Papa San's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/user/2361801/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/1384801/comments?source=feed#comment-18835841 18835841
"Apple shares are worth $240 -- David Trainer"

http://on.mktw.net/12a...

The first paragraph says:

Quote:

David Trainer, president of New Constructs, a Nashville-based research firm, says that Apple Inc.’s level of profitability is not sustainable, and that the company’s return on invested capital suggests that the price of the stock should be somewhere around $240. That would be nearly a 50% decline from current levels.

Unquote:

There you go. Some thoughtful evaluations from an industry expert. Apple fan-boys and fan-girls will definitely not appreciate this information. As far as I am concerned, everything that goes up must come down. It's just the laws of Physics, nothing else. Apple is no exception, Steve Jobs or no Steve Jobs. He is not God!

By the way, when I said I passed by many "empty" Apple retail stores they were all overseas in major cities all over Asia and other regions. Apple may still be "selling like hotcakes" in America because American consumers have this stupid idea of always trying to keep up with the Joneses. Consumers in other countries are a lot more practical and value-oriented. If similar products that are just as good or better are available why bother even looking at Apple iToys? I personally have never considered any Apple product as other than hyper-overpriced toys and fad items.

Amen!]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 00:14:46 -0400
"Apple shares are worth $240 -- David Trainer"

http://on.mktw.net/12a...

The first paragraph says:

Quote:

David Trainer, president of New Constructs, a Nashville-based research firm, says that Apple Inc.’s level of profitability is not sustainable, and that the company’s return on invested capital suggests that the price of the stock should be somewhere around $240. That would be nearly a 50% decline from current levels.

Unquote:

There you go. Some thoughtful evaluations from an industry expert. Apple fan-boys and fan-girls will definitely not appreciate this information. As far as I am concerned, everything that goes up must come down. It's just the laws of Physics, nothing else. Apple is no exception, Steve Jobs or no Steve Jobs. He is not God!

By the way, when I said I passed by many "empty" Apple retail stores they were all overseas in major cities all over Asia and other regions. Apple may still be "selling like hotcakes" in America because American consumers have this stupid idea of always trying to keep up with the Joneses. Consumers in other countries are a lot more practical and value-oriented. If similar products that are just as good or better are available why bother even looking at Apple iToys? I personally have never considered any Apple product as other than hyper-overpriced toys and fad items.

Amen!]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1384801/comments?source=feed#comment-18317821 18317821 Wed, 01 May 2013 12:16:40 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/1359871/comments?source=feed#comment-18210651 18210651
When a pig offered itself to be butchered to make ham and other delicacies for the farmer, the pig is described as being "involved". It gave up it's life for the benefit of the farmer.

From someone who has been both involved with and committed to CAT for over 30 years, let me share some insights with all Seeking Alpha readers who are interested in investing in the company.

CAT is a great company. It is conservatively managed and usually well-managed but sometimes slip-ups and unexpected situations do happen. CAT shares as an investment vehicle is usually reliable in terms of dividend payments, but capital gains is a different story. Unfortunately, CAT is involved in markets that are very cyclical in nature and subject to the vagaries of the marketplace.

By all means put some of your hard-earned money in CAT shares if you can and wish, but do pay attention to both macro and micro economic outlook. The price of CAT shares moves up and down in cycles and in tandem with economic gyrations. In order to maximize your total returns when investing in CAT shares (as with all other stocks) pay attention to it's share price actions. Do not fall in love with the stock. Use technical and fundamental analyses to help you make buy and sell decisions.

Learn how to read and interpret stock charts. By all means use minute, hourly, daily, weekly and even monthly charts to help you get a better perspective of market activities and trends. Different charts are useful for different trading and investment styles and approaches.

Buy and hold is dead for a long time. Mutual fund managers always want unit holders to adopt the buy-hold-hold approach for selfish reasons. They do not want unit holders to use their funds to time the markets and create a lot of volatility for the funds, maing it difficult for them to manage. They like to spend most of their time in the mountains or seasides and enjoy life rather than stare at the computer monitors on their office desks.

Unfortunately, this is not in the best interest of the unit holders. If anyone has just ordinary levels of intelligence and the time and interest to manage his or her own investments, they can do it a lot more intelligently and profitably than invest in mutual funds. But before doing that he or she should definitely attend some good quality courses and seminars to gain the knowledge to invest rationally and intelligently.

