Nokia: Positive News Followed By What? [View article]
"What will Nokia be able to do to keep market share outside of cutting its prices? "
Well, they can produce phones which are sexy, while Apple produce phones which cater to urban dweller's status angst.
Let me give you an example using Nokia and Apple's introduction videos from YouTube. You only have to watch a couple of minutes of the videos to see the contrast.
Exhibit 1: The Nokia video introducing the Lumia 920...
So. What are Apple selling? condescension and pomposity. Ain't going to get you laid. (Note: only 1.2 million views and the control of the comments "Comments are disabled for this video.")
On top of that the 920 is simply the better looking, easier to use, more fun, more advanced phone. Boils down to a better product, better able to meet people's needs.
Analysts Start Attacking Nokia Again [View article]
Y'know, come to think of it you might just be right. It's almost as if they want to buy the stock cheap then sell it expensive. But that would be unethical, these guys are Bankers and Financial advisors.
Surely we can trust them!
What scares me and why I now manage my own money is that there are fund managers out there who do trust these lot, or are so lazy that they just follow the recommendations blindly. Funnily enough now I've woken up, my investments are now doing better than ever.
Beware Of Research In Motion And Nokia Near Year-End [View article]
I'm expecting a pull back, but I bought the dip a while back & am planning to hold on for the longer term anyway. Nokia have historically provided a nice dividend, which I'm expecting to come back when they become profitable again; YOC should be interesting.
FYI, the Jolla bunch of ex Nokia engineers have demo'd their new OS and Sailfish user interface a couple of days ago, it's quite impressive from a startup. It's pretty clear to me that both Windows Phone 8 and Jolla UIs are superior on touch screens than Apple and Android, already both look dated.
The problem Apple, Google have now is the large investment in the existing user interfaces is about to become "legacy" and it's going to be apparent to anyone brought into contact with WP 8, Sailfish or even RIM's new BB10. So, do they abandon it or do they attempt as Microsoft have done on the desktop to improve it incrementally over years... If they do this they will simply be carrying the dead weight of past development. WP7 & WP 8 for example almost entirely abandon previous Microsoft user interface designs.
Simply put, the icon is dead. Long live live tiles.
Now, if you think about how many different word processors you use. Hundreds surely ... or ... just one? Same for web browsers, or any particular app you care to mention. You really only want the best app in any category, maybe a couple for competition. Then maybe a few thousand highly niche interest apps ... all the rest then would be worthless.
Lets imagine there are a couple of hundred different categories of apps with say 3 major competitors per category ... plus niche apps thats still only about 4000 worthwhile apps in *total*, from half a million.
i.e. 99% of apps in the app store are almost certainly ... garbage. What I call fart apps. We're being overrun by garbage farts.
A Facebook (FB) phone will arrive next year, multiple sources tell the NYT's Nick Bilton - a prior report suggested a Q3 launch. It's added Facebook has hired Apple engineers with iPhone experience, and is exploring multiple smartphone projects. The news comes as Facebook comes under pressure to improve mobile monetization, and rolls out a PC/mobile app store and an HTML5 app development platform. Facebook is also rumored to be interested in browser maker Opera. [View news story]
Did China Just End the Dollar's Reign? [View article]
"Why is it important that the dollar be a reserve currency?"
Not "a". "The".
With the Dollar as the reserve currency, America gets to export it's inflation to the rest of the planet.
The military budget? Bigger than all the other countries combined? Deficit spending financed by dollar reserve status pays for it.
The low taxes? Deficit spending financed by the dollar reserve status pays for it.
The low interest rates? Dollar reserve status pays for it. This finances American business to a competitive advantage over the rest of the world.
And those are just some of the benefits which American business and citizens enjoy at the expense of those who have to buy US dollars before they can buy what they really wanted to in the first place.
Should dollar reserve status be lost. Not only will interest rates rise, taxes will also rise and trillions of dollars which are currently out of the country will come home to roost.
The key is oil. When the Saudis switch, the US is in big trouble.
