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Post by mbeauch on Jan 10, 2013 16:54:09 GMT -8
Still pushing CD's, yep, that is forward thinking. People buy cheap stuff from Amazon, that is it. They think they can have an ecosystem built with other peoples' devices. Apple customers are not going to go to Amazon to buy CD's. I have not bought a CD in years and I only buy individual songs, not albums. I do buy movies. I have a couple of Blu-Ray players for sale. ;D
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Mav
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Post by Mav on Jan 10, 2013 16:55:39 GMT -8
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Post by mace on Jan 10, 2013 17:09:35 GMT -8
... By the way, what do you guys recommend regarding BCS near the end? These are my first ever BCSs! Is it better to let them expire, exercise, deliver, etc, or sell just before all that occurs? Do the brokerages generally handle them smoothly or do I need to intervene and do something? A surprise question from a gambler . We went into option trading hoping to risk a small capital for a much larger gain. Your current position is tantamount to risking a large capital for a tiny bit more. I believe in closing the position once 90% of max gain is achieved. IMHO, you've two choices: a. Roll to BCS (Feb $500/$550) or b. Roll to BCS (Jan 14 $600/$650)
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Post by osx10 on Jan 10, 2013 17:18:54 GMT -8
Wow, we got to see green even at close of AH. Headline for a piece that just popped up on Apple Insider said that "Mac shipments decline in US as PC market slows" which is misleading as hell because the next line was PC shipments off 4.5% and Mac's were off 0.2% 0.2% -- Seriously??? I am guessing that the 0.2 is equal to the Standard Deviation on that research. I hesitate to help the click whores, but if you want to see it HEREBTW: Regarding physical CD product music sales, the majority of that number of pieces sold is Country Music sold thru the Wal-Marts/Targets of the world largely in the Midwest & South.
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Post by qualitywte on Jan 10, 2013 17:40:14 GMT -8
fyi........China Mobile stock up 2.53% last night did something leak? I would think leaks/insider trading would be more likely there. Thats very interesting.
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Post by Ultrarunner on Jan 10, 2013 17:45:06 GMT -8
Wait, people still buy CDs? ;D Actually, those of us who like music still do! One on the few things that Apple did that was regressive was getting people to accept music files compressed to 256 kb/sec. When you discard that much music data, the sound quality is mediocre. Maybe not a big deal listening through the crappy earbuds Apple provides, but through good in ear monitors or on a good audio system a large difference. The future for those of us who take music seriously is high-res downloads. Significantly better sounding than CDs and infinitely better sounding that compressed files.
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Post by kloot on Jan 10, 2013 17:51:04 GMT -8
fyi........China Mobile stock up 2.53% last night did something leak? I would think leaks/insider trading would be more likely there. Thats very interesting. am I missing something? AAPL was up big this morning on the same "news." how is it different from what any ticker besides AAPL would have done?
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Post by qualitywte on Jan 10, 2013 17:51:58 GMT -8
This is rather comforting as I have a Jan '13 450-500 BCS that I'm hoping ends at max value next week. Actually I have an order to exit the position at a smidge under $50 that ought to trigger pretty soon. By the way, what do you guys recommend regarding BCS near the end? These are my first ever BCSs! Is it better to let them expire, exercise, deliver, etc, or sell just before all that occurs? Do the brokerages generally handle them smoothly or do I need to intervene and do something? I recommend NOT waiting until near the end. IMHO: close them tomorrow. (I would have closed them last month at the latest.) Take the proceeds and open new JAN'14 BCS. Then, go relax and enjoy your life without this unnecessary stress or risk. I have Jan14 and Jan15 BCS's and I confess Ive been stressing. I have to step back and tell myself, "we will rise again". Then I feel better, need to just be patient.
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Post by rosie on Jan 10, 2013 18:02:39 GMT -8
Straight Talk is another TracFone brand, with two different rate plans, a $30 limited plan and a $45 30-day unlimited plan. Discounts are available for purchasing multiple months of the unlimited plan. Straight Talk is a Mobile Virtual Network operator (MVNO) offering both CDMA and GSM support. The CDMA network uses Verizon's or Sprint's CDMA 1xRTT wireless networks and the GSM side makes use of either T-Mobile's or AT&T's GSM networks." I have a friend who swears by StraightTalk, so I tried it with my old iPhone3g. It worked great as long as I was about 2 miles away from home. they access ATT/Verizon as advertised, but not as fully as being a subscriber to either vendor. But I think it will add a new group of iPhone folks...which is a good thing.
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Post by qualitywte on Jan 10, 2013 18:03:28 GMT -8
the latest negative spin....analyst "grave" concerns now about itune's future threat from amzn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon, taking aim at Apple's dominant iTunes store, on Thursday unveiled a service that it hopes will boost digital music sales and encourage more people to use its Cloud music service. Amazon launched Amazon AutoRip, which gives customers free digital versions of music CDs they purchase from the world's largest Internet retailer. The digital music files are automatically stored in customer libraries in remote datacenters run by Amazon, where they are available to play or download immediately through the company's Cloud Player service, the company said. Amazon customers who have bought AutoRip-eligible CDs at any time since the company started selling discs in 1998 will also get digital versions of that music stored in their Cloud Player libraries for free, the company added Doesn't iTunses match do this?