If I can do it so can you. Good luck.]]> Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:10:39 -0400
When a pig offered itself to be butchered to make ham and other delicacies for the farmer, the pig is described as being "involved". It gave up it's life for the benefit of the farmer.

From someone who has been both involved with and committed to CAT for over 30 years, let me share some insights with all Seeking Alpha readers who are interested in investing in the company.

CAT is a great company. It is conservatively managed and usually well-managed but sometimes slip-ups and unexpected situations do happen. CAT shares as an investment vehicle is usually reliable in terms of dividend payments, but capital gains is a different story. Unfortunately, CAT is involved in markets that are very cyclical in nature and subject to the vagaries of the marketplace.

By all means put some of your hard-earned money in CAT shares if you can and wish, but do pay attention to both macro and micro economic outlook. The price of CAT shares moves up and down in cycles and in tandem with economic gyrations. In order to maximize your total returns when investing in CAT shares (as with all other stocks) pay attention to it's share price actions. Do not fall in love with the stock. Use technical and fundamental analyses to help you make buy and sell decisions.

Learn how to read and interpret stock charts. By all means use minute, hourly, daily, weekly and even monthly charts to help you get a better perspective of market activities and trends. Different charts are useful for different trading and investment styles and approaches.

Buy and hold is dead for a long time. Mutual fund managers always want unit holders to adopt the buy-hold-hold approach for selfish reasons. They do not want unit holders to use their funds to time the markets and create a lot of volatility for the funds, maing it difficult for them to manage. They like to spend most of their time in the mountains or seasides and enjoy life rather than stare at the computer monitors on their office desks.

Unfortunately, this is not in the best interest of the unit holders. If anyone has just ordinary levels of intelligence and the time and interest to manage his or her own investments, they can do it a lot more intelligently and profitably than invest in mutual funds. But before doing that he or she should definitely attend some good quality courses and seminars to gain the knowledge to invest rationally and intelligently.

If I can do it so can you. Good luck.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1365241/comments?source=feed#comment-18114921 18114921
You have to recognize that Apple may still be "king of the heap" in America but it certainly is not in other parts of the world, and it's position in America will erode over time as long as it maintains its stiff neck and arrogant attitudes, with products that are driven by fad more than anything else.

I will be visiting several cities in China this coming June to July for meetings and market evaluations, and from what I heard Apple products are not faring well over there, despite all the market hypes.

With the U.S. government actively discriminating against Chinese companies like Huawei and others, the same fate will fall on Apple and other American products in China, king or no king. Perhaps not orchestrated by the PRC Government, but the consumers in China have their own eyes and ears, and the Internet as well. That is just natural. Who says people have to follow every wish of the corrupt powers-to-be in Washington, D.C.?

Too big to fail, anyone? Who cares about iOS when BB and Android devices are far more superior and practical in every respect.]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:05:55 -0400
You have to recognize that Apple may still be "king of the heap" in America but it certainly is not in other parts of the world, and it's position in America will erode over time as long as it maintains its stiff neck and arrogant attitudes, with products that are driven by fad more than anything else.

I will be visiting several cities in China this coming June to July for meetings and market evaluations, and from what I heard Apple products are not faring well over there, despite all the market hypes.

With the U.S. government actively discriminating against Chinese companies like Huawei and others, the same fate will fall on Apple and other American products in China, king or no king. Perhaps not orchestrated by the PRC Government, but the consumers in China have their own eyes and ears, and the Internet as well. That is just natural. Who says people have to follow every wish of the corrupt powers-to-be in Washington, D.C.?

Too big to fail, anyone? Who cares about iOS when BB and Android devices are far more superior and practical in every respect.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1365241/comments?source=feed#comment-18080481 18080481
Let's face it, all of these products are made by Taiwanese companies operating factories in China using more or less the same or even identical parts and components. Apple is just a fab-less "shell company" like many other "computer companies" in North America whose products are made by others but branded with their trademarks. And they call that INNOVATION! What a farce!

The BlackBerry is the exception but it offers much better security features and is powered by a much better software to boot. I do not need tons of stupid and ridiculous apps like Angry Birds, etc., only those that I need to run my businesses efficiently and profitably. And I refuse to be held captive by any company that produce gadgets that I buy and use. So, buying Apple products is entirely out of the question.

