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Post by lovemyipad on Feb 28, 2014 20:55:35 GMT -8
The bar is open...
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Post by mace on Feb 28, 2014 23:43:04 GMT -8
Has the bar price went up?
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Post by phoebear611 on Mar 1, 2014 3:50:45 GMT -8
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Post by rezonate on Mar 1, 2014 4:05:31 GMT -8
I was thinking about Apple's Ten Commandments yesterday. Then read the intraday back & forth about environmental stuff. Could their approach to the greening of Apple be not so much about making environmentalists happy, and more about making money? The plans for the new spaceship campus include an on-site power plant. In no particular order here are a few of the commandments:
1. Control the whole widget (generate your own power) 2. It just works (solid state power generation) 3. High margains (no way to justify green here, solar is piddle power) 4. Marathon, not sprint (large up-front cost, minimal long term cost - especially if .gov subsidizes up front) 5. Real artists ship (watch us prove green can work for the biggest tech firm) 6. Never ship crap (Apple products are never disposable, last a long time, have good resale value and are easily recyclable) 7. We make products we are proud to use (can you be proud of polluting the environment?) 8. Skate to where the puck *will be* (can we define the future, and be there ahead of the competition?) 9. Plan for the life cycle of a product (how will products and processes be sustainable over time?) 10. ----- What else ? -----
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Post by rickag on Mar 1, 2014 6:42:28 GMT -8
So, what direction for AAPL next week?
From what I gather from reports about the shareholders meeting, Apple will be selling new products (duh), some being line extensions and some that are new categories, “things that you can’t see.” (mobile payments? Parsing words too much I am)
On the other hand, Tim Cook took a firm stance on environmental policies, basically telling the shareholders, Apple is committed to their policies and will not report these policies nor their affect on the bottom line. Please, I am not inviting a discussion on environmental issues, only how this stance may affect the stock price short term. Will large funds, who have already reduced their total % ownership in AAPL, reduce their holdings further? I do think some shareholders might take Tim' comments as an attack on them and only would like a little more transparency in reporting of Apple's environmental initiatives.
I think most funds are accepting of environmentally proactive policies, but we don't know what Apple's is nor have any reporting since Apple is secretive.
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Post by artman1033 on Mar 1, 2014 7:18:45 GMT -8
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Post by tuffett on Mar 1, 2014 8:58:59 GMT -8
Hope you're not being serious.
What exactly is visionary about a cell phone? Nokia/Samsung/Ericsson/LG were making them XX years ago before 2007.
What exactly is visionary about a tablet? Microsoft was making them a decade ago.
Also, your rant about the government handouts to Tesla is empty without acknowledging the massive oil subsidies that the government doles out, which obviously benefits every other car manufacturer out there, profitable or not.
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Ted
fire starter
Posts: 882
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Post by Ted on Mar 1, 2014 9:16:31 GMT -8
I was thinking about Apple's Ten Commandments yesterday. Then read the intraday back & forth about environmental stuff. Could their approach to the greening of Apple be not so much about making environmentalists happy, and more about making money? The plans for the new spaceship campus include an on-site power plant. In no particular order here are a few of the commandments: 1. Control the whole widget (generate your own power) 2. It just works (solid state power generation) 3. High margains (no way to justify green here, solar is piddle power) 4. Marathon, not sprint (large up-front cost, minimal long term cost - especially if .gov subsidizes up front) 5. Real artists ship (watch us prove green can work for the biggest tech firm) 6. Never ship crap (Apple products are never disposable, last a long time, have good resale value and are easily recyclable) 7. We make products we are proud to use (can you be proud of polluting the environment?) 8. Skate to where the puck *will be* (can we define the future, and be there ahead of the competition?) 9. Plan for the life cycle of a product (how will products and processes be sustainable over time?) 10. ----- What else ? ----- Hey, Rez, what ever happened with your interview with Apple? None of my biz, but I'm curious.
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Post by BillH on Mar 1, 2014 9:57:15 GMT -8
Not sure what to think of the author's point of view. The hell it doesn't.
