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Post by macglenn on May 9, 2014 9:44:30 GMT -8
Yes, I'd say conflict of image.
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Post by archibaldtuttle on May 9, 2014 9:53:17 GMT -8
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Post by geraci on May 9, 2014 9:54:42 GMT -8
This is really good. I think this is the best thing I have seen that might justify the purchase of Beats by Apple. I'm still having trouble swallowing the $3.2B price tag but if these Beats guys really have the secret sauce when it comes to music curation and playlist creation, then maybe the purchase will work out over the long run. This may be a signal that Apple is circling around to put more attention on music and it's iTunes business.
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Mav
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Post by Mav on May 9, 2014 10:08:06 GMT -8
At what point is a business no longer a fad? People used to say that about Apple, and Beats could be doing $1B+ in business now.
Not sure what to think of potential Beats deal...then again unlike Nest Protect, the product does work.
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Post by macglenn on May 9, 2014 10:27:38 GMT -8
Surprisingly, listening to the interview, I kept seeing some Jobs in Jimmy Iovine,
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chinacat
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Post by chinacat on May 9, 2014 10:28:16 GMT -8
This was very interesting in its focus on curation of streaming music. It speaks to the Apple tradition of creating an optimum customer experience as the key to building brand loyalty. This was undoubtedly the objective of bringing Angela Ahrendts in to handle retail. While the Apple Stores were built on the concept of a great customer experience, that clearly had begun to slip a little (cf. comments on this board) and needs to be refreshed and extended. Similarly, as the music industry seems to be trending away from user-selected purchases and towards streaming, listener satisfaction with the music presented to her assumes far greater importance as far as winning loyalty. Now, am I saying that justifies a $3.2B purchase price? Certainly not, but it does make me feel that there may at least be an indication that the motivation is consistent with the general principle that drives all of Apple's product developments: providing an outstanding user experience. That makes a lot more sense to me than seeing this as a technology buy. Here in codger-ville, I have hundreds of LPs and CDs in which I invested thousands of dollars over the years, so I can "curate" my own listening via smart playlists and other techniques. Therefore I have not been attracted very strongly to streaming. Not so for the younger generation, as is being proven by the ongoing decline of music sales in favor of streaming.
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Post by nagrani on May 9, 2014 10:37:01 GMT -8
If beats was owned by two white guys - would the comments related to the acq be different?
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Post by Nevyn on May 9, 2014 10:38:19 GMT -8
Apple's management consists of a bunch of older guys and gals; with this acquisition they are trying to buy youthfulness and coolness. I have two young kids .... EVERY one of their friends love apple ... They already have the cool factor with the youth. I'll hold out on passing judgement until I get a better picture of why they might be .... "Might be" interested . I can't see it but I don't have the insight apples management team does. My 10 year old thinks Apple would be crazy to pay such a high price for Beats. Then again, I guess everyone who pays for Beats is over paying.
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Post by Nevyn on May 9, 2014 10:41:30 GMT -8
If beats was owned by two white guys - would the comments on this board related to the acq be different? Yes. I have the same reaction to the Nest and Whatsapp purchases. Are you assuming everyone on this board is white? Let's leave race out of this.
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Post by Nevyn on May 9, 2014 10:43:04 GMT -8
Btw, isn't today ex-dividend day?
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Post by rickag on May 9, 2014 10:45:48 GMT -8
Dear Mr. Cook
I understand there is a rumor that Apple is considering buying a company named "Beats". I am old and don't keep up so I am not familiar with this company, but I trust Apple's judgement.
However, after suffering through all the jokes, many off-color, regarding the name "iPad", please for the love of god do not just place an "i" in front of this company's name.
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Post by appledoc on May 9, 2014 10:50:45 GMT -8
If beats was owned by two white guys - would the comments related to the acq be different? Sad thing is that you're actually serious.
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Post by valere on May 9, 2014 10:51:26 GMT -8
Iovine is impressive in the interview... .. I also see traces of Steve.. passionate , creative , daring , he thinks he knows what is best for us., opinionated ...
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Mav
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Post by Mav on May 9, 2014 10:59:09 GMT -8
That was yesterday I believe.
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Post by Luckychoices on May 9, 2014 11:08:48 GMT -8
Another person who sees what most of us do not. Apple buying Beats for $3.2 billion? Smart movefinance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/apple-buying-beats-for--3-2-billion--smart-move-145319949.html"Not to malign members of my own demographic, but it seems a lot of 40-something white guys are simply incapable of fathoming why Apple (AAPL) might want to pay $3.2 billion for Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s Beats business. I think they’re probably missing the big picture, or at least that’s what my two teenagers and the tween told me at breakfast. Adding a fast-growing, super-high-margin headphone business and a slick, Apple-like music streaming business for a cool 0.6% of Apple’s market cap seems pretty smart to me. But not to everyone."