Actually, I do not blame the businesses who LEGALLY avoid paying taxes. The practice may be LEGAL but I believe it is IMMORAL. It is the corrupt officials in Washington, D.C. who should be castrated for passing stupid laws with so many loopholes it makes the U.S. corporate taxation system such a sham and the laughing stock of the world. Just make those loopholes illegal and see what happens.]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:26:53 -0400
Let's face it, all of these products are made by Taiwanese companies operating factories in China using more or less the same or even identical parts and components. Apple is just a fab-less "shell company" like many other "computer companies" in North America whose products are made by others but branded with their trademarks. And they call that INNOVATION! What a farce!

The BlackBerry is the exception but it offers much better security features and is powered by a much better software to boot. I do not need tons of stupid and ridiculous apps like Angry Birds, etc., only those that I need to run my businesses efficiently and profitably. And I refuse to be held captive by any company that produce gadgets that I buy and use. So, buying Apple products is entirely out of the question.

Actually, I do not blame the businesses who LEGALLY avoid paying taxes. The practice may be LEGAL but I believe it is IMMORAL. It is the corrupt officials in Washington, D.C. who should be castrated for passing stupid laws with so many loopholes it makes the U.S. corporate taxation system such a sham and the laughing stock of the world. Just make those loopholes illegal and see what happens.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1365241/comments?source=feed#comment-18076831 18076831 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:17:00 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/1281581/comments?source=feed#comment-18036301 18036301
CAT, Cummins, Weichai, and other established engine manufacturers around the world will make money on the engines they sell whether it is WPRT or another supplier that provides the natural gas fuel injection pumps and related components for those engines. Remember, these established engine manufacturers already produce their own CNG gas engine fuel systems for their engines. They have not developed their own LNG gas engine fuel systems developed for their engines for a good reason. There is no market for LNG gas engines because of difficulties in developing a reliable way of carrying super-cold LNG gas tanks and keeping the temperature low enough over long distances, let alone the lack of an adequate refueling facilities network nationwide.

WPRT's business volume after so many years pales even in comparison with the business turnover of many CAT and Cummins dealers and distributors, and most of these are very profitable and privately owned unlisted companies. WPRT's business activities can easily be undertaken by any of the larger CAT and Cummins dealers and distributors if they wanted to get into that business. The only reason why they will not is because of the lack of profitability.

For the life of me I cannot understand why any investor would want to put their money in the super-hyped and way over-priced WPRT stocks in both the U.S.A. and Canada. There are a lot of other, more stable, profitable and better-managed companies to invest in the world.]]> Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:44:08 -0400
CAT, Cummins, Weichai, and other established engine manufacturers around the world will make money on the engines they sell whether it is WPRT or another supplier that provides the natural gas fuel injection pumps and related components for those engines. Remember, these established engine manufacturers already produce their own CNG gas engine fuel systems for their engines. They have not developed their own LNG gas engine fuel systems developed for their engines for a good reason. There is no market for LNG gas engines because of difficulties in developing a reliable way of carrying super-cold LNG gas tanks and keeping the temperature low enough over long distances, let alone the lack of an adequate refueling facilities network nationwide.

WPRT's business volume after so many years pales even in comparison with the business turnover of many CAT and Cummins dealers and distributors, and most of these are very profitable and privately owned unlisted companies. WPRT's business activities can easily be undertaken by any of the larger CAT and Cummins dealers and distributors if they wanted to get into that business. The only reason why they will not is because of the lack of profitability.

For the life of me I cannot understand why any investor would want to put their money in the super-hyped and way over-priced WPRT stocks in both the U.S.A. and Canada. There are a lot of other, more stable, profitable and better-managed companies to invest in the world.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1365241/comments?source=feed#comment-18034211 18034211
The practice of share buy-backs to me is the dumbest form of sharing profits with shareholders, especially when you consider the amount of "free shares" that are being awarded to officers and employees of the companies. These type of shenanigans must stop.

Let me make it clear here once and for all. It is the shareholders who are taking the risks investing their hard-earned money in the company, not the employees. Any and all profits should therefore accrue to the shareholders on a pro-rata basis. Employees work for the company and are paid for their services and time. It is as simple as that.

Employees are entitled to decent levels of pay for the services that they render for the company. Some cash bonuses may be awarded to them for exemplary services rendered over and beyond what would have been normally expected of them. But the levels of pay being awarded to officers in U.S. companies are getting beyond ridiculous, they are obscene!

