mike hough

Apple May Find Itself at Risk in Legacy Core Business

Why write this stuff now? What is the point? What is your motive?

You say, with all the sincerity you can muster, "There’s no reason to get down on Apple." - In that case why did you immediately precede that remark by:

"But there have been some nagging issues along the way like the proprietary nature of their products, their great reluctance to admit to any mistakes or shortcomings and relatively high prices which generate high returns but also fund increasingly swanky store locations." - and immediately follow it by:

"But at the same time I’m getting a bit tired of them and even their products." And this in the face of a massive earnings beat!

So, you are obviously completely out of touch with the market which is simply in love with them and their products.

You go on to say: "Strangely enough, they may be much more at risk in their legacy core business of computers and software than anywhere else." This in the face of a stunning increase in Mac computer sales and Snow Leopard OS sales. Punters were clearly so excited by your implied threat of Windows 7 that they decided not to wait for it's launch in just a matter of weeks!

Surely the story is in the fact that Apple can deliver industry beating performances month after month in a massive recession despite what you refer to as "relatively high prices" and that Microsoft is now desperately changing strategy to acquire it's own "swanky store locations". Stores which, incidentally, they plan to build in as close proximity to an Apple store as they can find. So, at least they know where computer buyers tend to congregate these days.

This 'article' lacks all sense of logic, true analysis and impartiality. It stinks.

Apple: Impressive Earnings, Surprising PR Gaffe

A pathetic attempt at a non story of a company acting responsibly .

If only SA would act against such articles on their site. In case you can't work it out I refer to the "Apple Shaker" games you host. Shake the stock until it declines when the real story is that it 'shines'. Or, as you put it:

"However, they really need to rethink their process for vetting what's hip versus what's tasteless and avoid similar missteps in the future that may derail their reputation."

Fat chance!

Apple and Google: Changing My Mind

"When you take out the cash of $25bn" I think you will find that is $28 bn + (and on target for $40 bn by the year end.)

When you consider that they only put 12.5% of iPhone revenue on the books each quater - that revenue will continue for two years even if they don't sell another iPhone - buying has to be a nobrainer.

Just imagine what will happen when they drop the price on iPhone and/or offer unlocked iPhones, the competition will be toast.

'Best of Breed' Business Model a Chink in Apple’s Armor?

"I would have bought it the second time, but it was the South Beach store and it seemed the price was a couple hundred dollars higher than in Dallas (no surprise there)".

No surprise to you perhaps but a hell of a surprise to me. In my experience there is NO price differential between Apple Store prices. Indeed Apple makes a point of NEVER discounting. So your comment seems somewhat suspicious to me. I cannot believe that Apple has MBA (a very new product) with a $200 discount. If I am wrong can you please post a link here where we can validate your claim.

Sell the News, Buy the Rally

No wonder there is a 'non recession' / 'tough patch' in the USA at the moment. With prats like this posing as economic experts things could get a lot worse. He would make a good replacement for dubbya in the White House.

God help America.

Apple's Guidance Games Are Hurting Shareholders

Yawn, Yawn another ill informed article from Seeking Beta. Where is the evidence:

"Phone sales in both France and the UK have been disappointing" CarPhone warehouse says best ever seller and is bringing in 300% footfall. Frenc connection says they have exceeded expectations for December and continue to sell very well after Xmas when they budgeted for a slowdown.

"What if iPod sales which are basically flat, despite new products stay that way or decline?" Please god let them stay that way, sales only increased by 5% but revenue up 17%. Are you unable to understand that business is about profits not sales!

Gross margin of 34.7 percent, up from 31.2 percent and another $3billion in the bank. God protect us from this bad management.

The only people playing games here are the hedge funds and their friends in the 'media'.

'ScareWare': A Sure Sign Apple Is on the Right Track

The only thing more stupid than cpeople licking on MacSweeper was my clicking on this link. I got what I deserve, a rubbish piece of 'news' which is becoming all to frequent on Seeking Alpha.

I really should get a life.

Apple Earnings Expected to Beat Estimates

140627. No you are not missing anything at all ......except expecting analysts to be accurate.

We can now expect a batch of such experts to tell us that the company they trashed as 'missing targets' is now a 'buying opportunity' because they expect it to 'beat' targets. Of course they will make sure to tell their clients a day or two before they publish so the public will rush in and buy before Jan 22 and thereby fulfill the predictions made to their clients. No doubt they will then claim to be spot on with their predictions. All they need to do then is scream recession so loud that the taxpayer is obliged to bail them out of their subprime mess they put the world in etc etc. As the Times put it this morning:

"In the case of Morgan Stanley, for example, the $5billion of new funding raised from the Chinese Government has been almost exactly matched by an increase in the bonus pool for payment to its supposedly talented employees. Citi, meanwhile, after paying out more than $100million to its sacked chief executive, is now planning to pay out roughly half the new capital it raised this week as a dividend next month."