Why nationalise? "Too big to fail"... Those words say it all.
The US banking system is literally taking the country down. It's like a leech, sucking US citizens dry.
They should have failed. They all should have been allowed to fail. That decision was taken though and you now have a whole bunch of zombie leeches still sucking away at the bleached white corpse which was America.
You all need to ask yourselves "What is money?". What is the nature of money? What affect does the nature of money have on the society I live within? Either that or just keep feeding the leeches.
Checks indicate demand for Nokia's (NOK -5.2%) Lumia 920 is "solid" at AT&T, but well behind demand for the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III, says Raymond James' Tavis McCourt, who reiterates an Underperform. Moreover, McCourt thinks commentary from AT&T reps about the 920 "was very similar to the April launch of the Lumia 900, but with a lot more supply issues." He adds the 900 was on Amazon's top-10 bestseller list for 2 months, and that HTC and Samsung's Windows Phone 8 models also face supply problems. (previous: I, II, III) [View news story]
No question in my mind that the media is a battle ground which people attempt to influence markets in their favour.
That's what the media is for though, spreading propaganda. It's been that way since the first radio signals. Before that newspapers and books. I wouldn't describe it as shady though. I just assume that everyone is talking their book. Someone says X sucks, they're short X and long Y. Once X is low they'll be long X and short Y.
I wouldn't believe a word of anything printed in the media, including SA. It's all propaganda from one interest group or another. Under the best circumstances journalists rarely even get people's names correct, never mind anything more complex than that. Even better, if people are handing out pre-written articles you can simply publish, think just how lazy you could be and still get paid!
Apple Has Peaked: The Warning Signs Are Multiplying [View article]
The telling point is that the Apple management have no idea what do do with the money. Yes they have been raking it in at the top for a couple of years now ... And then? The iPhone 5 ...
Really?
Really?
The rest of the market just stepped past. You saw it live, Apple ended their growth story all by themselves. It'll become clear in a few quarters but I warn you the big boys will be keen to get out, long before clarity.
Nokia (NOK) doesn't pass up the chance to gloat over the harsh response (I, II) to Apple's (AAPL) iOS 6 Maps app. "Unlike our competitors ... we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps," the company proclaims. A Google Maps (GOOG) exec also takes aim at Apple, declaring "it takes a long time and effort to figure out how to do this right." BI notes Google has 1,100 full-time employees and 6K contractors working on Maps. (Nokia Maps deals: I, II) [View news story]
You're misinformed.
*Nokia* is providing maps for Amazon... And for Microsoft.
I'm long *NOK* for a reason. How do you pick stocks? Dice rolls?
Nokia (NOK) doesn't pass up the chance to gloat over the harsh response (I, II) to Apple's (AAPL) iOS 6 Maps app. "Unlike our competitors ... we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps," the company proclaims. A Google Maps (GOOG) exec also takes aim at Apple, declaring "it takes a long time and effort to figure out how to do this right." BI notes Google has 1,100 full-time employees and 6K contractors working on Maps. (Nokia Maps deals: I, II) [View news story]
Lets see. Navteq was about 5000 people when Nokia bought them. That's quite a lot of people out there on the streets looking at the real world in order to make maps which are more than useless cartoons. Google also has a *big* mapping division.
Apple's problem is ... It's R&D organisation is tiny and it shows in the iPhone 5 and in their maps. All the iPhone 4 users I know who rushed out to update, the universal response after an hour is "Meh, it's just the same". The device is basically identical to the iPhone 4, they've done nothing, no significant development on it. Guess where those margins come from. This might work in the short term, but Nokia Lumias are already 2 steps ahead of Apple technologically (sorry, *at least* 3 steps ahead, I forgot about the maps) and that's only going to increase as Apple refuse to spend money, when that cash pile does get spent, the stock valuation will go with it. Either way, Apple's a bubble.
Nokia: Positive News Followed By What? [View article]
Well, they can produce phones which are sexy, while Apple produce phones which cater to urban dweller's status angst.
