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    • Verizon Finally Unveils iPhone Competition, Or "iPhone Equalizer" [view article]
      "We think it'll be the best phone ... this year. It will kill the iPhone," Verizon (VZ) Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview.

      Gee Todd, do you think he might be getting paid to make statements like this? And you believe him right?

      I believe it was back in May when you launched your FUD campaign on the iPhone:

      seekingalpha.com/artic...

      Back then one of the reasons you predicted the iPhone would be a "flop" is because it was a convergent device and according to you this is not what consumers want. In this article you praise the Verizon Voyager and it's prospects....yet it too is a convergent device. Humm, have consumers changed their mind in the last few months, have you, or is it just that you are driven to put a negative spin on Apple regardless of how ridiculous it makes you look in the process.

      Anyway unlike when you initiated your flop article the iPhone is available now, has sold a million in three months and has the highest satisfaction rating of any smartphone. Still consider it a flop? My guess is that you do which speaks volumes about your credibility. In any case as others have repeatedly stated comparing lists of features is only part of the story. The bigger part of what puts the iPhone in a class of it's own is the interface. The simplicity and elegance with which those features interact with the user and each other. On a related note the iPhone has already had two software updates and this will continue to be the case going forward. In other words, unlike the vast majority of other phones which start to lose value and become dated the moment they are driven off the lot, the iPhone will increase in features and capability as it matures....and existing owners will be able to take advantage of that for free.


      Finally, one of your articles suggested that Apple was priced for perfection. In case you hadn't noticed the stock is up 74% over the past six months. By contrast the best performer in you portfolio is up 23% (USO) for the same period and your portfolio as a whole is up 8%. www.icarra.com/viewPor... You have already stated that you have no interest in owning AAPL which is fine. I just don't understand why?

      Anyway keep up the good FUD.       Oct 07 05:19 PM
    • Apple Inc: The Hype Must Go On [view article]
      REB's comments are spot on. I get so weary of reading about the Apple "hype machine". They introduce their products in a very compelling and professional manner that many companies could stand to learn from....then they go back to work. As a general rule they do reveal let alone hype products prior to release. After the release they pretty much stay clear of getting involved with the public dialogue which runs the full spectrum from pure FUD to gushing praise. I find it ironic that the often alluded to Apple hype machine is a direct creation of the media that persits on pinning that label on Apple. Sep 27 09:58 AM
    • iPhone Price Cut Causing Trouble For Apple [view article]
      Analysts are a fickle bunch especially when it comes to Apple. Good news is almost sure to be punished as it was with the iPhone launch, iMac refresh and the resent major iPod updates and the iPhone price cut.

      As an early iPhone adopter I chose to purchase at the going $599 price and considered it a fair value exchange at the time. It is an even better value exchange now and the rebate was unexpected but welcome. It is easy enough for reporters and to generate "outrage" on behalf of Apple customers and there is incentive as doing so generates readership. However I have yet to see that outrage from actual customers of whom I know quite a few.

      A stronger, broader user base justifies and assures ongoing programming efforts to upgrades and new features throughout the iPhones life cycle so that the phone you own today is better than the phone you originally bought. Broader sales helps existing owners in this regard.

      While the timing and the handling may not have been perfect, as an APPL stockholder I applaud the decisive action to respond to competitive and economic influences and seize the opportunity for a blockbuster next two quarters rather than waiting and missing out to a large extent on this holiday season.

      Many analysts would do well to get out more and actually do some first hand research rather than following an abstract herd mentality. Go to an Apple store which are usually busy and you will notice that they are now packed (post iPod refresh and iPhone price cut). And new iPhones, IPods and iMacs are briskly walking out the door. Apple has set the stage for an absolutely stellar performance in the next two quarters and beyond.       Sep 09 09:36 AM
    • iPhone Price Drop Is A Bad Sign [view article]
      The iPhone has already established a clear and strong sales record. This move should be taken at face value as an aggressive move to not just sell well but to blow the doors off the smartphone space. The competition who have been scrambling to come up with the "iPhone killer" at the assumed $600 price point just got totally blindsided.

      You may be rightly concerned about consumer spending but with the new iPhone price combined with the new iPod line, iMacs, Leapord and revised price points you can bet that Apple stores with be more packed than usual and sales volume with be stratospheric for the next few months.       Sep 06 12:29 PM
    • Does Apple's iPhone Live Up to Its Hype? [view article]
      “A decent device made to sound like it does something brand new. In reality it doesn’t do any one thing better (other than music) than a windows mobile device or Treo 750 series device… But it IS cool.”

      It does do something brand new- it introduces, for the first time, an interface that is a pleasure to use. Mobile phones have been around for a good while now but for the most part they all present a maze like confusion and awkwardness to the end user. The iPhone has a very robust set of features that are presented to the user with elegance and utter simplicity. It is the interface that makes the iPhone revolutionary. Apple gets the value and importance of interface and applies it to all of their quality products. None of their competitors seem to get this until they decide to copy Apple's proven success and blatantly copy...usually at a superficial level. The interface is the revolutionary piece. That is why Apple has become the darling of the consumer who can't get enough Apple product. Like the competition, many analysts and reviewers fail to grasp this distinction.

      Furthermore the iPhone is revolutionary in that a year from now the iPhone you paid for a year earlier will actually run smoother and offer more features than at the time it was purchased, thanks to ongoing free upgrades and enhancements via iTunes. That's pretty revolutionary as well but rarely mentioned.       Jul 19 11:45 PM
    • Did Apple Beat iPhone Sales Forecasts or Not? [view article]
      Whisper numbers are nothing more than professional cowardice at best and smear and manipulation tactics at worst.