In my own companies I make it a policy of rewarding shareholders for the risks that they took in investing in the company on a monthly basis with regular dividend distributions. Employees are also rewarded adequately through their regular pay plus performance-linked and year-end bonuses, but if they are not shareholders they are not entitled to any dividends or share/stock awards.

Lastly, I despise Apple and other companies that evade paying taxes by hiding profits overseas thus depriving the U.S. government of their rightful tax revenues and Americans the employment opportunities that would have been created if those funds were put to good use in the U.S. economy. For this reason and for the fact that Apple overcharges consumers for their products and services I have never owned any Apple products and never will.]]> Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:56:31 -0400
The practice of share buy-backs to me is the dumbest form of sharing profits with shareholders, especially when you consider the amount of "free shares" that are being awarded to officers and employees of the companies. These type of shenanigans must stop.

Let me make it clear here once and for all. It is the shareholders who are taking the risks investing their hard-earned money in the company, not the employees. Any and all profits should therefore accrue to the shareholders on a pro-rata basis. Employees work for the company and are paid for their services and time. It is as simple as that.

Employees are entitled to decent levels of pay for the services that they render for the company. Some cash bonuses may be awarded to them for exemplary services rendered over and beyond what would have been normally expected of them. But the levels of pay being awarded to officers in U.S. companies are getting beyond ridiculous, they are obscene!

In my own companies I make it a policy of rewarding shareholders for the risks that they took in investing in the company on a monthly basis with regular dividend distributions. Employees are also rewarded adequately through their regular pay plus performance-linked and year-end bonuses, but if they are not shareholders they are not entitled to any dividends or share/stock awards.

Lastly, I despise Apple and other companies that evade paying taxes by hiding profits overseas thus depriving the U.S. government of their rightful tax revenues and Americans the employment opportunities that would have been created if those funds were put to good use in the U.S. economy. For this reason and for the fact that Apple overcharges consumers for their products and services I have never owned any Apple products and never will.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1359871/comments?source=feed#comment-17965641 17965641
Looking at the long-term, however, one can observe the stock price moves with the ups and downs of the general economic picture of it's major markets and those of the different industries that it serves. Unless one believes that the mining, energy and construction industries are all going to be moving up in short order, I believe investors will be better served by betting their money short-term on other higher momentum driven stocks with good fundamentals to make short-term gains while keeping an eye on CAT.

Eventually, when the signs are confirmed that the major industries that the company serves are moving up then it will be the time to consider investing in CAT once again. Yes, I agree that CAT is one of the more consistently, conservatively better-managed companies in America, and CAT can serve as a long-term, anchor stock in any portfolio. However, I also believe that the concept of "buy and hold" died a long time ago and it is better to look at other techniques to better manage the return on investment of our portfolios.]]> Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:47:35 -0400
Looking at the long-term, however, one can observe the stock price moves with the ups and downs of the general economic picture of it's major markets and those of the different industries that it serves. Unless one believes that the mining, energy and construction industries are all going to be moving up in short order, I believe investors will be better served by betting their money short-term on other higher momentum driven stocks with good fundamentals to make short-term gains while keeping an eye on CAT.

Eventually, when the signs are confirmed that the major industries that the company serves are moving up then it will be the time to consider investing in CAT once again. Yes, I agree that CAT is one of the more consistently, conservatively better-managed companies in America, and CAT can serve as a long-term, anchor stock in any portfolio. However, I also believe that the concept of "buy and hold" died a long time ago and it is better to look at other techniques to better manage the return on investment of our portfolios.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1336181/comments?source=feed#comment-17529191 17529191
The markets will be very volatile and will continue that way because the monetary pirate gangs head by a certain Captain Bernanke continues to create counterfeit Mickey Mouse money from thin air and pump them into the markets to support their masters the bankster gangsters.]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:08:36 -0400
The markets will be very volatile and will continue that way because the monetary pirate gangs head by a certain Captain Bernanke continues to create counterfeit Mickey Mouse money from thin air and pump them into the markets to support their masters the bankster gangsters.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-17404031 17404031
The trend is your friend. Move into something else and make some money. Return to Apple when the trend changes decisively. Buy-and-hold is dead and has been dead along time ago. The stock markets change and turn on a dime these days, and whether you are smart and flexible or not will determine whether you make or lost money in the markets. As for me, I either take profits or cut my losses early on and move on.

