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Post by phoebear611 on Jan 13, 2014 4:13:38 GMT -8
Nothing much with respect to the news outlets. There seems to be some very positive buzz about the new iPad Air ad that launched yesterday and was mentioned on the weekend thread. Woz seems to be out in Asia making appearances with Xiaomi (Chinese company referred to by the Chinese press as the Apple of the East - yeah sure). There are days that I like Woz and feel for him as someone who co-founded the best company in the world and was slighted along the way.....and then there are days that I see him as an old fool/clown. Today is the latter for sure. There isn't much other than the usual weekly economic numbers this week....nothing earth shattering. The buzz about retail and credit card security continues on most media outlets. Also, given that we are officially in earnings season - we have lots of banks reporting this week. Not seeing any big tech names. Enjoy the week.
Oh and we are up over +2 in PM...but remember, it's all about the close.
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Post by Lstream on Jan 13, 2014 5:25:17 GMT -8
I enter this Board by the "New Posts" link. The stock ticker does not show up there. Can that be fixed?
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Post by greyfox15 on Jan 13, 2014 5:27:17 GMT -8
Today's NY Times BANGALORE, India — After deliberating for months, Abhilash Sathyendra, a 25-year-old equity adviser in Mysore, India, bought his first Apple phone. He paid 9,000 rupees, or $150, upfront for a black iPhone 4s and swiped his credit card for the remainder, six no-interest monthly payments of $62.50.
“I’ve used Android phones forever, but the iPhone is hardier and makes a social statement,” said Mr. Sathyendra, whose new phone has become a conversation opener with clients. “I think I look, not wow, but cool and corporate,” he said.
Indians use the monthly payments, called equated monthly installments, to buy a variety of products and services, like branded jeans and cosmetic dental treatments. That Apple used this method too clinched it for him. “E.M.I.’s make the iPhone affordable to Indians like me,” said Mr. Sathyendra, who takes home a salary of $400 a month.
In 2013, Apple wakened to the potential of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market. India also happens to be the second-largest mobile market, with 800 million active users. “Apple sees that the market is at a takeoff point. Sales numbers could get serious within a year or two,” said Anshul Gupta, a Mumbai-based principal analyst for mobile devices at the research firm Gartner. Apple’s shipments have doubled from 2012 and will surpass a million phones in 2013, Mr. Gupta said.
In a price-sensitive country where multinational corporations sell bottles of soda for 16 cents, pizzas for 75 cents and burger meals for $1.40, basic cellphones have dominated the landscape. Smartphone penetration is less than 20 percent of the phone-using public. But a combination of falling prices, fast 3G speeds and a thriving app ecosystem is fueling the adoption at ripping speeds.
Shipments more than doubled, to 41.4 million, last year, according to IDC, a market research firm. The smartphone market grew by 229 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2013, and IDC projects shipments will exceed 129 million by 2015.
With that kind of energy, this is a market where Apple can no longer afford to be a fringe player, selling to an elite few and losing out to pushy rivals. It is also a market where 80 percent of smartphones sell in the range of $70 to $200, said Mr. Gupta, the Gartner analyst. High prices have kept Apple at the tail of the top 10 brands by sales, way behind No. 1 Samsung, which sells more than three-quarters of its phones for less than $400, and No. 2 Micromax of India, whose most expensive phone is $350. The cheapest iPhone costs about $525 in India.
To draw young buyers and increase its volume and market share, Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., offered a number of enticements besides the payment plan. Full front-page newspaper ads and TV commercials in recent months offered bonuses for trading in certain old phones and multiple deals, but with a single carrier so far. Wary of the inevitable branding-versus-pricing dilemma, Apple carefully couched these offers to not look like discounts.
“Apple has shown great agility in their India strategy all through 2013,” said Manasi Yadav, a Bangalore-based senior mobile industry analyst with IDC India.
