chinacat
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AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on Nov 2, 2019 5:59:17 GMT -8
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4aapl
Moderator
Posts: 3,625
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Post by 4aapl on Nov 2, 2019 6:48:25 GMT -8
Costco is going to have some great priced Apple stuff. In general they are a few bucks less (say $50-100 on a $1k item) for their everyday prices, plus you get the longer warranty. Sold! But in their ad they have several MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, and the iMac. There's an older MacBook Air selling for $600 I believe, but it has a 4th gen processor. But a 13" MB Pro and a 27" iMac, for $300 and $400 total off of Apple's normal prices, seem nice. That's $1k and $1300, both with 8th gen i5's in them. The iMac is upgradable, and will replace my old core2duo 24" iMac. We bought a MacBook Air for my wife last year on the same sale, as $200 or more off. There are some deals out there. It's not the best to overbuy, but if it helps get you a good deal on something you are ready to upgrade or dip into, then maybe. The watches are still something we talk about, but haven't really felt we needed. Same with the AirPods. But maybe this will be the year to surprise a little...
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Post by BillH on Nov 2, 2019 8:16:54 GMT -8
I'll throw in the HomePod @ $229.00 from OWC. Down from $299.00 I believe it's the most unappreciated product that Apple makes. Stunned at the quality of sound they delivered out of such a small inconspicuous package. Love ours. eshop.macsales.com/search/?q=homepod
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Post by firestorm on Nov 2, 2019 9:00:32 GMT -8
I sometimes buy Apple stuff from B&H PhotoVideo out of NYC. Their credit card's deal is that they will immediately pay the sales tax on any item you buy, which amounts to a 10% savings for me, since I live in a high sales tax state. It worked out better than Costco for purchasing a recent iMac, even though Costco had a slightly better initial price.
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chinacat
Moderator
AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on Nov 2, 2019 9:49:16 GMT -8
I'll throw in the HomePod @ $229.00 from OWC. Down from $299.00 I believe it's the most unappreciated product that Apple makes. Stunned at the quality of sound they delivered out of such a small inconspicuous package. Love ours. eshop.macsales.com/search/?q=homepodAnything to report about iOS 13 on HomePod?
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JDSoCal
Member
Aspiring oligarch
Posts: 4,182
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Post by JDSoCal on Nov 2, 2019 10:37:48 GMT -8
I sometimes buy Apple stuff from B&H PhotoVideo out of NYC. Their credit card's deal is that they will immediately pay the sales tax on any item you buy, which amounts to a 10% savings for me, since I live in a high sales tax state. It worked out better than Costco for purchasing a recent iMac, even though Costco had a slightly better initial price. If there were only some sort of civic activity that citizens could exercise that could change such high tax policies. 🤷🏻♂️
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ono
Member
compensation
Posts: 537
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Post by ono on Nov 2, 2019 11:00:06 GMT -8
Mine updated to 13.2.1 (the fixed build after 13.2 reportedly bricked a number). I haven't tried the new features, so nothing to report.
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Post by gtrplyr on Nov 2, 2019 11:54:18 GMT -8
I sometimes buy Apple stuff from B&H PhotoVideo out of NYC. Their credit card's deal is that they will immediately pay the sales tax on any item you buy, which amounts to a 10% savings for me, since I live in a high sales tax state. It worked out better than Costco for purchasing a recent iMac, even though Costco had a slightly better initial price. If there were only some sort of civic activity that citizens could exercise that could change such high tax policies. 🤷🏻♂️ For once we agree JD ... too bad the only people getting a break are corporations and Billionaires ..... if only
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JDSoCal
Member
Aspiring oligarch
Posts: 4,182
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Post by JDSoCal on Nov 2, 2019 13:14:15 GMT -8
If there were only some sort of civic activity that citizens could exercise that could change such high tax policies. 🤷🏻♂️ For once we agree JD ... too bad the only people getting a break are corporations and Billionaires ..... if only Oh, don’t worry, I totally get it; you are generous with *other people’s* money. 💸 Problem is, you eventually run out of it. And, as you demonstrate with your own tax avoidance on Apple purchases, higher tax rates can lead to *less* actual government revenues. www.wsj.com/articles/top-20-of-americans-will-pay-87-of-income-tax-1523007001
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Post by firestorm on Nov 2, 2019 16:14:46 GMT -8
I sometimes buy Apple stuff from B&H PhotoVideo out of NYC. Their credit card's deal is that they will immediately pay the sales tax on any item you buy, which amounts to a 10% savings for me, since I live in a high sales tax state. It worked out better than Costco for purchasing a recent iMac, even though Costco had a slightly better initial price. If there were only some sort of civic activity that citizens could exercise that could change such high tax policies. 🤷🏻♂️ Each of us strives to maximize our money. In my case, I live in a state with no income tax, so sales taxes are necessarily higher. I guess I could vote to bring a state income tax, because that could lower the sales tax ... wait, I already did that, but it failed. It is really funny here to hear the right-wing whining that it's not fair to the poor to have such a high sales tax because it is so regressive.