Apple Joins Microsoft in Fear Factor; Look to Lenovo

If anything is bricked it is your reputation. A complete load of codswallop!

As far as seeing Thinkpad's everywhere you obviously did not look here:

duggmirror.com/apple/L...

University Students Responsible For Booming Mac Sales

For those who prefer a visual representation of data!

thumbsnap.com/v/njTKXO...

The other half:

thumbsnap.com/v/odzVNc...

Apple's iBrick Episode Should Be A Corporate Branding Disaster

I won't add to the above critique of your hypothesis except to point out that Apple closed today at a new closing high of $156.33.

The stock is on fire at the moment and and I would recommend that you devote your energy to buying the stock rather than writing such trivial nonsense.

If you don't have the stomach (or cash) for that take a walk to your nearest Apple store and count the number of people who walk out with an iPhone(s).

PS. I know a man, who knows a man, who does not like the Nintendo Wii but I would not build an 'article' on it.

iPhone Price Drop Is A Bad Sign

"Apple's (APPL) price cut on the iPhone means the phone is not selling the way they had hoped."

Oh dear me, can we have your apology now? Eight times faster than the iPod. An all BEFORE the price drop.

Apple iPhone Hits Million Mark

us.rd.yahoo.com/financ...;cm_cat=FREE&c...

iPhone Price Drop Is A Bad Sign

As the writer of the first comment I am still awaiting how you reconcile the statement that iPhone is not selling when two independent surveys say it is above sales estimates and outselling ALL other smartphones. Your logic is at best prejudiced and at worst manipulative. I see that RIMM is upgraded todat. If I were to sell stock it would be RIMM who now have to compete with a $399 competitor which was already outselling them at $599!

For all Americans can I point out that the US is not the same as the world. Ponder this when talking about product margins:

iPod Touch price in US$

8 Gig: $299 in the US and $402 in the UK (similar in rest of EU)

16 Gig: $399 in US and $543 in the UK (similar in the rest of EU)

The EU by the way has a much bigger population then the US

The iPhone will have similar price comparisins.

If you need me to tell you what the extra margins are on these prices please let me know! You might like to build them into your model.

The US is a small component of the world. Just 4% at the last count.

iPhone Price Drop Is A Bad Sign

Your logic does not correspond with the facts. iPhone was already the best selling Smartphone outselling Blackberry and all other Smartphones in the first month sales (iSuppli survey). It is on target to beat Apple's sales estimates (Piper Jaffray survey conducted before the price reduction).

You cannot therefore claim "the phone is not selling the way they had hoped." Additionally you cannot claim "I believe this can be attributed to slowing consumer discretionary spending".

The does NOT mean that selling stock is a bad idea as the market often moves in an irrational way. But please do not make claims which fly in the face of reason. Give your claims some context as any responsible journalist should. Your readers deserve this.

Meanwhile I have sold some stock but, armed with the facts above, I am better prepared than I would be if I followed your article and concluded that Apple's iPhone was a failure. It clearly is not.

Your readers might also like to consider selling RIMM (Blackberry) and other Smartphone stocks which now have to compete with a much lower priced iPhone which was already outselling them all! They might also like to know that iPhone is already selling more than all Microsoft based phones combined even with your assumption that it is a 'failure'.

Expect New iPods on Sept. 5

There is inevitable speculation (free marketing) over what will be announced at the Apple event on 5 September. One possibility which I have not seen anywhere is the possible convergence of Apple and Google rumors.

About a week ago (i.e. with two weeks to go to the Apple event) there were some comments about the 'Google phone' (gPhone) and a possible announcement/release in some two weeks time. That is, more or less, simultaneously with the Apple 5 September event. There was also comment about Google stabbing Apple in the back as a result of the Google CEO on Apple's board. This would seem somewhat unlikely as it would seem to be something Apple would have been prepared for before making the appointment.

So, could it be that in fact we are talking about an Apple phone to be funded by Google adverts? An 'iPhone lite' funded by Google video adverts which coincidentally, have just been announced for YouTube.