These are my 2 cents for today.]]> Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:50:56 -0400
The trend is your friend. Move into something else and make some money. Return to Apple when the trend changes decisively. Buy-and-hold is dead and has been dead along time ago. The stock markets change and turn on a dime these days, and whether you are smart and flexible or not will determine whether you make or lost money in the markets. As for me, I either take profits or cut my losses early on and move on.

These are my 2 cents for today.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1328971/comments?source=feed#comment-17403401 17403401 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:38:07 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/1285701/comments?source=feed#comment-16534411 16534411
I fail to understand this stupid foolishness of admiring companies that are so stingy when it comes to rewarding the actual owners of the enterprise while lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars each year in bonus awards and stock options to their senior management. There ought to be a law forbidding this greediness. These people are not the owners of the company. They are also employees just like everybody else and are not entitled to outsized compensation packages. They are already paid very well based o their regular pay packages, and if they do a good job they get to keep their jobs. Period!]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 06:44:18 -0400
I fail to understand this stupid foolishness of admiring companies that are so stingy when it comes to rewarding the actual owners of the enterprise while lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars each year in bonus awards and stock options to their senior management. There ought to be a law forbidding this greediness. These people are not the owners of the company. They are also employees just like everybody else and are not entitled to outsized compensation packages. They are already paid very well based o their regular pay packages, and if they do a good job they get to keep their jobs. Period!]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-16531011 16531011 http://www.tabletpc2.com for the most recent updates on mobile PC news.

According to TechRadar UK, Samsung beat Apple in 2012 PC, tablet and smartphone sales. In a report published on Thursday, the firm found that Samsung gained 20.8 percent of sales from those devices in 2012 - up from 12.3 percent the year before. Apple, by contrast, went from 16.3 percent in 2011 to 18.2 percent in 2012. These results speak for themselves and action is always louder than words.

Apple and Apple fanboys and fangirls need to eat humble pies for a change. Apple is no longer king of the iToys and iGadgets world because they have been replaced by Samsung's sToys and sGadgets, from whom (and others like Sony, Motorola, etc. as well) they have stolen designs and technologies to develop their own toys and gadgets, but then they turned around and sue Samsung everywhere and lost their litigations except in the U.S. mainly as a result of hometown decisions by a bunch of ill-informed and technologically unqualified jury members. Even that decision is now being slowly but surely overturned in light of new evidence and disqualified or failed Apple patent claims.

Where once Apple reigned, Samsung now sits supreme. The Korean company surpassed Apple in 2012 to grasp the largest portion of the "smart connected device" market that any single company held, according to marketing research firm IDC. That market includes desktop and portable PCs, tablets, and smartphones. So, little David Apple thinks he can slay Goliath Samsung that easily, eh? Perhaps under the flawed American "justice system" (as if there was ever such a thing) but not under the scrutiny of the international legal community.

I will not be surprised if the price of over-hyped and highly-inflated Apple shares continue to slide to the downside in the foreseeable future, but only time will tell. I am confident that Samsung will stay ahead given their massive research and development capabilities and budget in a wide variety of products and my personal knowledge of the skills and dedication of Samsung's officers and employees through decades of business dealings with them as a trusted supplier of high-tech American engineering products.]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:51:24 -0400 http://www.tabletpc2.com for the most recent updates on mobile PC news.

According to TechRadar UK, Samsung beat Apple in 2012 PC, tablet and smartphone sales. In a report published on Thursday, the firm found that Samsung gained 20.8 percent of sales from those devices in 2012 - up from 12.3 percent the year before. Apple, by contrast, went from 16.3 percent in 2011 to 18.2 percent in 2012. These results speak for themselves and action is always louder than words.

Apple and Apple fanboys and fangirls need to eat humble pies for a change. Apple is no longer king of the iToys and iGadgets world because they have been replaced by Samsung's sToys and sGadgets, from whom (and others like Sony, Motorola, etc. as well) they have stolen designs and technologies to develop their own toys and gadgets, but then they turned around and sue Samsung everywhere and lost their litigations except in the U.S. mainly as a result of hometown decisions by a bunch of ill-informed and technologically unqualified jury members. Even that decision is now being slowly but surely overturned in light of new evidence and disqualified or failed Apple patent claims.

