chinacat
Moderator
AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on May 6, 2017 7:47:42 GMT -8
That Was The Week That Was (perhaps some of the old folks in the forum remember that hilarious political commentary show?), with the biggest weekly gain since September 16, 2016. It's going to be a long five months until what promises to be a spectacular Fall, so keep your FUD-shields up. The Macalope gives a lesson in same with Wearable fudge: What is Apple hiding?
Ben Thompson has a very interesting article, APPLE’S CHINA PROBLEM, that starts with the premise that the actual differentiating factor for hardware merchant Apple is its software and the integration of the two, and uses that to buttress his argument that Apple's China problem is the WeChat application which is heavily woven into the fabric of Chinese life. The other side of the coin is illuminated in 8,400 new Android malware samples every day
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chinacat
Moderator
AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on May 6, 2017 8:14:54 GMT -8
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Post by tuffett on May 6, 2017 8:39:53 GMT -8
I think Thompson's analysis is spot on. WeChat makes feature/UI comparison between iOS and Android meaningless, and there is definitely a desire to show off the latest and greatest devices.
Shallow as it is, Apple needs a form factor overhaul every 2 years. Also would be good to think of a "killer feature" for WeChat on Apple Watch. That would create some ecosystem lock-in in China that is currently far lower than the rest of the world.
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Post by phoebear611 on May 6, 2017 11:55:32 GMT -8
Forgive my ignorance but other than Catholic Easter and Orthodox (Greek) Easter which both fell on the same day this year, April 16th....where else is Easter celebrated? Am I missing something chinacat?
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Post by phoebear611 on May 6, 2017 11:57:31 GMT -8
PED posted a chart from June 2016 to today and titled it: Apple outperforms the S&P 500 better than 3 to 1 Yet it still trades like a steel mill on its way out of business.
Something's gotta give with the multiple - maybe when the cash is repatriated.
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chinacat
Moderator
AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on May 6, 2017 12:55:20 GMT -8
Forgive my ignorance but other than Catholic Easter and Orthodox (Greek) Easter which both fell on the same day this year, April 16th....where else is Easter celebrated? Am I missing something chinacat? Brain fart. AAPL's week obviously has me giddy.
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Post by incorrigible on May 6, 2017 13:03:18 GMT -8
That Was The Week That Was (perhaps some of the old folks in the forum remember that hilarious political commentary show?), with the biggest weekly gain since September 16, 2016. It's going to be a long five months until what promises to be a spectacular Fall, so keep your FUD-shields up. Week Ending February 3, 2017 $129.01 (+$7.27) Not quite. Thanks for starting the weekend thread.
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Post by Luckychoices on May 6, 2017 13:18:53 GMT -8
When the participation in our board started dropping off so substantially almost two years ago, I started spending more time on the Seeking Alpha website. I find myself primarily giving “Likes” to AAPL Longs and curt replies to anti-Apple folks; and there are enough negative comments made about AAPL/Apple on SA that I’ve made just under 1400 comments since I joined in November of 2015. I still come back here several times during the day to benefit from the links and comments from members and I had hoped that the gain in share price over the last 6 months or so would help increase the board participation as well. I haven’t seen much improvement except on days when we have an above average share price increase.
One of the things I’ve noticed about SA is that, just like on this board, there are several people who *consistently* make informative comments about Apple that are worth reading and worth sharing. But one big difference on SA is that it’s easy to have *many* comments made about a particular subject because the comments are all directly under the article, so commenting and discussing of a particular subject may go on for days or weeks. With the format we follow on the board, comments on links or subjects normally go on for only a day or two before they’re dropped. The subjects may *resurface* at a later date but the discussion will lack the contribution from the original comments. When an important subject of interest to the board surfaces during our normal daily or weekend posts, I’d like to suggest we consider posting a *new* thread of that subject in a separate area from the daily or weekend posts. I’m posting a link, in the Apple/AAPL News, to an SA article titled, "Laptop Magazine Downgrades Apple” by Mark Hibben, which discusses Laptop Magazine dropping Apple from 1st to 5th place. There have been more than a few comments on this board regarding the new Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar…some positive and some negative. Since my wife and I recently bought a new MacBook Pro a couple of weeks ago as a replacement for our 2010 MacBook Pro, I’d put myself in the positive comment group. In any case, I believe it's worthwhile having an opportunity for further discussion about this, and other subjects.