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Post by rosie on Jan 10, 2013 18:15:41 GMT -8
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Post by appledoc on Jan 10, 2013 18:21:24 GMT -8
iTunes Match is definitely worth the $25 a year.
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Post by mbeauch on Jan 10, 2013 18:28:32 GMT -8
Wait, people still buy CDs? ;D Actually, those of us who like music still do! One on the few things that Apple did that was regressive was getting people to accept music files compressed to 256 kb/sec. When you discard that much music data, the sound quality is mediocre. Maybe not a big deal listening through the crappy earbuds Apple provides, but through good in ear monitors or on a good audio system a large difference. The future for those of us who take music seriously is high-res downloads. Significantly better sounding than CDs and infinitely better sounding that compressed files. I have some pretty nice A/V equipment, sounds fine to me. Better input = better output, but bottom line is that 99% of the population can do just fine with the digital downloads from Apple.
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Mav
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Post by Mav on Jan 10, 2013 18:30:03 GMT -8
Apple does have a lossless codec. If demand for hi-def audio is there, it's a small thing to up the bitrate. Do the people demand bigger-file songs, though? Those Apple caters to, that is.
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Post by applemuncher on Jan 10, 2013 18:54:56 GMT -8
What are the odds Apple is over $600 by Feb options expiration? I say 40%. But I might have my rose colored glasses on.
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Post by mbeauch on Jan 10, 2013 19:07:04 GMT -8
What are the odds Apple is over $600 by Feb options expiration? I say 40%. But I might have my rose colored glasses on. I can give you an answer in two weeks. ;D
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Post by fas550 on Jan 10, 2013 19:08:03 GMT -8
0.2% -- Seriously??? I am guessing that the 0.2 is equal to the Standard Deviation on that research. I hesitate to help the click whores, but if you want to see it HERE LOL now that's funny. Nice catch
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Post by mbeauch on Jan 10, 2013 19:38:11 GMT -8
According to Nielsen data from last week, 200 million of the nearly 320 million albums sold last year were physical CDs (though the disparity is largely in favor of digital when it comes to singles, naturally). It's a shrinking pie, but it's still an addressable one. I think music in the car will be all digital in 10 years. Heck, you can play via Bluetooth now, why bother with a CD? Playlist, albums, artists. Not to mention the digital is cheaper.
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Post by rosie on Jan 10, 2013 19:44:30 GMT -8
According to Nielsen data from last week, 200 million of the nearly 320 million albums sold last year were physical CDs (though the disparity is largely in favor of digital when it comes to singles, naturally). It's a shrinking pie, but it's still an addressable one. I think music in the car will be all digital in 10 years. Heck, you can play via Bluetooth now, why bother with a CD? Playlist, albums, artists. Not to mention the digital is cheaper.
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Post by rosie on Jan 10, 2013 19:48:51 GMT -8
I gave all my cd's away about 4 or 5 years ago after ripping them all to iTunes...my iPod/Phone/connects via a griffin cable to my vehicle sound system. at home I have a logitech system for the Mac and a couple of wireless speakers that work great with the iPad/Phone.
I guess CD's are becoming like vinyl for a lot of people, which is fine. Life is about choices. My choice is usually centered around less clutter and enjoying the freedom that accompanies tech.
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Post by bryanyc on Jan 10, 2013 19:56:53 GMT -8
... By the way, what do you guys recommend regarding BCS near the end? These are my first ever BCSs! Is it better to let them expire, exercise, deliver, etc, or sell just before all that occurs? Do the brokerages generally handle them smoothly or do I need to intervene and do something? A surprise question from a gambler . We went into option trading hoping to risk a small capital for a much larger gain. Your current position is tantamount to risking a large capital for a tiny bit more. I believe in closing the position once 90% of max gain is achieved. IMHO, you've two choices: a. Roll to BCS (Feb $500/$550) or b. Roll to BCS (Jan 14 $600/$650) There are other options. For instance, as you mentioned, you could exercise the option to buy the shares if you have enough money (or sell part of the spread to do so). This would allow you to acquire the shares and not declare gains until you sell (I am unclear if you sell before 1 year if it is long term cost basis or short term- anyone?) I am sitting on a large amount of 400 -500's and I plan to exercise some of them. Will need to sell some in the next week. I have been discussing the situation with my broker and I suggest you do the same. On a side note, holding the spread in the past few months (as opposed to selling it and rolling it into another OTM spread) has not been a good tactic: even as the stock has gone down, the spread, in fits and starts, depending on the (unusually high) IV, has gone up in value, which would not have been the case with the rolled spread (if ATM or OTM)
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Post by prazan on Jan 10, 2013 20:06:19 GMT -8
Regarding Walmart's new iPhone plan, am I correct in thinking that those phones will be activated through Straight Talk/Tracfone onto either the AT&T or VZ networks? So in terms of counting unit sales in the future, we'll still be counting activations only on Sprint, AT&T, VZ, and soon T-Mobile?
