Tim Cook (AAPL) testifies at a Senate hearing on corporate offshore taxes. "We don't depend on tax gimmicks," Cook asserts, while pushing for a big overhaul of U.S. corporate tax code. "Apple has always believed in the simple, not the complex." Sen. John McCain isn't satisfied with Apple's defenses, claiming the company "has violated the spirit of the law if not the letter of the law." Sen. Rand Paul has strongly defended Apple. "Congress should be on trial here for creating a byzantine tax code." (previous) [View news story]
Here's what we learned today:
AAPL is the largest tax payer in America. They paid 6 billion in taxes last year. So, if you are a patriotic American and you want to buy American then buy Apple products. If you want to buy a cheaply made smartphone that breaks in a fraction of the time, then buy a Samsung product.
Please tell me what innovation Samsung has come out with in the last year of numerous product upgrades that people will actually use on a regular basis. Why is it that AAPL is the only company that people expect regular innovation from while Samsung gets a free pass for only coming out with bigger screens, hardware upgrades and a bunch of gimmicky junkware?
Your iPad, iPhone Are Owned By Google Now [View article]
Yes, GOOG has done a fantastic job of convincing consumers that they are the good guys. Many of the young fandroidians think that AAPL is evil because they have a closed ecosystem and they don't want to be controlled. Well, they are more limited than controlled. GOOG on the other hand has many OEM and many customizable options that AAPL doesn't and most consumers don't need or care about. In exchange for things like widgets, these naive kids -- thinking they are siding with the "good guys" give away their location and personal information to Google who in turn gives it away to every app developer on Google Play that wants it. This is quite scary considering that malicious viruses balooned at a parabolic pace in the android ecosystem from 5,000 to over 50,000 in just the last quarter of 2012. At that rate there could be hundreds of thousand in android now. One of these viruses is so aggresive that when one syncs their android phone with their computer the virus goes on the computer and sweeps audio files for information.....maybe a banking passcode, etc.
So, while all the positive hype swirls around GOOG and the negative rhetoric swirls around AAPL, there are some serious business risks for GOOG's model. All you need is a few identity thefts where peoples lives are ruined by GOOG's cavalier use of personal information that gets picked-up by the mainstream media and GOOG will be in a world of hurt.
Also, I think they fear that Samsung has become too dominant of an OEM and they fear that they will soon be aggressively cut-out of Samsung products at the OS. So, they are looking for ways to protect themselves an survive in the mobile business when they do not control the gateway hardware.
From a business model prospective I do not like GOOG's positioning in the mobile industry. They clearly spent a lot of time and money on Google Now because they know the future on computing is mobile and AAPL, with it's relatively small global market share, controls 70% of all Global mobile search and 88% of all global eCommerce. So, in essence, Google Play is a log they rolled in front of AAPL to slow them down and try and stop siri from controlling mobile search. Very similar to the reason why Android was created as a log to roll in front of AAPL to stop AAPL from owning the entire smart phone and tablet market --which most certainly would have happened. GOOG was scared to death of what AAPL would do to them if they controlled mobile search. So much of what GOOG has done in the mobile space going back to the acquisition of Android was essentially out of extreme fear of AAPL. Well see whether AAPL give them some more reasons to respond to this fall. I suspect they will.
Samsung's upgrade from S3 to S4 was mostly hardware with some gimmicky software upgrades that should have been a firmware upgrade. Nothing innovative that people will really use. The phone still looks and feels like a cheap plastic child's toy. The truth is that they are incapable of innovation without copying someone elses IP. Now that AAPL has cut them out of the AAPL supply chain we'll see how Samsung does from here. The last year has not been very impressive from Samsung.
David Trainer's $240 Apple Price Target Analysis Just Doesn't Add Up [View article]
$240.00 is a preposterous valuation. One must keep in mind that many folks are talking their books publicly for their own advantage. This fellow runs money and was probably short the stock before he came out with his ridiculous valuation. The fact is that everything hinges on the new product cycle that will start this fall and run through 2014. Everyone knows this. If AAPL executes, it will be off to the races again. If they don't, well....
