Hayweed

Verizon's Droid Is the Real Deal

I don't think Apple has that much to worry about. This is about Verizon needing a phone to compete with Apple but at the same time, it eliminates the one thing holding Verizon customers from leaving to go to AT&T, which is the bogus claim that Verizon is getting the iPhone. Now that this officially proves no iPhone for Verizon, the people leaving Verizon will be huge.

As for the phone, Motorola is old tech. Their moment in the sun is past, kind of like Palm. The real company that will hurt from this is Rimm which will see this phone be the number one pushed phone on Verizon instead of Rimm's blackberries. I would stay long AAPL while short Rimm as a good pair trade.

RIM Set to Storm Smartphone Market

So they toss out the old sure press for true press. How does this affect the development of apps. My guess is storm2 is one more phone in Rimm's growing phone inventory which divides developers and consumers from products based on which handset they get. Meanwhile apple has one form factor for the phone and the touch which results in one development that reaches almost 50 million devices.

RImm needs to get to one or 2 phone forms or the developers will never make anything good apps.

Nokia's a Juggernaut, But What's Left to Conquer?

In less than 2 years is apple now the most profitable cell phone provider in the world

Based on last quarter (Apple - using iphone nongaap earnings)

Apple $699 million
Rimm $518 million
Nokia $161 million
Sony Ericsson <$0
LG ?
Samsung ?

The Ongoing Smartphone Revolution

Crazylegs - I saw my first zune yesterday being used by a person. No social there. You can say what you want but Apple is crushing the competition. If they weren't would Verizon really need to give you a free blackberry when you buy one. Talk about Margin Compression for Rimm. Dell needs a phone yet the carriers reject their proposed phone (LOL), MSFT is all about vaporware. Please stick with us we promise to come out with something cool some day - really. Sony may be reduced to a niche player in consumer electronics since we only have BBY and WMT left. At least Apple has their own stores.

The Ongoing Smartphone Revolution

His basis is that the "The Zune is a great bit of kit" which we all know is rubbish. Thus from the author's dim view, MSFT should be the best since they are the biggest. In autos, GM was the biggest yet they never made great cars. Android will be hampered by too many different handsets and a fight over the app marketplace - carrier, google or handset maker or all 3. Nintendo and Rimm is a laugher. That would destroy Rimm which is doing a good job of that to itself. Dell might buy Rimm which I hope happens since I am short Rimm and Dell, that marriage would definitely fail miserably.

Face it - the cell phone business was a dud. Rimm had an email machine that played brickbreaker (wow). Then Apple enters the market, everyone laughs, the phone begins to sell and then everyone says crap we need to do something. If the MSFT RIMM and others could not innovate before Apple how are they going to do it now.

Lastly, Apple should buy Sony and "become a world class consumer electronics company overnight." Where is the author hiding - under a rock. Apple is the premier consumer electronics company. I have Sony TVs but that is the only thing I would buy from Sony. Apple could easily make TVs. I did buy a Sony touchscreen camera which got the screen scratched first time in the pocket with keys. You can put your iphone in your pocket with keys and nothing happens.

Thus Apple should continue being Apple while the others pray that Apple runs out of ideas.

Cell Phone Demand: Worse than You Imagine

While Apple keeps rolling along making the most money in company history during a recession. It may be the economy but most likely now that money is tight, people want more than junk for their dollar.

Research in (Slow) Motion

Clearly the Storm was not moving to Verizon's satisfaction and they issued a 2 for 1 sale on all blackberries last week. This week, Rimm says subs are going great but the margin and earnings are on the low end. Thus, Rimm is taking the hit on the 2-1 sale and not Verizon. You know Rimm did not want their phones in the 2-1 bin but they do not control the sale Verizon does. This to me means that Apple and AT&T are putting the squeeze on Verizon and Verizon is in turn putting it on Rimm.

Rimm's other big problem is too many phones on too many networks. Reminds me of when Porsche made 4 different models in the 80's and there were no similar parts. Rimm is stretched too thin trying to make all these different phones all work on tons of different networks and spectrums.

Rimm's last big problem is that their cost of goods is rising while the asp is falling. That is the margin problem. Anyone can now make an email phone and thus the blackberry needs to do more. The browser is weak, the media player weak so why does the consumer need this phone. Email only. It is too expensive as a push email for the consumer. Thus they need business customers but businesses are laying off every day.

It is the perfect storm that may drive Rimm to $30

Nokia Tumbles, Dragging Handsets Down

In plain english Nokia is saying we have nothing that competes with the iPhone and can't match its price.

Research In Motion's 3G Counteroffensive: The Smartphone Arms Race Escalates

The real problem according to your chart is that Rimm has stalled out at 42% or has dropped 1% since January while the iPhone is advancing. So Rimm may have topped out. The bold will sell well since it will be a replacement phone and blackberries only last about a year to 19 months. Nice build quality, but the other 2 phones will be dead losers against the iPhone in the consumer market.

The stock story is what amazes me. People in New York love blackberries and AT&T service in NY appears to be spotty. So all the analysts love Rimm and hate Apple. Outside of New York I see the blackberry as a loser's device which shows you are tied to work. The high end consumers and professionals buy iPhones.

Motorola, Nokia, Palm, RIM Suffering iPhone Headache

Rimm's big growth was with their consumer phones. They pushed hard into this space as Apple entered the phone business. With the iPhone at $600 then $400 Rimm was cheaper consumer choice at $200. Now with the iPhone at $199 the consumer will move toward Apple and Rimm's growth will slow. If Rimm's growth slows the stock will tank a lot. Can't have a 40 pe with growth slowing.

Mobile Players Take On Apple iPhone With Flat-Rate Mobile Music Service

If buying costs 1.50 and users buy 6 songs a year that is 9.00 in revenue for the sales model

If renting costs 2.99/week * 52 weeks =155.48 per year to rent music.

Consumers may be dumb but does anyone think the idea of rent your music for 15 times what you spend buying it will work.

Plus can you load all your cd's onto the rental music phones?

RIMM Fails to Beat Analyst Estimates, Stock Falls 7%

This stock is toast for a while. Everyone buying Rimm in April is under water which leaves a ton of resistance. Also the drop tomorrow will cross the 50 moving average. Look out below.