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Post by Luckychoices on Mar 1, 2014 11:43:03 GMT -8
Thanks for the link, phoebear. It looked interesting to me as well. But from the comment section of that story, I came across a link to another excellent column from John Gruber: daringfireball.net/2014/02/fitting_facts_to_the_narrativeHe disassembles and critiques Yukari Kane’s piece for The New Yorker’s Currency blog earlier this month — “Why Is Apple Being So Nostalgic?” Gruber doesn't seem to be a fan of her assumptions and conclusions.
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Mav
Member
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Posts: 10,784
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Post by Mav on Mar 1, 2014 12:02:59 GMT -8
Someone needs to get Tim Cook's real estate home iMovie from the 90s and YouTube it. As someone who DOES have political views, but maybe is a bit more reserved about it on the 'Net, I fail to see any real issue with Apple's "social awareness" or whatever you want to call it as long as the financials ring in fine. Maybe I'm totally wrong on this, but seems to me that gross margins are affected far more by iPad pricing strategy and iPhone mix (AND deferrals, which seriously dent gross margin quarter after quarter) than solar farms, alternative energy sources, supply chain transparency, Foxconn wage sharing or whatever. For lesser companies that "corporate responsibility" stuff would probably show up more in the numbers, but for Apple's scale, apparently not. The biggest problem short-term is and continues to be new product categories, at least until we can kinda sorta assess the impact of a "fully addressable" China market (i.e., mostly complete TD-LTE rollout for China Mobile and the newest iPhones AND as-of-now-nonexistent TD-LTE iPads being sold for China Mobile at that point).
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Mav
Member
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Posts: 10,784
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Post by Mav on Mar 1, 2014 12:32:20 GMT -8
Macs are a reflection of the company culture. Who else goes from a minitower to 2D iPad dimensions trash bin?
Remember the G4 scandal? At least they have Intel chips and can keep the GHz and other specs as advertised.
iMac refresh included "superfluous" redesign elements, but it resulted in a one-quarter hiccup. A disruption like that once per generation isn't the end of the world, and it's also the way Apple rolls. The edges didn't have to be that thin, they didn't have to optically laminate a display that large (watch that space for the next couple years, btw), but that's Mad Jony Ive for you. FWIW, as an iMac owner I mostly approve the changes, particularly the HUGE decrease in weight.
Mac Pro is a tough one. People have yet to ask the right questions. IMHO here's two of em - is Mac Pro popular, and how's the ramp-up going? You need that for better context beyond ship times.
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JDSoCal
Member
Aspiring oligarch
Posts: 4,182
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Post by JDSoCal on Mar 1, 2014 12:32:56 GMT -8
Hope you're not being serious. I try to get out, but you pull me back in. Massive profits and huge margins on the way to a PC-killing mobile revolution. Of course, those crappy clam shell feature phones in no way resembled the iPhone. Massive profits and huge margins on the way to a PC-killing mobile revolution. The iPad is awesome. And Micrsoft's tablets sucked. Still do. False equivalence for my point. Oil companies would remain wildly profitable without any government subsidies. Tesla would go out of business without them. Fisker did even with them. And their cars were better looking, IMO. Electric cars are like the WNBA. Without massive subsides from another profitable business, or a massive government handout, they will cease to exist. At least until some major innovative break though. In the case of the WNBA, I believe it would involve bikinis. I thought we'd been over this. Invention is a novel new idea. Innovation is tying an invention to an actual profitable market. Perhaps I should put it in my sig.
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Post by lovemyipad on Mar 1, 2014 12:40:59 GMT -8
Has the bar price went up?
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Post by lovemyipad on Mar 1, 2014 12:42:53 GMT -8
Okay, I haven't done this in a very long time, so the market gods may spite me for this... WAG: If price can maintain above support at daily SMA-20 (currently 524.68), then TEMP BOTTOM IS IN!!!
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Post by gtrplyr on Mar 1, 2014 12:51:35 GMT -8
Edited : pointless ..... drivel.
Still enjoying the rain here in So Cal .... glad I'm a decent swimmer.