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Post by moltenfire on May 9, 2014 11:23:04 GMT -8
$585 pin?
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Mav
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Post by Mav on May 9, 2014 11:28:04 GMT -8
Calling Red...there was a rally starting reasonably close to...2:15 or something...
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Post by macglenn on May 9, 2014 11:28:43 GMT -8
I bet that was Apple buying, 1mil share trade at 11:25 am
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Mav
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Post by Mav on May 9, 2014 11:30:20 GMT -8
They did buy 11M shares on the open market last quarter. Good point.
phoebear, I forget. Did you say companies can't buy back their own shares on the open market a certain amount of time before market close (though that was mid-day)?
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JDSoCal
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Post by JDSoCal on May 9, 2014 11:51:52 GMT -8
A few thoughts. Interesting how many self-proclaimed experts here poo-poo-ing this deal have never heard of a music industry titan like Jimmy Iovine. I first heard his name 35 years ago, as he produced one of my favorite all time albums, Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes. I was utterly obsessed with this album as a kid, and have respected him ever since. As far as the race thing goes, rap is controversial. If it were Tim Duncan or Oprah who founded the company, it would not be an issue. But rappers make a lot of money at least partially because they are vulgar and edgy. Including Eminem. I am no fan of rap or its message, but neither is Bill Cosby. Culture, not race. So yeah, there really is enough race-baiting in America, let's not add to it. A nice, concise piece on the deal: Why The Beats Deal Makes Perfect Sense For ApplePro-tip: If you find yourself agreeing with Jay Yarrow of Business Trollsider, might want to rethink your position.
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Post by macglenn on May 9, 2014 11:55:01 GMT -8
+100
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Post by Red Shirted Ensign on May 9, 2014 12:16:02 GMT -8
Calling Red...there was a rally starting reasonably close to...2:15 or something... Apple is allowed to buy its own shares, shod it wish, at 2:14 .....every.....day. Just sayin And I trust that Apple has an excellent reason for this new acquisition. All will be revealed in the fullness of time.
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Post by firestorm on May 9, 2014 12:17:57 GMT -8
I remember that the first time I saw the iPod advertised, it was when I saw a train on the south side of Chicago covered with the colorful iPod graphics. It seems Apple knew how to be edgy then with its ads and approach; not so much of late.
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Post by pauls on May 9, 2014 12:28:26 GMT -8
I remember that the first time I saw the iPod advertised, it was when I saw a train on the south side of Chicago covered with the colorful iPod graphics. It seems Apple knew how to be edgy then with its ads and approach; not so much of late. Agreed. Although using the Pixies' 'Gigantic' in the new iPhone ad is a step in the right direction. And buying a 'thug brand' is as edgy as it gets. I gotta say, the emphasis on 'thug' in regards to this Beats deal is a little disappointing. I'm seeing it everywhere. Is Dre's persona as important as Iovine's and Beat's relationships within the music industry? Is it not possible that this deal is already fully backed by the music industry, in a way that Apple cannot afford to pass up? We don't know. Until then, we have funny photoshops and round the clock video of Dre celebrating.
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Mav
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Post by Mav on May 9, 2014 12:33:07 GMT -8
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2014 12:49:08 GMT -8
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JDSoCal
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Post by JDSoCal on May 9, 2014 13:10:31 GMT -8
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Mav
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Post by Mav on May 9, 2014 13:30:15 GMT -8
Maybe there just wasn't enough "synergy" for Apple to spend the $10B or so (based on London stock mkt cap) to buy Burberry outright. Wait-and-see-if-it-happens and all that, but no question Beats Electronics has a somewhat better complementary business. Burberry isn't just iOS cases.
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JDSoCal
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Post by JDSoCal on May 9, 2014 13:45:22 GMT -8
From Apple Insider: Beats deal defenders cite 'humanized' music subscription service as benefit to AppleAmazing that Munster gets paid (presumably, a lot) to offer such unimaginative, pedestrian advice: Oh yeah Gene, Twitter and Yelp and Square, because mobile ads are a tried-and-true, proven business model, and are Apple's main area of revenue and expertise, as opposed, to say, portable consumer electronics hardware and music.
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chinacat
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Post by chinacat on May 9, 2014 14:00:14 GMT -8
A few thoughts. Interesting how many self-proclaimed experts here poo-poo-ing this deal have never heard of a music industry titan like Jimmy Iovine. I first heard his name 35 years ago, as he produced one of my favorite all time albums, Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes. I was utterly obsessed with this album as a kid, and have respected him ever since. JD, I am constantly amazed that despite the gulf between us politically and philosophically (as well as age), we are often in lock step when it comes to music. Hearing a replay on WBCN of a live concert by the Heartbreakers at the Paradise Club in Boston in 1978, was one of the first nudges for me to move out of my 50's/60's comfort zone and start investigating a new generation of rock 'n' roll heroes like Petty, Talking Heads, The Clash, etc.
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