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chinacat
Moderator
AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on Nov 2, 2019 16:58:29 GMT -8
Ok, gentlemen, no Apple angle here. Let’s get back on track.
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chinacat
Moderator
AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on Nov 3, 2019 8:24:45 GMT -8
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Post by longsince98 on Nov 3, 2019 14:44:46 GMT -8
Ok, gentlemen, no Apple angle here. Let’s get back on track. This was excellent moderating - thank you Chinacat
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Post by Luckychoices on Nov 3, 2019 15:34:33 GMT -8
I'm a big fan of the Apple Card. For my wife and myself, it's the #1 card in our iPhone Wallets and not just because of the instant 2-3% cash back. We also appreciate the ability to see where you've used your card without logging onto a site. I got an email this morning telling me that my October statement was ready to view and that the payment was due on November 30th. We pay most of our bills online, when possible, but this one was even easier. All I had to do to pay the bill is follow the simple instructions given in the email: =================== You can view your statement balance or pay your bill by tapping Apple Card in your Wallet App. To view a PDF of your statement, tap Apple Card in your Wallet app, tap Total Balance, and tap the month. =================== I've included a screen shot of the screens I saw as I payed my bill. Easy Peasy.
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4aapl
Moderator
Posts: 3,625
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Post by 4aapl on Nov 3, 2019 19:41:33 GMT -8
Hanging out in Cupertino, ehhh? I might have said it before, but I got the Apple card to buy the iPhone 11, just before a trip to Europe. I hadn't used it before, but tried it out at a few places in Europe, after seeing that basically all of their CC machines were touch-less. Buying a beer and a few Apples (yep, more packable, and also delicious) at the SPAR grocery store, and then getting the update from Apple the next time I had internet access, at the converted rate, worked pretty well. I just made my first payment, along with setting up autopay. Truthfully, it wasn't super intuitive (paying was ok, but autopay was an extra step, though not hard), but the email told you where to go. But I just set up autopay on our last two utilities that weren't, and it was about the same. But still a tiny tiny bit more difficult than other CC's, including the Amazon card I set up a month ago. FWIW, Costco, Trader Joes, and Raleys take ApplePay (according to a quick Google search last night), whereas Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart and Sams Club don't, and will likely be delayed further since they initially went with a different payment choice. Thanks all! We had a busy Soccer Weekend, with warm and sunburn inducing weather during the day, but icy 18° mornings down in Carson City for the big tournament. I hear MTB conditions are ideal, and this is the last time to get it in, as the snow normally sticks for the season within a month from now. Apple, OTOH, tends to rock it out this season. Keep it up! I know we have a few Apple purchases on our mind this year.
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Post by Luckychoices on Nov 3, 2019 22:53:37 GMT -8
I have no idea whether AAPL will be going up further this week or pulling back a little but before we start commenting that Apple has no chance of success with their TV venture, I think it's worthwhile to revisit the Daring Fireball column for November, 2006. Palm CEO Ed Colligan’s Head Seems to be Stuck Somewhere========================== Sarah Jane Tribble and Dean Takahashi, reporting for the San Jose Mercury News on Palm CEO Ed Colligan’s remarks two weeks ago regarding Apple’s prospects in the mobile phone market:
Responding to questions from New York Times correspondent John Markoff at a Churchill Club breakfast gathering Thursday morning, Colligan laughed off the idea that any company — including the wildly popular Apple Computer — could easily win customers in the finicky smart-phone sector.
“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,” he said. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”
I saw this last week, and it took me until today to stop laughing and try to figure out a way to write about it. It’s a simple little three-sentence quote, but I’m not sure what I like best about it.
Is it the way he describes Apple as “PC guys”? As in like, These guys just make computers, they don’t understand the nuances of user interface and experience design, especially with regard, to, uh, handheld consumer electronics. Nope, no handheld consumer electronics expertise at Apple. By the way, let me show you how my Treo can play MP3s!
Or is it the fact that Palm is using Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS on some of its Treo phones? Apple, they’re just “PC guys”, but Microsoft, they’re connoisseurs of elegant UI design, apparently.
No, no. What I like best is where Colligan says Palm has “struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone.” Isn’t it possible that, if Apple is indeed entering the mobile phone market, that Apple has also struggled with the problem for a few years? It’s just that Apple hasn’t been selling their less-than-decent designs along the way, like Palm has. (It’s also certainly the case that an Apple phone would aspire to something better than “decent”.)