Where once Apple reigned, Samsung now sits supreme. The Korean company surpassed Apple in 2012 to grasp the largest portion of the "smart connected device" market that any single company held, according to marketing research firm IDC. That market includes desktop and portable PCs, tablets, and smartphones. So, little David Apple thinks he can slay Goliath Samsung that easily, eh? Perhaps under the flawed American "justice system" (as if there was ever such a thing) but not under the scrutiny of the international legal community.

I will not be surprised if the price of over-hyped and highly-inflated Apple shares continue to slide to the downside in the foreseeable future, but only time will tell. I am confident that Samsung will stay ahead given their massive research and development capabilities and budget in a wide variety of products and my personal knowledge of the skills and dedication of Samsung's officers and employees through decades of business dealings with them as a trusted supplier of high-tech American engineering products.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-16426001 16426001
Thank you for your response. I have friends and acquaintances who are Dutch and they are all very realistic and down-to-earth individuals. If you truly believe Apple to be among the best run and managed companies in the world then by all means buy their shares. To many people Apple products represent so much allure and admiration. That's okay because to each his own.

As for me, I never like to be a captive customer for any company and it's products. I prefer to be able to use my best judgments in picking, choosing and buying products that will truly serve my needs at the best possible price, and to be able to obtain software from many different sources and not just from the vendor of the product that I just bought.

And the way I look at it Apple products will never satisfy my needs because they are always way over-priced for the features and functions set that they offer when compared to their competition. Besides, I detest the minimalist design philosophy of Apple products. I like to be able to see and hold and feel products with controls for their features and functions easily available within sight and reach and in a design that pleases my sense of aesthetics in particular, not the vendor's designers' or the average man's in the street.

In this regard I firmly believe Samsung products are much more attractive and desirable than Apple's for the same product category if one is to compare them, although I seldom use Samsung products. Samsung and the other vendors use either Windows or Android O.S. which are both "open environment" O.S. which I consider to be much more superior to Apple's "closed environment" O.S. because the presence of open competition fosters faster and more efficient improvements over time.

Thank you again for your response. Go ahead and buy Apple's shares if they represent good value to you at their current price levels. As for me I prefer to buy stocks of companies that are well-managed with consistent high dividend payouts year after year and whose stock price is temporarily under-valued and do not have any "hype elements" built into them.]]> Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:35:00 -0400
Thank you for your response. I have friends and acquaintances who are Dutch and they are all very realistic and down-to-earth individuals. If you truly believe Apple to be among the best run and managed companies in the world then by all means buy their shares. To many people Apple products represent so much allure and admiration. That's okay because to each his own.

As for me, I never like to be a captive customer for any company and it's products. I prefer to be able to use my best judgments in picking, choosing and buying products that will truly serve my needs at the best possible price, and to be able to obtain software from many different sources and not just from the vendor of the product that I just bought.

And the way I look at it Apple products will never satisfy my needs because they are always way over-priced for the features and functions set that they offer when compared to their competition. Besides, I detest the minimalist design philosophy of Apple products. I like to be able to see and hold and feel products with controls for their features and functions easily available within sight and reach and in a design that pleases my sense of aesthetics in particular, not the vendor's designers' or the average man's in the street.

In this regard I firmly believe Samsung products are much more attractive and desirable than Apple's for the same product category if one is to compare them, although I seldom use Samsung products. Samsung and the other vendors use either Windows or Android O.S. which are both "open environment" O.S. which I consider to be much more superior to Apple's "closed environment" O.S. because the presence of open competition fosters faster and more efficient improvements over time.

Thank you again for your response. Go ahead and buy Apple's shares if they represent good value to you at their current price levels. As for me I prefer to buy stocks of companies that are well-managed with consistent high dividend payouts year after year and whose stock price is temporarily under-valued and do not have any "hype elements" built into them.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-16396601 16396601
Please elaborate on your statements " . . . as far as your comment on calling Apple products i-Toys and I-Gadgets, you are nuts. I have never known a company which has brought so much joy and improvement in simple quality of life at an affordable price as Apple. As far as the future of this company goes, you have no clue as to what is possible for them, in health, in education, in transport, in defense and so on . . ."

I am all eyes and ears. I may be a nut, but I am not aware of anything that Apple products can do which other company's products cannot do, and at lower costs as well. Yes, please enlighten us all here on what is so "special" about Apple.