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Post by lovemyipad on Mar 1, 2014 12:51:59 GMT -8
Assuming everyone here is potty-trained, kindly avail yourselves of the designated areas: AAPL & PoliticsThank you, The Management
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Post by tuffett on Mar 1, 2014 14:15:49 GMT -8
Of course, those crappy clam shell feature phones in no way resembled the iPhone. The iPad is awesome. And Micrsoft's tablets sucked. Still do. Which is, of course, exactly my point. I hope you can see the difference between a Tesla and electric cars of years past. In the minds of many people, the Model S is not only the best electric car available but the best car, period. It's a step change in the perception of what an electric car is (i.e. not an ugly, slow piece of crap that can't last more than a few miles before needing a recharge), just like the iPhone and the iPad changed the perception of what a phone and tablet can do. I'm surprised you can't see the parallels. By the way, we'd be much further along in the electric car movement if they weren't killed off by big oil and their friends in the government almost 20 years ago. I wonder what the landscape would look like right now if electric cars weren't forced out of existence and oil was at $6/gallon like it is in many parts of the world. I'm perfectly content with government loaning some money to Tesla to help them get on their feet. They certainly spend a lot more money on much more futile causes (including oil subsidies). I disagree that instant profitability is a necessity of innovation. There are plenty of innovative ideas from startups or from research labs that may never be profitable or may take several years to turn profit. I don't participate much myself, but Twitter is an innovative idea and has changed the landscape of how many people communicate and disseminate information. They're not making a profit yet, but that does not mean the idea is a bad one or not innovative. It's pretty clear that the electric car market is going to become profitable very soon, and it is in very large part because of Tesla.
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Post by artman1033 on Mar 1, 2014 15:26:46 GMT -8
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Post by BillH on Mar 1, 2014 15:34:07 GMT -8
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Post by rickag on Mar 1, 2014 18:12:17 GMT -8
" if electric cars weren't forced out of existence and oil was at $6/gallon like it is in many parts of the world. You bring up a salient point. I can't find the information, but I would be curious to know the % of electric cars in those many parts of of the world paying $6/gal. Surely @ $6/gal. an electric car should be more competitive for total cost of ownership, one would think.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2014 23:11:54 GMT -8
" if electric cars weren't forced out of existence and oil was at $6/gallon like it is in many parts of the world. You bring up a salient point. I can't find the information, but I would be curious to know the % of electric cars in those many parts of of the world paying $6/gal. Surely @ $6/gal. an electric car should be more competitive for total cost of ownership, one would think. In Canada we pay $1.30/liter, which is about $5.20/gallon. Gas is way cheaper in the us...and we produce a ton of it here
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Post by rickag on Mar 2, 2014 0:34:31 GMT -8
You bring up a salient point. I can't find the information, but I would be curious to know the % of electric cars in those many parts of of the world paying $6/gal. Surely @ $6/gal. an electric car should be more competitive for total cost of ownership, one would think. In Canada we pay $1.30/liter, which is about $5.20/gallon. Gas is way cheaper in the us...and we produce a ton of it here Is there a higher %'age of electric cars in Canada compared to the US?
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chinacat
Moderator
AAPL Long since 2006
Posts: 4,426
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Post by chinacat on Mar 2, 2014 10:26:12 GMT -8
These numbers come from a Seeking Alpha article, so I do not view them as gospel, but they do indicate Apple could quickly become the 800 pound gorilla in the payments space.
"PayPal's ubiquitous online merchant directory isn't going to stop merchants from tripping over one another to cater to the most affluent segment of the mobile market. With 575 million active accounts, Apple has more populated digital wallets than any other player in finance. 575 million accounts is 1.37x the total number of MasterCards issued worldwide, 3.5x the number of card holders in the U.S., 5x the number of cards on file as PayPal and 3.4x the number of cards on file for Amazon."
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Post by Luckychoices on Mar 2, 2014 12:28:45 GMT -8
In some of the columns regarding the Apple Shareholders Meeting on Friday, I've read references to "distressed and upset" shareholders at the meeting. I have to say, from my small sample size, I didn't see or hear anyone who seemed to be distressed or upset (except for the guy that hates Al Gore). Most of the folks I talked to were quick to volunteer how long they've been using Apple products and/or holding Apple stock and seemed proud of the fact. Of course, people were there from all over the country and, likely, from outside the U.S. One woman, probably in her mid to late 60's, mentioned that it had been her mother, now 94, who had encouraged her, years before, to start using an Apple computer. I asked her if she was from the Bay Area and she said, "No, I'm from Wyoming". I said, "Oh, you flew in from Wyoming"? "No, I drove". So, being neither distressed nor upset, she drove over 1200 miles for a 1.5 hr Apple Shareholders Meeting. Impressive.