I also asked one of the Seeking Alpha commenters (username Wiseyou) that I found particularly interesting/informative over a series of articles, if he would mind me posting some of his comments to our board both as a source of information and as something that may generate further comments from board members. I’ll post a relevant comment from him immediately after the article link. I also asked him to consider joining our board and I'll be pleased if he does so. There are, at the very least, an additional 6-10 frequent commenters on Seeking Alpha that would be very positive additions to this board. In any case, I hope the members will consider my suggestion as a way to raise the activity and information level for all of us.
As always, Cheers to the AAPL Longs!!
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Post by rickag on May 6, 2017 15:17:49 GMT -8
When the participation in our board started dropping off so substantially almost two years ago, I started spending more time on the Seeking Alpha website. I find myself primarily giving “Likes” to AAPL Longs and curt replies to anti-Apple folks; and there are enough negative comments made about AAPL/Apple on SA that I’ve made just under 1400 comments since I joined in November of 2015. I still come back here several times during the day to benefit from the links and comments from members and I had hoped that the gain in share price over the last 6 months or so would help increase the board participation as well. I haven’t seen much improvement except on days when we have an above average share price increase. One of the things I’ve noticed about SA is that, just like on this board, there are several people who *consistently* make informative comments about Apple that are worth reading and worth sharing. But one big difference on SA is that it’s easy to have *many* comments made about a particular subject because the comments are all directly under the article, so commenting and discussing of a particular subject may go on for days or weeks. With the format we follow on the board, comments on links or subjects normally go on for only a day or two before they’re dropped. The subjects may *resurface* at a later date but the discussion will lack the contribution from the original comments. When an important subject of interest to the board surfaces during our normal daily or weekend posts, I’d like to suggest we consider posting a *new* thread of that subject in a separate area from the daily or weekend posts. I’m posting a link, in the Apple/AAPL News, to an SA article titled, "Laptop Magazine Downgrades Apple” by Mark Hibben, which discusses Laptop Magazine dropping Apple from 1st to 5th place. There have been more than a few comments on this board regarding the new Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar…some positive and some negative. Since my wife and I recently bought a new MacBook Pro a couple of weeks ago as a replacement for our 2010 MacBook Pro, I’d put myself in the positive comment group. In any case, I believe it's worthwhile having an opportunity for further discussion about this, and other subjects. I also asked one of the Seeking Alpha commenters (username Wiseyou) that I found particularly interesting/informative over a series of articles, if he would mind me posting some of his comments to our board both as a source of information and as something that may generate further comments from board members. I’ll post a relevant comment from him immediately after the article link. I also asked him to consider joining our board and I'll be pleased if he does so. There are, at the very least, an additional 6-10 frequent commenters on Seeking Alpha that would be very positive additions to this board. In any case, I hope the members will consider my suggestion as a way to raise the activity and information level for all of us. As always, Cheers to the AAPL Longs!! Not sure how they can join since we have no moderators that still post as far as I can tell.
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Post by gtrplyr on May 6, 2017 15:48:18 GMT -8
As many on the board know I built a new house last year. At the time I explored all of the products Apple had in their "Home Kit" bundle and decided to go another route .... I went with Control4 and have been very happy. Today while out, I picked up a $49 Amazon Echo to use ....out of the box it will link with my Control4 interface and allow me to turn on/off lights, dim lights, turn up/down thermostat and with the help of my dealer can be programmed to do many other things.
So far I have the Echo dot set up in the Kitchen (we have a very open floor plan) and I've been asking it for things all day ... I have to say I'm simply blown away by how accurate and fast it is. I'm not sure why this works so much better than Siri ... maybe it's got a better connection ? In any case, I wish Apple would have built something like this as I feel this could really end up being the brain of my house ! Just another ball that Apple has dropped in house automation .... I've heard rumblings that a stand alone SIRI product was in the works so I sure hope they come up with something that surpasses this and fast as I really feel this will be a very important segment in the coming years.
Cheers to the longs!
EDIT: Just added my Rachio sprinkler to the Alexa's "skills" .... I can now ask Alexa to water specific zones of the yard! I LOVE Technology!!!!
ANOTHER EDIT: Just added my Nest thermostats .... it's so simple it's scary and it works like a champ!!!! I'm thrilled but bummed at the same time as Apple should have had a product that did this years ago.
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Post by Luckychoices on May 6, 2017 15:50:14 GMT -8
I also asked him to consider joining our board and I'll be pleased if he does so. Not sure how they can join since we have no moderators that still post as far as I can tell. It never occurred to me that no new people could join this board. I logged out and hit the "Register" link and it certainly *looks* like new members could join. Why would a moderator be needed for someone to join?