3 Apple 'Long Shots' That Could Happen [View article]
chabig.
I agree. I have had a touchscreen on my HP desktop for two years. I rarely if ever use it. It is inaccurate and frustrating to use. Not to mention it smudges up the screen. The only time I ever use it is when my bluetooth mouse dies and needs a charge.
Chasing Smartphone Market Share Is A Chump's Game; Why Apple Will Win [View article]
AAPL has 500 million itunes accounts. People who actually spend money on content. Unlike the 1 billion facebook accounts that don't spend any money. I'd rather have the 500 million people who have already spent over 22 billion on content from AAPL.
Apple: The Bottom Has Yet To Be Reached [View article]
The Nokia comparison is specious. Nokia had no brand loyalty, no ecosystem, no 500 million itunes account, no other computing devices, no store infrastructure with world class customer service. There was nothing sticky about their customers. AAPL has a flypaper ecosystem. Apples and oranges comparison.
Samsung Is Eating Apple's Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner [View article]
I stopped reading after the first paragraph citing "IDC's estimated numbers." First of all, they are estimates. No one knows the real numbers from Samsung because they don't disclose unit sales numbers. One would think that if they were doing as well as third parties suggest they might be they would be more than willing to disclose unit sales numbers. Also, most of their supposed growth is coming from cheap phones they are selling to people in developing countries that are not being used for their smart capabilities. So, these phones -- which are the bulk of Samsung's new sales -- are, in fact, not smart phone sales because they are being sold to people who don't want to use them as smart phones.
AAPL still makes over 70% of ALL GLOBAL SMART PHONE PROFITS. Now, whose eating whose lunch, LOL!
Samsung (SSNLF.PK) strengthened its lead as the world's top vendor of mobile phones and of smartphones in Q1, IDC estimates. The South Korean giant increased its market share in the latter category to 32.7% from 28.8 a year earlier and shipped more smartphones than the next four providers combined. Apple's (AAPL) share slipped to 17.3% from 23%. The global cellular phone market grew 4% on year to 418.6M devices, with smartphones outshipping feature phones for the first time. [View news story]
Meaningless. AAPL makes 72% of all global smartphone profits with less than 20% market share......enough said.
Notwithstanding some fairly tepid reviews for Samsung's (SSNLF.PK) Galaxy S4, "pre-order demand is much stronger than expected," the company said today, "so it's difficult to rapidly boost supply in the short term." The problem has prompted Sprint and T-Mobile to delay their launches of the device, which is due to be released tomorrow in South Korea and in other countries on Saturday. [View news story]
One cannot believe anything that Samsung says. The company is run by a convicted felon, they bribe government official, pay celebrities to tweet slanderous things about their competitors and they pay college students to write negative blogs about their competitors. Further, they never release unit sales of any king on smart phones, so no one really knows how many phones they have ever sold. The delay on the G4 is as likely caused by mismanagement of the supply chain on weak to normal demand as it is from strong demand. Lying is a standard business practice for this slimy South Korean company.
Tim Cook (AAPL) testifies at a Senate hearing on corporate offshore taxes. "We don't depend on tax gimmicks," Cook asserts, while pushing for a big overhaul of U.S. corporate tax code. "Apple has always believed in the simple, not the complex." Sen. John McCain isn't satisfied with Apple's defenses, claiming the company "has violated the spirit of the law if not the letter of the law." Sen. Rand Paul has strongly defended Apple. "Congress should be on trial here for creating a byzantine tax code." (previous) [View news story]
AAPL is the largest tax payer in America. They paid 6 billion in taxes last year. So, if you are a patriotic American and you want to buy American then buy Apple products. If you want to buy a cheaply made smartphone that breaks in a fraction of the time, then buy a Samsung product.