Making the phones cheaper, without appearing to be cheap, is enticing a new category of young, brand-conscious Indians, like Chaithra Nayak, to switch to the more expensive iPhones. Ms. Nayak, 24, who studies in the bustling coastal city of Mangalore, took six months to persuade her parents to get her an iPhone. Her father, a businessman, eventually buckled when she told him she could trade in her old Sony smartphone for a discount of 13,000 rupees, or $216, on the iPhone 5c, which costs 41,900 rupees, or $698.
“When I use my blue-colored iPhone, I draw attention,” Ms. Nayak said.
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Alongside the promotional offers, Apple has widened distribution channels, especially in second-tier Indian cities. Anith Prakash, 26, a sales executive at a premium Apple reseller, iPlanet, in a popular Mysore mall, can vouch for the results. In the city, which neighbors the technology hub of Bangalore, the store jostles with outlets of Puma and Levi’s in the mall.
“A lot of younger, first-time customers are attracted to the offers,” said Mr. Prakash, who added that the store had a 40 percent increase in sales in the past few months.
“The trade-in and E.M.I. offers are getting an excellent response,” he said. “Many are combining both, then the price does not pinch very hard.”
Buyers, long accustomed to paying a phone’s full price, got the first taste of carrier bundling, a sweetener that has been wildly popular in Western markets, when Reliance Communications of Mumbai began the promotion in Mumbai and Delhi. “It is a zero-bill, peace-of-mind plan that makes every Indian’s affordable iPhone dream come true,” the company’s chief executive, Gurdeep Singh, said.
Mapping a pricing-versus-branding strategy for India has been tricky for Apple’s executives. (Apple declined to comment for this article.) The initial reaction to the iPhone 5 was tepid. Contrary to the prerelease buzz that some phones would be priced for “emerging markets,” Apple breached yet another Indian smartphone pricing barrier of 70,000 rupees: The top-end iPhone 5s costs 71,000 rupees, or $1,180.
Mobile Unlocked’s iPhone 5s price index, which compares affordability of the phone relative to a country’s per capita income, finds that it is least affordable in India. The $759 price of the iPhone 5s is 22 percent of India’s per capita gross domestic product, compared with 1.37 percent of per capita G.D.P. in the United States and 10 percent in China.
Not unexpectedly, buyers in India were put off. Mr. Prakash, who sold Nokia devices for two years before joining the iPlanet store 18 months ago, said: “Nokia’s entry-level phones cost 2,000 rupees. For that amount, you can only buy iPhone screen protectors and protective cases in our store.”
In Mysore, Mr. Sathyendra coveted the iPhone 5s but had to pay more than a month’s earnings even for the cheaper 4s he eventually settled for. But others balk at the high price. Shashidhar Sathyanarayan, a 46-year-old software entrepreneur based in Bangalore, said he was happy with his Samsung smartphone. “It is criminal to spend 45,000 rupees for a brand name; only those who want to project a ‘happening’ image will pay,” he said.
Apple’s high-priced phones are no competition for the country’s top brands, Samsung and Micromax. Samsung controls 33 percent of the smartphone market, and Micromax has 17 percent, according to IDC. Both blanket the market each year with several offerings for every price band.
“Micromax is giving India what it wants: more bang for the buck,” Rahul Sharma, its co-founder and chief executive, said in a phone interview. “Most Indians don’t walk into a store asking for a smartphone; they go, “Bhaiyya, isme chat chalega?” (“Brother, will the chat apps work on this phone?”)
The five-year-old Micromax, which is backed by the private equity firm Sequoia Capital, among others, sold 2.2 million smartphones in the quarter that ended in September, compared with 300,000 smartphones in the same quarter the previous year. It is set to surpass $1 billion in sales in the fiscal year that ends in March 2014. Apple’s numbers are “unimpressive” and its phones are overpriced, Mr. Sharma said.
What ought to make Apple executives uneasy is that competition is building in the premium segment. Even Micromax, known primarily for its low-priced phones, is looking to invade iPhone’s territory.
“We are going up notch by notch,” Mr. Sharma said. “We are changing the tonality and cool factor of the brand.”