The article continues:
What if Steve Jobs’ company did bring an iPod phone to market? Well, it would probably use Wi-Fi technology and could be distributed through the Apple stores and not the carriers like Verizon or Cingular, Colligan theorized.
Perhaps what Colligan was trying to say with his remarks is that he doesn’t believe Apple will actually enter the mobile phone market. That’s certainly possible, as it’s still unclear to me how they can do it without ceding any control whatsoever to the major mobile carriers. The whole point of an Apple phone would be to make something that doesn’t suck and is actually cool; the carriers impose utterly sucky restrictions on every phone they sell. (The idea that Apple could do it using Wi-Fi is a joke — who’d want a cell phone that only works when you’re within a Wi-Fi hotspot? Good luck making a call from your car.)
But that doesn’t seem to be what he’s saying; no, it seems like he was willing to go on the record predicting that, if Apple produces mobile phones, they’re going to have a hard time selling them.
Wait, I’m sorry, I started laughing again.
It’s also possible that Colligan is not so clueless as to believe what he’s saying here. Maybe he’s actually got the night sweats thinking about an Apple-designed Palm-killer. What’s he going to say? “Boy, if Apple produces a cell phone they’re probably going to kick ass”?
If he really believes what he’s saying, it’s probably because he has no clue how Apple would approach this market. An Apple phone wouldn’t do more than a Treo or a BlackBerry or a Razr — it would do less, and what it would do, it would do really well.
Much like Slashdot founder Rob Malda’s day one dismissal of the original iPod — “No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.”1 — an Apple cell phone is sure to be greeted by existing quote-unquote “smartphone” aficionados as utterly underwhelming. It’s hardly got any features! It’s just well-designed!
Meanwhile, the line at your local Apple store will stretch out the entrance and down to the mall’s food court. If they make one.========================== In any case, looking back 13 years at what Ed Colligan was saying about the potential for Apple successfully releasing a phone, I have to say, he sure got it wrong. Whereas, John Gruber was even correct about the lines at the Apple Store for new iPhone releases in the early days. The skeptics about Apple's TV venture *may* be correct, or we may look back a few years down the road and wonder how people couldn't see how Apple would be successful being a latecomer to the TV business.
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benoir
fire starter
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Posts: 1,318
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Post by benoir on Nov 4, 2019 2:18:59 GMT -8
Wonder where since84 is now? Shame he’s not here with us for the ride up... to infinity and beyond. Up $1.50 in the pre-market. Nice
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4aapl
Moderator
Posts: 3,625
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Post by 4aapl on Nov 4, 2019 6:47:03 GMT -8
In any case, looking back 13 years at what Ed Colligan was saying about the potential for Apple successful releasing a phone, I have to say, he sure got it wrong. Whereas, John Gruber was even correct about the lines at the Apple Store for new iPhone releases in the early days. The skeptics about Apple's TV venture *may* be correct, or we may look back a few years down the road and wonder how people couldn't see how Apple would be successful being a latecomer to the TV business. BlueHerring would call that "talking your book", giving the narrative that makes the most sense for your product or portfolio. Just like Mr Dell. And then there's times where everyone is saying the party line. Amazingly, it's been so long that I have trouble remembering what the word always used on Apple, anytime they faltered. I think it started with an A or B. Wow, how times change. And then there's the outliers, who very well are predicting the worse (or best) just to be different. If it happens, suddenly they are the analog to "predictions from the investor who predicted the 2007 crash". There are always naysayers, just like there are people with a more positive and hopeful attitude. Similarly, there are people that just go for it, while others that want to figure things out first. It is good to note those that consistently are the naysayers, and see that their track record might not line up well with the company that goes for it (but with good knowledge and funding), and often does a good job at it.
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Post by BillH on Nov 4, 2019 9:09:12 GMT -8
I believe the word you are looking for is beleaguered.
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mark
fire starter
Posts: 1,552
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Post by mark on Nov 4, 2019 15:30:15 GMT -8
The thing that's MOST interesting is that it doesn't matter if Apple's TV venture is a success or not. The other media companies are defending their existing businesses by creating streaming ventures. Apple, on the other hand, isn't defending any media business, it is simply creating a new business line. If it's a success, they will earn some money from the new business, if it's not a success, well, they won't make any new money, but their existing businesses still roll on. It might even be considered a strategic advantage since Apple now has all the time in the world to prove their new business line.
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4aapl
Moderator
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Post by 4aapl on Nov 9, 2019 13:29:57 GMT -8
I believe the word you are looking for is beleaguered. You're right, that was the grossly overused word I was thinking of. It's nice to have not heard it for a long long time.
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