GSlusher

Apple Again Leads Sentiment for Technology, But HP, Amazon and Google Gain Ground

Tom B. wrote : "AMZN is a one-trick pony stock, already well past "nose-bleed" altitudes."

I guess, if you call selling nearly every non-perishable item except cars and major appliances "one-trick." I probably missed your intended meaning, though.

"Win 7 is somewhat less inadequate than Vista ..."

That has to be the best description I've read. I may steal .... er, "borrow" the phrase.

Google, Microsoft and News Corp. Fight While Consumers Stay Anchored to Free Content

The "rewards" idea for newspapers is used by audible.com. If you pay for a year's membership--24 audiobooks for $229.50, you get a complimentary daily audio version of the New York Times or Wall Street Journal. (I had written, "free," but "complimentary" is what audible.com uses and it fits better.)

Why Microsoft's Google-Blocking Plan Won't Work

How is Google "stealing" content? They don't present content, but give links to content. If Fox's subscription system is so weak that non-payers can enter free through Google links, that's not Google's problem but Fox's.

I've not used Fox's subscription service, but plenty of others have presented a login page when linking to paid content.


On Nov 25 12:21 PM c smith wrote:

> You state that GOOG brings value to Murdoch instead of the other
> way around. What about the content which people are willing to pay
> for BEYOND a willingness to consume advertising? This content should
> continue to be paid for, and GOOG is stealing it. When you "link"
> to something that a large number of people already pay for, you don't
> add value, you subtract it. This is why Murdoch's idea has merit

Amazon: A Kindle Under Every Tree?

Three reasons, I would suppose (though I agree with your conclusion):

1. Larger, higher-resolution display, so it shows more of a page.
2. Cell-phone connection to get books, though getting them through Amazon's web site wouldn't be too inconvenient, as long as one has Wifi available.
3. Longer battery life, as the display itself doesn't require power unless you're changing a page.

A quibble: there is no such thing as an "iTouch," despite what some lazy columnists write. Apple sells the "iPod touch." It's like calling a car a Toyrolla.

Edit: as I recall, the Kindle also plays audiobooks.


On Nov 21 08:59 AM mollytjm wrote:

> why would anyone buy the Kindle for that price when they can get
> an iTouch that does the same thing and about a zillion other things?
> And the reading experience is terrific on it. audiobooks are wonderful
> too.
> i think this article must be an ad or something.

What's Wrong with the Gaming Industry?

Are you trying to be funny or are you just ignorant? If the former, you failed, miserably. If the latter, get a dictionary.

On Nov 09 05:04 AM Michael Clark wrote:

> marshal law ---> martial law ---> marital law

Google's Android vs. Apple: History Repeats Itself

Lest someone think I was repeating John-Galt's points, his message was posted while I was writing mine.

Google's Android vs. Apple: History Repeats Itself

Re: Apple's "closed" OS & platform
There's a lot of hype about "open" systems, but, lest we forget, Windows is NOT "open," yet 90+% of computers run it. What happens with some "open" systems can best be demonstrated by the older Palm devices. There was no control, no certification, no checking. The result was that some applications routinely crashed the system. A friend had a Treo (don't know which, but it wasn't a Windows Mobile version). He installed a game and, within a day, the Treo started crashing DURING CALLS--and the game was NOT running. I had a game on my Palm TX that would turn the TX back ON if I turned it off while the game is showing. The TX looks like it turns off, but, 5-10 seconds later, it turns back on. It caused the battery to run down dozens of times before I noticed the behavior. (I keep the TX in a metal case and would shut the case after turning it off.) I contacted Palm, who told me it wasn't their problem. I finally contacted the developer, who told me to go p*ss up a rope. He wasn't supporting the game any more.

That's the beauty of an "open" system: you can get hosed and even pay for the privilege, and no one will accept responsibility.

The Problem with iPhone Killers

Sorry, Tom B, but the Razr was made by Motorola. Palm had nothing to do with it. That rather negates your first paragraph.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

On Oct 27 01:38 PM Tom B wrote:

> I had two friends who had RAZR's; they both hated them. Like Peter
> Lynch, I believe first hand exposure to products can really help
> inform buying decisions. I'm not SURPRISED the Palm RAZR sucked;
> I owned an early Palm and two later iterations.