Let me give you an example using Nokia and Apple's introduction videos from YouTube. You only have to watch a couple of minutes of the videos to see the contrast.
Exhibit 1: The Nokia video introducing the Lumia 920...
http://bit.ly/VpFbbZ
What are Nokia selling? Sex. That's a phone which'll get you laid. Plain and simple. (Note: 2 million views)
Exhibit 2: The Apple video introducing the iPhone 5.
http://bit.ly/10YbnJb
So. What are Apple selling? condescension and pomposity. Ain't going to get you laid. (Note: only 1.2 million views and the control of the comments "Comments are disabled for this video.")
On top of that the 920 is simply the better looking, easier to use, more fun, more advanced phone. Boils down to a better product, better able to meet people's needs.
Does that answer your question?
(Long NOK)
Analysts Start Attacking Nokia Again [View article]
Surely we can trust them!
What scares me and why I now manage my own money is that there are fund managers out there who do trust these lot, or are so lazy that they just follow the recommendations blindly. Funnily enough now I've woken up, my investments are now doing better than ever.
Beware Of Research In Motion And Nokia Near Year-End [View article]
FYI, the Jolla bunch of ex Nokia engineers have demo'd their new OS and Sailfish user interface a couple of days ago, it's quite impressive from a startup. It's pretty clear to me that both Windows Phone 8 and Jolla UIs are superior on touch screens than Apple and Android, already both look dated.
The problem Apple, Google have now is the large investment in the existing user interfaces is about to become "legacy" and it's going to be apparent to anyone brought into contact with WP 8, Sailfish or even RIM's new BB10. So, do they abandon it or do they attempt as Microsoft have done on the desktop to improve it incrementally over years... If they do this they will simply be carrying the dead weight of past development. WP7 & WP 8 for example almost entirely abandon previous Microsoft user interface designs.
Simply put, the icon is dead. Long live live tiles.
Nokia Lumia 920: Great Phone, Wrong Marketing [View article]
http://bit.ly/TZfNJB
Now, if you think about how many different word processors you use. Hundreds surely ... or ... just one? Same for web browsers, or any particular app you care to mention. You really only want the best app in any category, maybe a couple for competition. Then maybe a few thousand highly niche interest apps ... all the rest then would be worthless.
Lets imagine there are a couple of hundred different categories of apps with say 3 major competitors per category ... plus niche apps thats still only about 4000 worthwhile apps in *total*, from half a million.
i.e. 99% of apps in the app store are almost certainly ... garbage. What I call fart apps. We're being overrun by garbage farts.
End Of An Era For Gold Investors [View article]
http://bit.ly/NUOrqr
Europe is going through it's equivalent of 2008 and the chart reflects this. The ECB are just about to promise to save the PIGS.
The alternative is debt deflation, negative bond yields for decades, Japanification, austerity and falling stocks as the credit bubble bursts.
A Facebook (FB) phone will arrive next year, multiple sources tell the NYT's Nick Bilton - a prior report suggested a Q3 launch. It's added Facebook has hired Apple engineers with iPhone experience, and is exploring multiple smartphone projects. The news comes as Facebook comes under pressure to improve mobile monetization, and rolls out a PC/mobile app store and an HTML5 app development platform. Facebook is also rumored to be interested in browser maker Opera. [View news story]
Did China Just End the Dollar's Reign? [View article]
Not "a". "The".
With the Dollar as the reserve currency, America gets to export it's inflation to the rest of the planet.
The military budget? Bigger than all the other countries combined? Deficit spending financed by dollar reserve status pays for it.
The low taxes? Deficit spending financed by the dollar reserve status pays for it.
The low interest rates? Dollar reserve status pays for it. This finances American business to a competitive advantage over the rest of the world.
And those are just some of the benefits which American business and citizens enjoy at the expense of those who have to buy US dollars before they can buy what they really wanted to in the first place.