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Post by macwire on Jan 13, 2014 6:26:03 GMT -8
Aaplsoft
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Post by artman1033 on Jan 13, 2014 7:27:17 GMT -8
Hmmm. Can someone do the math? They said because Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, the latest versions of its smartphone models, and the iPad Air and the new iPad mini, its newest tablet models, during the quarter, that lifted Hon Hai's shipments in the three-month period, particularly in December. Apple accounts for more than 40 percent of Hon Hai's total sales, a market estimate showed. In December, Hon Hai posted NT$490.93 billion (US$16.36 billion) in consolidated sales, up 7.61 percent from a month earlier and also up 18.87 percent from a year earlier. The December sales hit a record monthly high in Hon Hai's history. On the back of a strong showing in December, Hon Hai's consolidated sales for the fourth quarter also hit a high of NT$1.33 trillion, up 44.64 percent from the third quarter, marking the third time the company reported quarterly revenue at a level of more than NT$1 trillion. www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia-taiwan/2014/01/12/398168/Hon-Hai.htm
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 8:13:44 GMT -8
Hmmm. Can someone do the math? They said because Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, the latest versions of its smartphone models, and the iPad Air and the new iPad mini, its newest tablet models, during the quarter, that lifted Hon Hai's shipments in the three-month period, particularly in December. Apple accounts for more than 40 percent of Hon Hai's total sales, a market estimate showed. In December, Hon Hai posted NT$490.93 billion (US$16.36 billion) in consolidated sales, up 7.61 percent from a month earlier and also up 18.87 percent from a year earlier. The December sales hit a record monthly high in Hon Hai's history. On the back of a strong showing in December, Hon Hai's consolidated sales for the fourth quarter also hit a high of NT$1.33 trillion, up 44.64 percent from the third quarter, marking the third time the company reported quarterly revenue at a level of more than NT$1 trillion. www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia-taiwan/2014/01/12/398168/Hon-Hai.htmGood news...maybe that's why we're up? Or maybe we just need to close the week for max pain?
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Post by rickag on Jan 13, 2014 8:28:39 GMT -8
Hmmm. Can someone do the math? They said because Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, the latest versions of its smartphone models, and the iPad Air and the new iPad mini, its newest tablet models, during the quarter, that lifted Hon Hai's shipments in the three-month period, particularly in December. Apple accounts for more than 40 percent of Hon Hai's total sales, a market estimate showed. In December, Hon Hai posted NT$490.93 billion (US$16.36 billion) in consolidated sales, up 7.61 percent from a month earlier and also up 18.87 percent from a year earlier. The December sales hit a record monthly high in Hon Hai's history. On the back of a strong showing in December, Hon Hai's consolidated sales for the fourth quarter also hit a high of NT$1.33 trillion, up 44.64 percent from the third quarter, marking the third time the company reported quarterly revenue at a level of more than NT$1 trillion. www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia-taiwan/2014/01/12/398168/Hon-Hai.htmBecause we all know that all of Hon Hai's increased consolidated sales came from Apple, then: 40%(Apple's % of sales) times X = 44.64% (4th quarter increase YOY) then X = 111.6 % increase in Apple sales logically then since Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones in last years 4th calendar quarter: X divided by 47.8 million iPhones = 111.6 % then X = 53.3 million additional iPhones sold for a total of 101.1 million iPhones sold. Woohoo Humor aside, this does indicate we may get very good guidance for FQ 2 14 from Apple.
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chinacat
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Post by chinacat on Jan 13, 2014 9:01:56 GMT -8
Wow, AAPL up almost 2% this morning, yet crickets in the forum! Wonder if Proboards realizes the havoc they have wrought with the "upgrade." Meanwhile...an interesting counterpoint for the China naysayers in a letter to PED from a US expat in South Korea.
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Post by mcharliem on Jan 13, 2014 9:19:40 GMT -8
For those of you still worried about a 500 pin on Friday, the 490/500/510 butterfly is priced at 5 cents right now. If 500 hits, that's a 20,000% return.