Your iPad, iPhone Are Owned By Google Now [View article]
Apple Solved Its First Problem [View article]
Please tell me what innovation Samsung has come out with in the last year of numerous product upgrades that people will actually use on a regular basis. Why is it that AAPL is the only company that people expect regular innovation from while Samsung gets a free pass for only coming out with bigger screens, hardware upgrades and a bunch of gimmicky junkware?
Your iPad, iPhone Are Owned By Google Now [View article]
So, while all the positive hype swirls around GOOG and the negative rhetoric swirls around AAPL, there are some serious business risks for GOOG's model. All you need is a few identity thefts where peoples lives are ruined by GOOG's cavalier use of personal information that gets picked-up by the mainstream media and GOOG will be in a world of hurt.
Also, I think they fear that Samsung has become too dominant of an OEM and they fear that they will soon be aggressively cut-out of Samsung products at the OS. So, they are looking for ways to protect themselves an survive in the mobile business when they do not control the gateway hardware.
From a business model prospective I do not like GOOG's positioning in the mobile industry. They clearly spent a lot of time and money on Google Now because they know the future on computing is mobile and AAPL, with it's relatively small global market share, controls 70% of all Global mobile search and 88% of all global eCommerce. So, in essence, Google Play is a log they rolled in front of AAPL to slow them down and try and stop siri from controlling mobile search. Very similar to the reason why Android was created as a log to roll in front of AAPL to stop AAPL from owning the entire smart phone and tablet market --which most certainly would have happened. GOOG was scared to death of what AAPL would do to them if they controlled mobile search. So much of what GOOG has done in the mobile space going back to the acquisition of Android was essentially out of extreme fear of AAPL. Well see whether AAPL give them some more reasons to respond to this fall. I suspect they will.
Apple Solved Its First Problem [View article]
Samsung's upgrade from S3 to S4 was mostly hardware with some gimmicky software upgrades that should have been a firmware upgrade. Nothing innovative that people will really use. The phone still looks and feels like a cheap plastic child's toy. The truth is that they are incapable of innovation without copying someone elses IP. Now that AAPL has cut them out of the AAPL supply chain we'll see how Samsung does from here. The last year has not been very impressive from Samsung.
David Trainer's $240 Apple Price Target Analysis Just Doesn't Add Up [View article]
3 Apple 'Long Shots' That Could Happen [View article]
I agree. I have had a touchscreen on my HP desktop for two years. I rarely if ever use it. It is inaccurate and frustrating to use. Not to mention it smudges up the screen. The only time I ever use it is when my bluetooth mouse dies and needs a charge.
Chasing Smartphone Market Share Is A Chump's Game; Why Apple Will Win [View article]
Not to mention that in option two the company still has 82% of the market to capture.
Chasing Smartphone Market Share Is A Chump's Game; Why Apple Will Win [View article]
Apple: The Bottom Has Yet To Be Reached [View article]
Samsung Surfs The Smartphone Boom Despite Soft Macro Conditions [View article]
Apple's Valuation Is Not Rational [View article]
Samsung Is Eating Apple's Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner [View article]
AAPL still makes over 70% of ALL GLOBAL SMART PHONE PROFITS. Now, whose eating whose lunch, LOL!
Samsung (SSNLF.PK) strengthened its lead as the world's top vendor of mobile phones and of smartphones in Q1, IDC estimates. The South Korean giant increased its market share in the latter category to 32.7% from 28.8 a year earlier and shipped more smartphones than the next four providers combined. Apple's (AAPL) share slipped to 17.3% from 23%. The global cellular phone market grew 4% on year to 418.6M devices, with smartphones outshipping feature phones for the first time. [View news story]
Notwithstanding some fairly tepid reviews for Samsung's (SSNLF.PK) Galaxy S4, "pre-order demand is much stronger than expected," the company said today, "so it's difficult to rapidly boost supply in the short term." The problem has prompted Sprint and T-Mobile to delay their launches of the device, which is due to be released tomorrow in South Korea and in other countries on Saturday. [View news story]