I have 2 desktop and 7 laptop computers at home all in use by members of my family every day of the year. I bet you that there is absolutely nothing in this world that Apple computers and tablets and smartphones can do that my non-Apple personal computers and non-Apple smartphones and non-Apple tablets at home cannot do, unless you are talking about tap dancing!

Sometimes it's nice to be a nut, specially one who has 2 advanced engineering degrees, done business all over the world, retired from a top management position in a well-respected and successful multi-national company and who continues to be very successful in his investments, investing in non-Apple stocks using non-Apple personal computers and smartphones and tablets! Let's see who has the last laugh.

And please tell me what's so great about a company like Apple that makes all the money in the world (and stash them in some tax haven so they do not have to pay full American taxes) by selling their low-cost products at very high retail prices to silly and mindless Apple fanboys and fangirls while starving their suppliers and contract manufacturers in China, Taiwan, Korea and elsewhere by constantly pushing them to lower their costs and prices?

Let's see if Apple pays full American costs for their products by building their own fabs and assembly plants in America and by employing American workers, would they still be able to make such huge profit margins? Would they even be able to survive with their relatively narrow-range of mediocre, copy-cat and minimalist products without manipulating their suppliers and their customers' perception of their products and without suing their competitors to oblivion left and right?

Some people say Apple is an innovative company, but then when one opens up and disassemble their products one will find that they use mostly off-the-shelf standard parts and components that are manufactured and supplied by OEMs who also serve other tech manufacturers (Apple's competitors) of similar products as well with identical or similar parts and components. I do not call that innovation. Not at all.]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 10:48:32 -0400
Please elaborate on your statements " . . . as far as your comment on calling Apple products i-Toys and I-Gadgets, you are nuts. I have never known a company which has brought so much joy and improvement in simple quality of life at an affordable price as Apple. As far as the future of this company goes, you have no clue as to what is possible for them, in health, in education, in transport, in defense and so on . . ."

I am all eyes and ears. I may be a nut, but I am not aware of anything that Apple products can do which other company's products cannot do, and at lower costs as well. Yes, please enlighten us all here on what is so "special" about Apple.

I have 2 desktop and 7 laptop computers at home all in use by members of my family every day of the year. I bet you that there is absolutely nothing in this world that Apple computers and tablets and smartphones can do that my non-Apple personal computers and non-Apple smartphones and non-Apple tablets at home cannot do, unless you are talking about tap dancing!

Sometimes it's nice to be a nut, specially one who has 2 advanced engineering degrees, done business all over the world, retired from a top management position in a well-respected and successful multi-national company and who continues to be very successful in his investments, investing in non-Apple stocks using non-Apple personal computers and smartphones and tablets! Let's see who has the last laugh.

And please tell me what's so great about a company like Apple that makes all the money in the world (and stash them in some tax haven so they do not have to pay full American taxes) by selling their low-cost products at very high retail prices to silly and mindless Apple fanboys and fangirls while starving their suppliers and contract manufacturers in China, Taiwan, Korea and elsewhere by constantly pushing them to lower their costs and prices?

Let's see if Apple pays full American costs for their products by building their own fabs and assembly plants in America and by employing American workers, would they still be able to make such huge profit margins? Would they even be able to survive with their relatively narrow-range of mediocre, copy-cat and minimalist products without manipulating their suppliers and their customers' perception of their products and without suing their competitors to oblivion left and right?

Some people say Apple is an innovative company, but then when one opens up and disassemble their products one will find that they use mostly off-the-shelf standard parts and components that are manufactured and supplied by OEMs who also serve other tech manufacturers (Apple's competitors) of similar products as well with identical or similar parts and components. I do not call that innovation. Not at all.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-16389051 16389051
Sorry about your feeling insulted. I am not being rude. What I wrote is just basic fact. For me, throwing hard-earned money away and buying highly over-priced products for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses is stupid and moronic, especially when there are lots of good alternatives available out there in the marketplace.]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:14:44 -0400
Sorry about your feeling insulted. I am not being rude. What I wrote is just basic fact. For me, throwing hard-earned money away and buying highly over-priced products for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses is stupid and moronic, especially when there are lots of good alternatives available out there in the marketplace.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-16388811 16388811
This company has a policy of splitting its share whenever the share price goes up to above $90 and also pays a regular and increasing dividend year after year. It does not give away free stock options to officers and employees, but all officers are expected to invest in the company's stocks as a show of their commitment to the growth of the company and the welfare of it's employees and stockholders.