      As for word of mouth. Limited anecdotal evidence suggest that not many words are needed to move the iPhone. Just a quick demo and one on one exposure seems to be all that is needed. I am quite happy with mine but am not on a mission to evangelize or sell it to others. In spite of this I know for a fact that three additional phones have been purchased as a result of folks who have taken mine for a test drive. Based on this I am fairly confident in the iPhones ability to sell itself and suspect that the second wave sales will be quite strong.       Jul 05 09:52 AM
    • Apple: What to Make of the iPhone Battery Hype? [view article]
      "personally and i will remind everyone, i have no position in apple, never have and have no desire to and do not care what the stock does as it matters not to me.."

      Todd, given your statement above it is amazing that you would be able to find the motivation to write about a stock you have no interest in....not once but five times over the course of the last month! How do you muster the energy to keep doing it....and why?       Jun 19 11:00 PM
    • No Hidden Agenda Behind Required iTunes Account for Apple's iPhone [view article]
      Regardless of what happens with the iPhone you can thank Apple for the sudden rush of new phone features, designs and services now being offered by the established players in this sector but who have apparently not been giving cutomers their A game until threatened by an upstart. Jun 15 11:50 AM
    • The Power of the Apple iPhone: Will People Switch to AT&T Just to Get One? [view article]
      "Deciding whether or not to sell the rest of my clients' Apple shares has been a tough decision. For now, I have trimmed back larger positions to be average-sized at most. There is currently enough potential for me to hold onto some shares, but given I am getting a little skeptical - Apple is no longer is a large position in the accounts I manage."

      While I can understand that the altitude is enough to make shareholders a bit dizzy, giddy and frightened, it might help to take a rest, look up and ponder the long view. This is not some local hill at the state park, this is a friggin mountain. This is Everest. And once you get your bearings you will begin to realize that we have only completed the first leg of the climb. Weekend warriors, hedgies and those with their noses hopelessly buried in charts will bow out and pat themselves on the back for a nice double. Investors with vision and guts will press on because soooo much farther to go before that even get close to that peak.

      Yes the iPhone has been hyped, analyzed ad nauseum and to some degree success has already been factored into the share price. Yes expectations are high but I think the current buzz will pale in comparison to the buzz generated when customers finally get their hands on it. This IS a revolutionary product in terms of it's elegance, integration, user interface and software (which BTW has now been opened up to third party developers). Those who dissect and it and claim there is nothing new here fail to see that the iPhone is more than the sum of it's parts.... which is the secret of formula of Apple as a company as well. It's not about the parts, as important as they are....it is about the design, integration and simplicity of the whole and how it "connects" with other species in the same ecosystem and ultimately how it connects with the user. What Apple offers in it's various product lines is nothing short of the anecdote for a fragmented, overly complex user experience otherwise known as modern life.

      All the buzz and hype we have seen to date speaks volumes about the clutter of the mobile space pre iPhone. Once it comes out and people can get a first hand experience of the touch screen, seamless integration and the power of top shelf software it will be a must have for anyone who can afford it as well as many who can't. The road to this holy grail reaction will have been paved by the hopelessly convoluted user experience we have all been forced to accept by default. Furthermore, and this is already in evidence, you will see Apple's ability to either inspire or pull out the best in their partner AT&T. So count me in as one who has been waiting and will switch to T. If T can manage to roll out an equally simple and attractive plan there will be no stopping this train.

      But in terms of the stock the iPhone is merely the tip of the iceberg. Even if it is only a mild success the stock has a long run ahead of it, stretching out over the next several years. This is an excellent company flush with cash that just keeps getting better with age. They have the discipline to selectively focus on picking their projects carefully and giving them the attention needed to make them best of class. And right now that includes several classes, any one of which is capable of growing and sustaining monster companies. What Apple brings to the table is best of class software and UI/design and that is the underlying leverage that will allow them to compete head to head and beat the established top dog in any given arena. And the biggest arena is right in their own back yard, desktop and laptop computing. There is still 94% market share out there waiting to be taken.

      Hardware, software, MP3, media distribution (music, audio books, podcasts, video, TV, film), phone, servers, retail distribution (check out the the just updated Apple site and hugely expanded third party software offerings now available at the online Apple store). Whereas Apple has historically been dependent on third parties for distribution it now controls a large piece of that distribution and now profits from the distribution of selective third party hardware and software while at the same time generating an additional halo effect around it's own products, not to mention higher margins.

      Apple is a company firing on all cylinders right now and the halo effect(s) are just beginning to light up and mutually and reciprocally spread like wildfire to all other units regardless of which unit you might designate as the original halo. Meanwhile Apple's competitors (Dell, Microsoft, CompUSA, Blockbuster, Netflix, Tower Records, Nokia, RIMM, Motorola,....) seem dazed and confused by comparison. Apart from product halo effects Apple has captured the imagination of youth, Hollywood, the creative community and is increasingly on the radar of corporate IT professionals who are trying to penetrate their organizations with Apple products as a means cutting back on endless trouble shooting busy work. All of the Apple products, user segments, distribution dynamics, and a large unintended helping hand from the competition is gradually setting up a tipping point of epic proportions. While it might be bumpy day to day the long view is steeply up. Catch the dip and keep climbing.

      Disclaimer: Long Apple as a result of the observations outlined above and not vice versa.       Jun 11 11:00 PM
    • Jeffrey Saut: Covanta's A Smart Play On Chinese Garbage Problem [view article]
      Jeffrey, It does seem like a logical conclusion for the reasons outlined but is there any evidence to suggest that CVA is even thinking about China? I seem to recall that they recently sold off a business unit in China. Apr 10 10:30 AM
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