display (lower resolution than Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD) and smaller keyboard receive a bit of criticism. (reviews: I, II, III, IV, V) (more) [View news story]
Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu does his best to defend Apple (AAPL -0.2%) in the face of its recent selloff. Supply chain checks indicate iPhone 5 demand remains strong and production appears to be improving, though Wu thinks lead times remain fixed at 3-4 weeks. He believes a consensus for 17M-18M FQ4 (Sep. quarter) iPad sales could prove high, but argues there could be upside to FQ1 estimates thanks to the iPad Mini. (Nomura) [View news story]
Oh....is that why consumers are buying iPhone 5s faster than Apple can manufacture them?
Businesses are unlikely to adopt Windows 8 (MSFT) in large numbers before next summer, says Dell (DELL) CFO Brian Gladden, as they wait for kinks to be ironed out. It's not uncommon for businesses to take a cautious approach to a new OS, but Gladden's remarks carry additional weight in light of Intel CEO Paul Otellini's rumored comments (later called "unsubstantiated" by Intel), and existing worries about poor enterprise Windows 8 adoption. [View news story]
If you can't beat 'em, hire 'em. Apple (AAPL), stung by the flare-up over iOS 6 Maps, is reportedly aggressively recruiting ex-Google Maps (GOOG) employees who helped build up the product's giant data libraries. Meanwhile, a Google product manager tells TechCrunch the company relies on 1,300 data sources to make Google Maps, and integrates them all using a proprietary system called Atlas. [View news story]
Samsung (SSNLF.PK) expects to announce the Galaxy S IV in February and begin selling it soon afterwards, a company exec tells the Korea Times. That would translate into just a 9-month lag from the time the very popular Galaxy S III arrived - Apple, on the other hand, seems intent on maintaining its once-a-year timetable for new models. The S IV will reportedly feature a ~5" display and (like the international S III) use a Samsung Exynos app processor. Major Samsung suppliers include PANL, MXIM, BRCM, and SWKS. [View news story]
Apple's A6 Is A Custom Design: What Does This Mean For Investors? [View article]
The Mac App store would make the switch easy for end-users because apps would seamlessly update to the new version. But it would be a HUGE pain the the ass for all developers to have to re-write their apps from an x86 ISA to ARM ISA.
Epix isn't done signing streaming deals ... at least it hopes. The movie channel, co-owned by Viacom (VIA, VIAB), Lions Gate (LGF), and MGM, says it's talking with several companies, including Apple (previous), Google, and Hulu, about licensing its library. News of Epix's deal with Amazon did a number on former exclusive partner Netflix (NFLX -6.4%) today. [View news story]