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Post by tuffett on May 6, 2017 16:10:24 GMT -8
PED posted a chart from June 2016 to today and titled it: Apple outperforms the S&P 500 better than 3 to 1 Yet it still trades like a steel mill on its way out of business. Something's gotta give with the multiple - maybe when the cash is repatriated. I agree a positive tax ruling would help the stock, I actually think a P/E of 17-18 is rather fair for Apple. Until they can show more steady growth do they really deserve a multiple of 20+? We've all seen how volatile their sales and products can be - look at iPhone in China or the entire iPad line. I don't agree that AAPL should half the valuation of GOOGL, but I do think GOOGL should be higher than AAPL. It's growing faster, more consistently and has a less risky business model. For all the fuss about ad blocking and reducing Google's presence on the iPhone, it seems to have had very little financial impact. The market as a whole is overvalued, IMO.
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Post by phoebear611 on May 6, 2017 16:12:53 GMT -8
I don't think you need a moderator in order to join. Originally several of us were part of the the other apple finance board but there were issues there and Lovey (Monica) opened this board and asked me as well as Maverick, I believe, to let the others know. I began IM'ing them in order to let them know we had opened the board here and many moved over. That was several years ago. I know Maverick posts every now and then still...but I'm pretty sure you can still join if you so desire.
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Post by hledgard on May 7, 2017 3:42:41 GMT -8
Thanks LuckChoices ! It would be a real help to have more members. I love this board and would love to see it grow.
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benoir
fire starter
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Posts: 1,318
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Post by benoir on May 7, 2017 5:05:19 GMT -8
Thanks LuckChoices ! It would be a real help to have more members. I love this board and would love to see it grow. where are some of the old ones…. Tommo, Wheels(Big Bird), Burgess, iPad. I saw cranky old Thurrman posting somewhere else recently… he was good value… a little cantankerous, but good value. We need more JD invective to liven up this place… and to balance we also need Firestorm. (Come, on we all know deep down you are bromancin’) Yes it is strange that AAPL is up, has a respectable PE and momentum, but there is little action here. Is it easy to find this place? I am here from AFB1, but how do you find AFB2 without launch pad like TMO?
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Post by rickag on May 7, 2017 6:35:50 GMT -8
Not sure how they can join since we have no moderators that still post as far as I can tell. It never occurred to me that no new people could join this board. I logged out and hit the "Register" link and it certainly *looks* like new members could join. Why would a moderator be needed for someone to join? View AttachmentNot sure how I thought that, my mistake.
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Post by Luckychoices on May 7, 2017 8:13:31 GMT -8
It never occurred to me that no new people could join this board. I logged out and hit the "Register" link and it certainly *looks* like new members could join. Why would a moderator be needed for someone to join? Not sure how I thought that, my mistake. No problem, rickag. If that's your first mistake this year, you're doing way, way, way better than me. :-)
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Post by phoebear611 on May 7, 2017 10:45:30 GMT -8
Looks like Macron sealed the deal and won the election over in France. I hope it continues to lift our (the U.S.) market somewhat although I'm not expecting any huge rally given that it was expected. Guess we'll see.
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Post by BillH on May 7, 2017 10:47:28 GMT -8
As many on the board know I built a new house last year. At the time I explored all of the products Apple had in their "Home Kit" bundle and decided to go another route .... I went with Control4 and have been very happy. Today while out, I picked up a $49 Amazon Echo to use ....out of the box it will link with my Control4 interface and allow me to turn on/off lights, dim lights, turn up/down thermostat and with the help of my dealer can be programmed to do many other things. So far I have the Echo dot set up in the Kitchen (we have a very open floor plan) and I've been asking it for things all day ... I have to say I'm simply blown away by how accurate and fast it is. I'm not sure why this works so much better than Siri ... maybe it's got a better connection ? In any case, I wish Apple would have built something like this as I feel this could really end up being the brain of my house ! Just another ball that Apple has dropped in house automation .... I've heard rumblings that a stand alone SIRI product was in the works so I sure hope they come up with something that surpasses this and fast as I really feel this will be a very important segment in the coming years. Cheers to the longs! EDIT: Just added my Rachio sprinkler to the Alexa's "skills" .... I can now ask Alexa to water specific zones of the yard! I LOVE Technology!!!! ANOTHER EDIT: Just added my Nest thermostats .... it's so simple it's scary and it works like a champ!!!! I'm thrilled but bummed at the same time as Apple should have had a product that did this years ago. Someone with a deeper understanding and better communication skills may come along to respond to this but in short form here's my take. Siri is an attempt at artificial intelligence that hopes to take questions (phrased properly or not) and understand the context and implication of the question before providing an answer. I've read a few articles in the past about how insanely difficult this is to do and can provide no insight as to how one may go about that but understand how powerful that might be if they're ever able to accomplish it. Just in the past week I saw a reference to how Echo goes about what they do. They literally have many someones that programs every single query that someone may ask to accomplish the task at hand. If you ask a question they've thought of to answer you're golden. If not...,it's lost on echo. This gives echo and google an advantage in the short term. We'll have to see how the long game plays out.