Should dollar reserve status be lost. Not only will interest rates rise, taxes will also rise and trillions of dollars which are currently out of the country will come home to roost.
The key is oil. When the Saudis switch, the US is in big trouble.
A Financial History of the World [View article]
Well DOH!
Fixing that means reforming the monetary system. All over the world.
Good luck with that.
The Nationalization Debate [View article]
The US banking system is literally taking the country down. It's like a leech, sucking US citizens dry.
They should have failed. They all should have been allowed to fail. That decision was taken though and you now have a whole bunch of zombie leeches still sucking away at the bleached white corpse which was America.
You all need to ask yourselves "What is money?". What is the nature of money? What affect does the nature of money have on the society I live within? Either that or just keep feeding the leeches.
Checks indicate demand for Nokia's (NOK -5.2%) Lumia 920 is "solid" at AT&T, but well behind demand for the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III, says Raymond James' Tavis McCourt, who reiterates an Underperform. Moreover, McCourt thinks commentary from AT&T reps about the 920 "was very similar to the April launch of the Lumia 900, but with a lot more supply issues." He adds the 900 was on Amazon's top-10 bestseller list for 2 months, and that HTC and Samsung's Windows Phone 8 models also face supply problems. (previous: I, II, III) [View news story]
That's what the media is for though, spreading propaganda. It's been that way since the first radio signals. Before that newspapers and books. I wouldn't describe it as shady though. I just assume that everyone is talking their book. Someone says X sucks, they're short X and long Y. Once X is low they'll be long X and short Y.
I wouldn't believe a word of anything printed in the media, including SA. It's all propaganda from one interest group or another. Under the best circumstances journalists rarely even get people's names correct, never mind anything more complex than that. Even better, if people are handing out pre-written articles you can simply publish, think just how lazy you could be and still get paid!
Apple Has Peaked: The Warning Signs Are Multiplying [View article]
Really?
Really?
The rest of the market just stepped past. You saw it live, Apple ended their growth story all by themselves. It'll become clear in a few quarters but I warn you the big boys will be keen to get out, long before clarity.
'Weak' Apple iPhone 5 Sales And Maps: Eat Cake [View article]
Nobody ever listens though. Going up the front side of the bubble is always a lot more fun than sliding down the back side.
'Weak' Apple iPhone 5 Sales Are A Glitch [View article]
Nokia (NOK) doesn't pass up the chance to gloat over the harsh response (I, II) to Apple's (AAPL) iOS 6 Maps app. "Unlike our competitors ... we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps," the company proclaims. A Google Maps (GOOG) exec also takes aim at Apple, declaring "it takes a long time and effort to figure out how to do this right." BI notes Google has 1,100 full-time employees and 6K contractors working on Maps. (Nokia Maps deals: I, II) [View news story]
*Nokia* is providing maps for Amazon... And for Microsoft.
I'm long *NOK* for a reason. How do you pick stocks? Dice rolls?
Nokia (NOK) doesn't pass up the chance to gloat over the harsh response (I, II) to Apple's (AAPL) iOS 6 Maps app. "Unlike our competitors ... we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps," the company proclaims. A Google Maps (GOOG) exec also takes aim at Apple, declaring "it takes a long time and effort to figure out how to do this right." BI notes Google has 1,100 full-time employees and 6K contractors working on Maps. (Nokia Maps deals: I, II) [View news story]
Apple's problem is ... It's R&D organisation is tiny and it shows in the iPhone 5 and in their maps. All the iPhone 4 users I know who rushed out to update, the universal response after an hour is "Meh, it's just the same". The device is basically identical to the iPhone 4, they've done nothing, no significant development on it. Guess where those margins come from. This might work in the short term, but Nokia Lumias are already 2 steps ahead of Apple technologically (sorry, *at least* 3 steps ahead, I forgot about the maps) and that's only going to increase as Apple refuse to spend money, when that cash pile does get spent, the stock valuation will go with it. Either way, Apple's a bubble.
(Long NOK)