Not Everyone Likes Windows 7

Not quite so fast. A FEW major upgrades have been unusable on older Macs, but not many. My 2004 iMac G4 (NON-Intel) can use every OS through 10.5, though it initially came with OS 9 & OS 10.3. The same is true for my 2004 12-inch PowerBook G4. My first 15" iMac G3 (2002) could have run through 10.4, though it came with OS 9 & 10.1. Even the very first iMac can run through OS 10.3.9, even though it came with OS *8*. That meant that it could run EVERY Apple OS that came out from the time it was released in 1998 until OS 10.4 came out in 2005--almost 8 years.

OS 10.6 "Snow Leopard" can run on any Intel Mac, which means essentially any sold new since early 2006.

That is quite different from a friend who found that his 1-1/2-year-old laptop couldn't use the "full" version of Vista, but only a crippled version. (Note that Apple doesn't make but ONE version of OS X---not counting the server version.)

On Oct 26 09:12 AM wusseldussel wrote:

> The problem with Mac: when there is a major upgrade of OS you have
> to buy all the hardware new since the new OS does not support the
> old hardware.

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

Microsoft commands only X% of the **OS** market. Apple isn't in the business of selling an OS. It sells hardware AND the OS, plus a bundle of software that IT creates. Sure, Apple sells updates to the OS and software (iLife, etc), but that's probably minor compared to the revenue from hardware sales. As long as the consumer has to buy a Mac to get the Mac OS, Apple's sales will go up and up.

Yes, I realize that MSFT sells more than Windows but guruji referred to the "97%" number. Many copies of WIndows are sold for directly to the PC manufacturers for relatively little (compared to the retail price).


On Oct 23 10:57 PM guruji wrote:

> Get real AAPL cheerleaders. 500$ per share translates to nearly half
> trillion market cap. Nearly one and half times the Microsoft's value
> which is currently commanding 97 percent of the market share.

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

Something to consider: Apple doesn't have to take 30% or 50% market share of PCs. If they take another 9%, they will have doubled their sales, probably more. Given that Macs cost more than generic PCs, that would be a huge increase in revenue and earnings, much more than the revenue lost to HP, Dell, Acer, etc. If, at the same time, Apple doubles sales of the iPhone (a possibility, especially with new markets) and iPod sales continue to shift toward the iPod touch from the Nano (the Classic isn't a great seller)--i.e., toward higher ASP, then Apple's revenue and earnings might almost double.

Apple May Find Itself at Risk in Legacy Core Business

"Strangely enough, they may be much more at risk in their legacy core business of computers and software than anywhere else."

The author provides no evidence whatsoever for that statement. It is ludicrous in the face of rising Mac & Snow Leopard sales. Apple had its best quarter EVER--in the midst of a recession.

Of the current top 10 laptops at Amazon.com, *4* are by Apple--#s 3, 5, 7, & 9. Acer has 3 and HP, Toshiba & Compaq each have one.

Why Android Is Gaining Ground on Apple

One more question for the author and other Android users: can you easily sync and backup all your data--contacts, calendars, etc--to your OWN desktop or laptop--not a Microsoft Exchange server--every day? Does your Android depend upon "cloud" storage of data, like the Sidekick did? (I used the past tense on purpose.) Can you remotely wipe your Android phone if it's lost or stolen, then, if it's found or returned, put everything back as it was in one step?

seekingalpha.com/artic...

Why Android Is Gaining Ground on Apple

A question for the author, if you're using your Android phone on Sprint or Verizon: If you're on a call, can you access the internet or send/receive email at the same time, without quitting the call?

Will Apple Drop Google Search?

How can Apple "drop" Google search when it doesn't "have" it to start with? OS X allows the user to choose just about any search engine one wants. It's easy to set a particular engine (or even a sub-set, like Google France) as the default in Safari or any other OS X browser. (I use Camino.) One can add as many search engines as one wants.