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Post by Red Shirted Ensign on Jan 13, 2014 9:52:06 GMT -8
For those of you still worried about a 500 pin on Friday, the 490/500/510 butterfly is priced at 5 cents right now. If 500 hits, that's a 20,000% return. For those of you still worried about a 500 pin on Friday, the 490/500/510 butterfly is priced at 5 cents right now. If 500 hits, that's a 20,000% return. For those of you still worried about a 500 pin on Friday, the 490/500/510 butterfly is priced at 5 cents right now. If 500 hits, that's a 20,000% return. I wonder about 550.....that seems the toughest target to overcome. 500? Meh....I entered some February 530/540 bps at today's open. Seems the selloff was vastly overdone and with no news from Apple before the open today, we live with what we know until late January. China mobile anticipation should build this week, but I've said that for too long.
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chinacat
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Post by chinacat on Jan 13, 2014 10:19:35 GMT -8
WSJ notes that Apple Devices Flow Into Corporate World"Apple laptops spread quickly after Cisco gave employees the option to switch from Windows-based laptops. Today, one-fourth of Cisco's company-provided laptops—roughly 35,000—are Apple MacBooks. Macs cost more than PCs, a hurdle for Apple in the past. After taking into account factors like maintenance and support, Sheila Jordan, a Cisco senior vice president, said the costs end up about even over the life of the machine." The numbers are still relatively small, but the trend is unmistakeable. "People start with the iPhone. It's the tip of the spear," said Chip Pearson, chief executive of JAMF Software LLC, which helps businesses deploy Apple products. JAMF says its software manages five times as many as Apple phones, tablets and computers as three years ago."
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JDSoCal
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Post by JDSoCal on Jan 13, 2014 11:48:12 GMT -8
For those of you still worried about a 500 pin on Friday, the 490/500/510 butterfly is priced at 5 cents right now. If 500 hits, that's a 20,000% return. Only about ~11,000 delta between 500 calls and puts, which isn't that much for a LEAP. Doubt it can move the stock $35 in 4-5 days, but we'll see... Now those 550's, well I wouldn't expect a 550.XX+ close on Friday. I know you don't believe in this pain stuff, but I appreciate you playing along.
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Post by mcharliem on Jan 13, 2014 11:59:48 GMT -8
For those of you still worried about a 500 pin on Friday, the 490/500/510 butterfly is priced at 5 cents right now. If 500 hits, that's a 20,000% return. Only about ~11,000 delta between 500 calls and puts, which isn't that much for a LEAP. Doubt it can move the stock $35 in 4-5 days, but we'll see... Now those 550's, well I wouldn't expect a 550.XX+ close on Friday. I know you don't believe in this pain stuff, but I appreciate you playing along. Hey those 5 cent butterflies are now worth 13 cents. I think a 500 pin is unlikely, but I think it was significantly more likely than 200 to 1 odds.
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Post by archibaldtuttle on Jan 13, 2014 12:10:46 GMT -8
AAPL's timing really sucks. Just as it shows sign of life during a crucial juncture, the market takes a whoosh down.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 12:22:08 GMT -8
Sold the last of my Jan 2013 LEAPs at $539, and bought some weekly 530/520 put spreads for this weeks likely tank into Fridays close.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 12:22:46 GMT -8
Only about ~11,000 delta between 500 calls and puts, which isn't that much for a LEAP. Doubt it can move the stock $35 in 4-5 days, but we'll see... Now those 550's, well I wouldn't expect a 550.XX+ close on Friday. I know you don't believe in this pain stuff, but I appreciate you playing along. Hey those 5 cent butterflies are now worth 13 cents. I think a 500 pin is unlikely, but I think it was significantly more likely than 200 to 1 odds. Agree.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 12:44:26 GMT -8
Interesting afternoon report:
"Apple, Cirrus Logic rally after iPhone/iPad supplier reports strong sales • 2:03 PM
* iPhone/iPad power management IC supplier Dialog Semi (DLGNF), which receives over 70% of its sales from Apple (AAPL +1.2%), has reported preliminary Q4 revenue of $352M (+31% Y/Y). That handily beats prior guidance of $310M, which itself was above a previous forecast of $270M-$295M. Shares rose 7.4% in Frankfurt. * Apple is trading higher following Dialog's announcement, as is Cirrus Logic (CRUS +2.8%), a chipmaker just as dependent on Apple as Dialog. * Dialog's numbers are overshadowing a downbeat note from Cleveland Research regarding early China Mobile (CHL -0.8%) iPhone demand. Cleveland says its checks point to disappointing China Mobile pre-registrations, and lead it to think the carrier will sell only 10M iPhones in 2014 (below peer estimates of 15M-30M). * Wedge Partners has also provided cautious commentary about China Mobile's iPhone pre-registrations. The world's biggest carrier begins selling the iPhone on Friday."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 13:00:27 GMT -8
Good close with volume!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 13:06:10 GMT -8
Google bought Nest for 3.2B...sounds like something Apple should have bought, again
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 13:15:11 GMT -8
Good move by google into home automation. Just rewards for Tony Fadell as well.