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mark
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Post by mark on Jan 10, 2013 20:24:28 GMT -8
If it were me, I would first marvel I kept them that long. I would've sold end of day today. But just me, and it's total non-advice. But purely objectively, how much more water from that stone can you really get? Net credit already almost 48. If you bought them way cheaper a long time ago...well... They were bought in May for a little over 35 net-net. Was aiming for a 40% gain at termination. Keep in mind that in May, 450-500 was a "sure thing" by Jan 2013 and I was planning on holding until the end. I don't know what possessed me to purchase something that was going to be short-term, should have purchased a later dated option to ensure long-term capital gains. I recommend NOT waiting until near the end. IMHO: close them tomorrow. (I would have closed them last month at the latest.) Take the proceeds and open new JAN'14 BCS. Then, go relax and enjoy your life without this unnecessary stress or risk. This sounds like very good advice to me and I believe I will take it. Thank you! All I need is for Europe to blow up again next week, or for some bond rating company to make noises about reducing USA bond rating again. I also have some Feb '13 425-450 BCS. Purchased in Nov/Dec at average price of 21-something. What do I do with those?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2013 21:59:55 GMT -8
I'm reminded of a passage from a late '60s song "Signs", ""can you imagine that?"
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2013 22:03:37 GMT -8
From Travis : 39% of all Apple's call open interest is on the Jan 19th (LEAP) expiry. 1M OI Jan 19 calls vs 2.5M all chains combined. This POS won't do anything until after earnings. 39% is that really accurate? If you don't mind me asking what was your source or how did you get that as that is very useful info in the future? A few of us are working on an App that breaks daily change in OI by Expiry AND Strike. This effort is part of my P/C Ratio analysis (what's the big boys doing with their money?). I received first efforts today.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2013 22:07:40 GMT -8
From theverge.com: In 2010, Mark Hurd resigned as CEO of HP after a sexual harassment scandal and pressure from the board of directors — but according to an HP profile by Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Steve Jobs tried to fight his decision to protect HP's legacy. Three days after Hurd's resignation, he "received an e-mail from Steve Jobs. The Apple founder wanted to know if Hurd needed someone to talk to." In a subsequent conversation, Jobs offered to call up HP's board of directors one by one to convince them to let Hurd return, urging him to reconcile. We've heard previously that Hurd was one of the biggest champions of Palm and webOS, which was positioned as a possible major competitor to Apple's then overwhelmingly dominant iOS. His ouster, however, was similar to Jobs' own 1985 demotion from head of the Macintosh group, which led to his departure from Apple. Even so, his support wasn't primarily for personal reasons. Jobs apparently argued that HP was "essential to a healthy Silicon Valley," and Hurd would be best equipped to save the struggling company. Indeed, HP's performance dropped off sharply after Hurd's departure, for a variety of reasons. Hurd, meanwhile, moved to Oracle, where he remains today as president. Don't be surprised if HP is swallowed lock, stock and barrel, by Oracle. Such a move by Oracle would fit well with the acquisition of Sun. In any event say good-bye to HP. Sad.
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Post by mbeauch on Jan 10, 2013 22:11:32 GMT -8
I'm reminded of a passage from a late '60s song "Signs", ""can you imagine that?" Apple will never sell a cheap product. Here is my thought on China. China has a way of coveting popular items in the US. Status if you will. Why would anyone covet something that is just made for their country? (They wouldn't) China covets the 5 and Apple is going to sell them the 5, CM is coming soon, real soon. The Chinese New Year is Feb 10 this year. How about Jan 25th for a launch? I think that would catch everyone off guard.
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Post by mbeauch on Jan 10, 2013 22:13:16 GMT -8
Don't be surprised if HP is swallowed lock, stock and barrel, by Oracle. Such a move by Oracle would fit well with the acquisition of Sun. In any event say good-bye to HP. Sad. I could see that with Oracle taking HP's place in the DOW.
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Post by mbeauch on Jan 10, 2013 22:32:40 GMT -8
I was going to do my usual and post this link to see how others interpreted, not this time. China is second largest market behind the US per TC. Now this can mean one of two things, Europe has quit buying Apple products, possible I guess, or China has had a really big jump in sales. China had been lumped in with Asia Pacific sales which in Oct held the #3 position. Now if this can be taken literally that China itself has become #2, then wow, gonna be a good quarter. Asia Pacific moving to number 2 was expected, but not right now. I was thinking next quarter. finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-ceo-china-biggest-market-052829553.html
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Mav
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Post by Mav on Jan 10, 2013 22:38:20 GMT -8
It's tough when authoritative translations aren't available. Europe is a kind of a "whatever" market. Important, but "mature" and slowest-growing of all segments. Euro issues probably have something to do with that The Asia/Greater China opportunity is just so enormous. Apple products are deservedly status items all around the world, and it helps that the software is generally so user-friendly (and packed with robust language support). Page 30 of the 2012 10-K says it all. Asia-Pacific sales overtaking the #1 revenue share spot looks much more when than if.
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