This is what I would call a good company when compared to companies that are so stingy with their shareholders but give away a lot of money in high pay and stock options to their employees. Yes, employees are entitled to living wages but they are not the "investors" in the company and they are not entitled to outsized pay and benefits packages at the expense of the stockholders, who are the ultimate owners of the company.

Companies make money first and foremost for the benefit of the owners and investors.]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:02:07 -0400
This company has a policy of splitting its share whenever the share price goes up to above $90 and also pays a regular and increasing dividend year after year. It does not give away free stock options to officers and employees, but all officers are expected to invest in the company's stocks as a show of their commitment to the growth of the company and the welfare of it's employees and stockholders.

This is what I would call a good company when compared to companies that are so stingy with their shareholders but give away a lot of money in high pay and stock options to their employees. Yes, employees are entitled to living wages but they are not the "investors" in the company and they are not entitled to outsized pay and benefits packages at the expense of the stockholders, who are the ultimate owners of the company.

Companies make money first and foremost for the benefit of the owners and investors.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-16388561 16388561 Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:32:04 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/1280371/comments?source=feed#comment-16388481 16388481
I have never bought any super-overpriced Apple products and never will, except the first generation Apple Computer in the early 1980s which I did not even buy but had access to using every now and then to play games more than anything else. Another piece of Apple toy as far as I am concerned. Years ago when I visited a cousin working for Big Blue in Silicon Valley the price of Apple stock was lingering near death at the $7.00 level or thereabouts. Steve Jobs had to beg and borrow $500M from Bill Gates to revive the company and bring it out of ICU.

My philosophy is never to buy and use any computer products with a closed ecosystem like Apples, period. There are other great products out there with similar or identical capabilities available at lot more reasonable costs from many vendors so why be a stupid moron submitting yourself to become prisoners of monopolistic Apple iTunes and Apps stores?]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:22:59 -0400
I have never bought any super-overpriced Apple products and never will, except the first generation Apple Computer in the early 1980s which I did not even buy but had access to using every now and then to play games more than anything else. Another piece of Apple toy as far as I am concerned. Years ago when I visited a cousin working for Big Blue in Silicon Valley the price of Apple stock was lingering near death at the $7.00 level or thereabouts. Steve Jobs had to beg and borrow $500M from Bill Gates to revive the company and bring it out of ICU.

My philosophy is never to buy and use any computer products with a closed ecosystem like Apples, period. There are other great products out there with similar or identical capabilities available at lot more reasonable costs from many vendors so why be a stupid moron submitting yourself to become prisoners of monopolistic Apple iTunes and Apps stores?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/1202551/comments?source=feed#comment-15242511 15242511 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 04:59:08 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/774161/comments?source=feed#comment-8052401 8052401 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 01:21:39 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/758021/comments?source=feed#comment-7907061 7907061 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 01:11:57 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/currents/post/446201?source=feed#comment-7906851 7906851 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 01:01:54 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/722361/comments?source=feed#comment-7424461 7424461 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:06:16 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/628141/comments?source=feed#comment-7301831 7301831 Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:45:15 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/628141/comments?source=feed#comment-7266671 7266671 Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:08:15 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/652601/comments?source=feed#comment-6596231 6596231
The price of WPRT went to a high of $31.91 and fell to a low of $28.38 in the last 2 weeks. As long as you able to and lucky enough to catch the prices between these extremes you should come out ahead whether you buy long or sell short, provided you keep tight trailing stops along the way. Admittedly, the profits made were not all that great, but they are still better than nothing and the time periods when the money was tied up were quite short.]]> Wed, 20 Jun 2012 03:18:48 -0400
The price of WPRT went to a high of $31.91 and fell to a low of $28.38 in the last 2 weeks. As long as you able to and lucky enough to catch the prices between these extremes you should come out ahead whether you buy long or sell short, provided you keep tight trailing stops along the way. Admittedly, the profits made were not all that great, but they are still better than nothing and the time periods when the money was tied up were quite short.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/currents/post/375111?source=feed#comment-6594781 6594781 Wed, 20 Jun 2012 00:45:29 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/659591/comments?source=feed#comment-6594641 6594641 Wed, 20 Jun 2012 00:37:12 -0400