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Post by gtrplyr on Mar 2, 2014 14:37:48 GMT -8
In some of the columns regarding the Apple Shareholders Meeting on Friday, I've read references to "distressed and upset" shareholders at the meeting. I have to say, from my small sample size, I didn't see or hear anyone who seemed to be distressed or upset (except for the guy that hates Al Gore). Most of the folks I talked to were quick to volunteer how long they've been using Apple products and/or holding Apple stock and seemed proud of the fact. Of course, people were there from all over the country and, likely, from outside the U.S. One woman, probably in her mid to late 60's, mentioned that it had been her mother, now 94, who had encouraged her, years before, to start using an Apple computer. I asked her if she was from the Bay Area and she said, "No, I'm from Wyoming". I said, "Oh, you flew in from Wyoming"? "No, I drove". So, being neither distressed nor upset, she drove over 1200 miles for a 1.5 hr Apple Shareholders Meeting. Impressive. Cool ! Thanks for posting your experiences at the meeting . I'm in Southern California and I'm going to make the trip real soon with a few friends who are shareholders .... was it hard to get in ? I'm not sure if there is a ticket system or is it first come first served ?
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Post by Luckychoices on Mar 2, 2014 15:11:41 GMT -8
In some of the columns regarding the Apple Shareholders Meeting on Friday, I've read references to "distressed and upset" shareholders at the meeting. I have to say, from my small sample size, I didn't see or hear anyone who seemed to be distressed or upset (except for the guy that hates Al Gore). Most of the folks I talked to were quick to volunteer how long they've been using Apple products and/or holding Apple stock and seemed proud of the fact. Of course, people were there from all over the country and, likely, from outside the U.S. One woman, probably in her mid to late 60's, mentioned that it had been her mother, now 94, who had encouraged her, years before, to start using an Apple computer. I asked her if she was from the Bay Area and she said, "No, I'm from Wyoming". I said, "Oh, you flew in from Wyoming"? "No, I drove". So, being neither distressed nor upset, she drove over 1200 miles for a 1.5 hr Apple Shareholders Meeting. Impressive. Cool ! Thanks for posting your experiences at the meeting . I'm in Southern California and I'm going to make the trip real soon with a few friends who are shareholders .... was it hard to get in ? I'm not sure if there is a ticket system or is it first come first served ? Nope. Not hard at all. Just bring your proof of Apple share ownership. That's just the voting instructions you get sent regarding the meeting. Mine was a printout of the electronic e-mail which showed up from Charles Schwab on 01/13/14. You also need a photo ID. The only first-come-first-served about it is where you'll sit during the meeting. We get there a couple hours before the meeting so we can sit up front in the main hall (Fifth row this year. Rows 1 & 2 are always reserved for BOD and Apple executives.) instead of in the overflow area watching the meeting on the large screen. Glad you'll be there next year! My wife and I always enjoy it and I think you and your friends will too.
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Post by artman1033 on Mar 2, 2014 16:09:10 GMT -8
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 17:15:58 GMT -8
In Canada we pay $1.30/liter, which is about $5.20/gallon. Gas is way cheaper in the us...and we produce a ton of it here Is there a higher %'age of electric cars in Canada compared to the US? Nope, very few
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Post by BillH on Mar 2, 2014 18:06:23 GMT -8
In some of the columns regarding the Apple Shareholders Meeting on Friday, I've read references to "distressed and upset" shareholders at the meeting. I have to say, from my small sample size, I didn't see or hear anyone who seemed to be distressed or upset (except for the guy that hates Al Gore). Most of the folks I talked to were quick to volunteer how long they've been using Apple products and/or holding Apple stock and seemed proud of the fact. Of course, people were there from all over the country and, likely, from outside the U.S. One woman, probably in her mid to late 60's, mentioned that it had been her mother, now 94, who had encouraged her, years before, to start using an Apple computer. I asked her if she was from the Bay Area and she said, "No, I'm from Wyoming". I said, "Oh, you flew in from Wyoming"? "No, I drove". So, being neither distressed nor upset, she drove over 1200 miles for a 1.5 hr Apple Shareholders Meeting. Impressive. As a sidenote to the above I thought you might find this interesting.
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