Will be interesting to see if Nest products remain in the Apple retail stores.
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Post by zzmac on Jan 13, 2014 13:23:46 GMT -8
Good move by google into home automation. Just rewards for Tony Fadell as well. Will be interesting to see if Nest products remain in the Apple retail stores. They needed room for the iWatch.
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Post by mstrmac on Jan 13, 2014 13:30:00 GMT -8
Nest 2nd generation still has its problems
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 13:32:18 GMT -8
So did the 2nd geneneration iPhone...
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Post by archibaldtuttle on Jan 13, 2014 13:37:13 GMT -8
Expensive price, to be sure. Apple has never made an acquisition that large.
But I think the biggest danger to Apple from this acquisition is the talent going to Google. Nest is a very well designed piece of hardware; definitely Apple-like, from the packaging to the UI.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 13:40:35 GMT -8
Expensive price, to be sure. Apple has never made an acquisition that large. But I think the biggest danger to Apple from this acquisition is the talent going to Google. Nest is a very well designed piece of hardware; definitely Apple-like, from the packaging to the UI. It's expensive to you or I...but it's a few weeks of profit for Apple. Didn't the people who started Nest work at Apple before? Maybe they left Apple for a reason?
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Post by mstrmac on Jan 13, 2014 13:43:47 GMT -8
So did the 2nd geneneration iPhone... not a good comparative. Read reviews on amazon
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2014 13:48:49 GMT -8
So did the 2nd geneneration iPhone... not a good comparative. Read reviews on amazon Well more than 60% are 5 Star Reviews...15% are 1 Star reviews. There are always going to be problems with new technology...does it have issues, of course. But a lot of people seem to love it.
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Mav
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Post by Mav on Jan 13, 2014 14:03:35 GMT -8
Could be a good buy for Google.
Fadell was good for Apple. Got a very nice return on his time and effort for Nest.
Far as AAPL, wake me up next time there's China Mobile news, or for earnings...
Funny, China Mobile DOES launch iPhone in like 3 days.
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Post by mstrmac on Jan 13, 2014 14:16:54 GMT -8
not a good comparative. Read reviews on amazon Well more than 60% are 5 Star Reviews...15% are 1 Star reviews. There are always going to be problems with new technology...does it have issues, of course. But a lot of people seem to love it. Yes but the Honeywell is a good option. I opted not to buy the best because of the cost and technical problem many seem to have and that includes technicians. It's ok
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JDSoCal
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Post by JDSoCal on Jan 13, 2014 14:28:02 GMT -8
Yeah, I got a twinge of jealousy when I saw Google bought Nest - until I saw the price. I'm sure Apple had a contact with them just because it was Fadell. But then I am sure Cook laughed when he saw the asking price. Perhaps one of you brilliant MBA's can tell me how a freaking thermostat company is worth 3.2 billion dollars. BTW, Google just announced a new look for the Nest thermostat: Hello, Dave. Nice penis you have there. Would you like some penile enlargement pills?
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