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Post by gtrplyr on May 7, 2017 11:20:53 GMT -8
Bill, you are absolutely correct. I just linked the echo with my Control4 system and am in the process of setting up lighting automation, in doing so I'm learning that things have to be phrased EXACTLY or it will not work .... interesting to read your post as I'm having to memorize the phrases needed to get something to work. I can see how that would easier to program short term as you say ... let's hope SIRI's intelligence shows itself very soon. I have to say , I've asked ALEXA so many things and her batting average is pretty high .... wonder if there is a way to incorporate this technology into SIRI while she is also learning ... in other words maybe SIRI can work on several different layers in order to understand a command.
In any case, I'm hoping this echo is only in my house for a few months ... as soon as a SIRI solution is available I'll be buying.
Cheers to the longs ....
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bud777
fire starter
Posts: 1,352
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Post by bud777 on May 7, 2017 11:53:03 GMT -8
If I were using an ECHO, I am paranoid enough to believe that everything I am saying is being recorded and scanned for advertising purposes just like the way gmail is used. It is simple enough to test. Pick something that you would never, ever buy or have an interest in and make sure that you include that in your conversation when you are near the ECHO. If you begin to see ads for it, bingo. And let us know what happens. Obviously, there are more nefarious implications to this. BBIAW.
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Post by incorrigible on May 7, 2017 12:42:32 GMT -8
I've given up on Siri myself. I'll get a text from my wife while driving and see it on the screen. I'll ask "Hey Siri - Reply I'll be home in a bit". Siri asks "Who should I reply to? Who do you think you dumb bitch. :/ How about the person who just texted me. Really?
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Post by gtrplyr on May 7, 2017 13:29:44 GMT -8
I've given up on Siri myself. I'll get a text from my wife while driving and see it on the screen. I'll ask "Hey Siri - Reply I'll be home in a bit". Siri asks "Who should I reply to? Who do you think you dumb bitch. :/ How about the person who just texted me. Really? In all fairness, all you have to do is tell SIRI to text "whomever" .... I've had very good luck with that. As far as echo listening to everything I'm saying I'd say it's no worse than surfing the net .... but that's yet another reason to love Apple as they are very respectful of privacy. Like I said ... the day a SIRI box is out that will integrate with my home automation systems I'm in. Cheers to the longs .... BTW with the outcome of the French elections are we expecting a rally tomorrow ? I'm sure you could say it's already priced in as this was the expected outcome but I'd argue that after last Nov I don't have any faith in polls or pundits.
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Post by phoebear611 on May 7, 2017 14:43:40 GMT -8
I've given up on Siri myself. I'll get a text from my wife while driving and see it on the screen. I'll ask "Hey Siri - Reply I'll be home in a bit". Siri asks "Who should I reply to? Who do you think you dumb bitch. :/ How about the person who just texted me. Really? I feel your pain. I may not be the absolute best public speaker on the face of the earth but I have spoken publicly many times and done numerous presentations. I bring this up because I have never received any criticism about my diction or whether or not I am articulate. AND YET .... whenever I speak to Siri I get the most ridiculous responses as to what she/he thinks I'm saying. Add that to voicing a text or email - it's fodder for it going viral as something hysterical that someone texts erroneously but sounds similar which many of you have seen on funny sites. I don't know WTF I'm doing wrong but I have solace in that it often happens to my husband and kids as well.
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Post by aaplcrazie on May 7, 2017 15:17:33 GMT -8
I've given up on Siri myself. I'll get a text from my wife while driving and see it on the screen. I'll ask "Hey Siri - Reply I'll be home in a bit". Siri asks "Who should I reply to? Who do you think you dumb bitch. :/ How about the person who just texted me. Really? . Yah having spent quite a bit of time recently on the Road I share your pain. Certainly annoying when Siri does not get context, or having to repeat oneself. Also sometimes she will get meaning and context right off the bat but then when you ask the same thing a little later she has no clue. I was wondering if anyone has any experience using a CarPlay deck and if it makes a difference in terms of the Siri car experiance?
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Post by Luckychoices on May 7, 2017 20:24:29 GMT -8
I just added yet another Seeking Alpha article link to the Apple/Apple News section. This article deals with the author's high regard for Alexa and low regard for Siri.
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