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Post by Luckychoices on Feb 13, 2024 9:28:57 GMT -8
A red AAPL chart is seldom easy to take for AAPL investors...but, IMO, it's even worse when similar stocks are green...that's not the way it is today, at the moment. Plus, for those of us who auto-reinvest all or some of our AAPL dividends, remember that last November's auto-reinvested dividends bought new AAPL shares at about $189/share. This quarter it looks like we may be buying new AAPL shares even lower than that...so it's not all bad. Cheers to the very patient AAPL Longs!
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Post by Luckychoices on Feb 4, 2024 12:16:30 GMT -8
I guess Apple’s silicon is so important the writer listed it twice - at the top and bottom of the list? Sorry...my bad, Ted. I failed to notice I posted that part twice. Fixed!
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Post by Luckychoices on Feb 3, 2024 14:06:57 GMT -8
There are so many pro and con comments about the Apple Vision Pro...the following is from a FaceBook post about the AVP which I found pretty interesting and encouraging for AAPL investors. I made only a couple of changes to correct grammatical or spelling errors.
================= I keep hearing that the Apple Vision Pro is a very expensive version of what is basically already available. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Apple Vision Pro is not similar to any other device out there — and it is far more than a first generation product. The AVP is best described as a collection of technologies which Apple has been developing for decades with enhancements made for the spatial computing environment. Over the decades of this technology development Apple has likely spent more on each individual technology category than other VR/AR/MR companies have spent on their total product.
No other company can field the type of mature and proven technologies, contend, and services that Apple has integrated in the AVP.
Yes, there are new hardware and software components required. But all of that was developed in a massive framework of existing technology. That enabled Apple to focus on the unique aspects of spatial computing while all the other heavy lifting was accomplished be existing technology and expertise.
Let’s take a look at just some of the core technologies that Apple has leveraged into this new product — all technologies in which apple has leading class capabilities.
What other companies in the world can bring this much into a competitor to AVP… now or even in the next five years?
Apple Silicon …..World-leading SoC ……….Processors ……….R1 Processor ……….GPUs ……….Neurale processing ……….Lower power ……….FAST unified memory …..Base of the mini-OLED displays ….. EcoSystem …..Vast array of tie-ins with everything else Apple Sound …..Spatial Audio …..Audio Ray Tracing …..Microphone beam forming …..Low latency processing …..Multiple format support Pictures/Video …..Computational Photography …..Recording …..Viewing/playing apps …..Editing …..Storing in ecosystem …..Multiple format support World mapping …..LIDAR …..TrueDepth Camera Tracking …..Inertial Measurements Units Security …..Biometric Authentication …..Secure Enclave …..Personal data within Apps Software Distribution …..iTunes and Apps store Software …..Comprehensive suite of embedded apps …..Expansive services and content …..Leveraging millions of existing apps Vision OS …..Based on iPad and iPhone OS systems …..Robust and proven …..Accessibility …..World leading user experience and interfaces …..AR tool kits …..Embedded Screen sharing iCloud Development Tools & Support Accessories Support …..Keyboards …..Mice …..Trackpads Mac OS Tie-in
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Post by Luckychoices on Feb 1, 2024 16:57:37 GMT -8
If Apple listened to outside voices when deciding what new products to bring to market, Apple and Apple investors wouldn't have benefited so spectacularly from the iPhone over the last, almost 17 years. Why are you so put off by one lukewarm review when there are so many more reviewers who were completely blown away by the experience? Remember what many so-called experts said about the iPhone before it was released? www.loopinsight.com/2012/06/29/iphone-turns-5-here-are-the-naysayers/November 16, 2006, Palm CEO, Ed Colligan “We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”December 07, 2006, CNET, Michael Kanellos “Apple is slated to come out with a new phone… And it will largely fail…. Sales for the phone will skyrocket initially. However, things will calm down, and the Apple phone will take its place on the shelves with the random video cameras, cell phones, wireless routers and other would-be hits… When the iPod emerged in late 2001, it solved some major problems with MP3 players. Unfortunately for Apple, problems like that don’t exist in the handset business. Cell phones aren’t clunky, inadequate devices. Instead, they are pretty good. Really good.” December 08, 2006, Morningstar analyst, Rod Bare“The economics of something like [an Apple iPhone] aren’t that compelling.”January 15, 2007, Bloomberg, Matthew Lynn“The iPhone is nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks. In terms of its impact on the industry, the iPhone is less relevant… Apple is unlikely to make much of an impact on this market… Apple will sell a few to its fans, but the iPhone won’t make a long-term mark on the industry.” January 17, 2007, Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer“[Apple’s iPhone] is the most expensive phone in the world and it doesn’t appeal to business customers because it doesn’t have a keyboard which makes it not a very good email machine… So, I, I kinda look at that and I say, well, I like our strategy. I like it a lot.” January 18, 2007, Microsoft Senior Marketing Director, Richard Sprague“I can’t believe the hype being given to iPhone… I just have to wonder who will want one of these things (other than the religious faithful)… So please mark this post and come back in two years to see the results of my prediction: I predict they will not sell anywhere near the 10M Jobs predicts for 2008.”
=============== I’d rather read the Vanity Fair article, “Why Tim Cook Is Going All In on the Apple Vision Pro” and pay more attention to outside voices like James Cameron and Jon Favreau. The article was referenced earlier today by aaplcrazie. “I would say my experience was religious,” the director James Cameron told me when I asked him about his first encounter with the Apple Vision Pro. “I was skeptical at first. I don’t bow down before the great god of Apple, but I was really, really blown away.” Another prominent filmmaker, Jon Favreau, offered a similar sentiment, telling me he was “blown away” by the technology and what it will do to storytelling. (Favreau created content for Apple specifically to showcase the device’s 3D capabilities, where a dinosaur climbs out of a screen and looks like it wants to eat you.) “I’m excited by what kind of story I can tell now that I couldn’t tell before now,” he said. And when I called Om Malik, who has been writing about tech since tech reporters used to write about calculators, he was even more effusive. “It’s amazing! It’s incredible!” he enthused. “You can feel a vibration in the universe!” Everyone else I’ve spoken to who has had a chance to try out the Apple Vision Pro: investors (“Whoa!”) and designers (“Wow!”) and analysts (“Ooh!”) and producers (“Ahh”). Nick Bilton, the person who wrote the Vanity Fair article commented about his experience with the AVP, “This was as far from a VR headset as a kid’s Schwinn bicycle is from a Gulfstream G800 private jet”.The AVP will get smaller and less expensive than it is now. Don’t forget many of us are investing in Apple for the long term. Massive success and acceptance of a new product sometimes takes awhile.
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 31, 2024 13:17:22 GMT -8
It's been almost a year since I've commented on this thread...but what's going on with AAPL and long-term AAPL investors made me want to do so now. There are many AAPL Longs on AFB and my wife and I have been firmly in that category for a very long time. Unfortunately, the fact that AAPL has already given so much to its long-term investors doesn't prevent me from focusing on the current AAPL share price every single day...and, in a way, that's ridiculous. At the moment, many of us are focused on the sales and share price impact of the AVP, the earnings report after market close tomorrow and the recent slow drifting down of the AAPL share price. The impact of the AVP will not be evident for 6 months to a year, IMO, and we obviously can't do anything about how the market treats AAPL on a daily basis with regards to share price...that's up to the market and to the analysts who love to provide negative Apple commentary, especially right before earrings. For those of us who strongly believe in Apple's continued success, it's a given that pullbacks in share price are excellent times to add new AAPL shares to one's portfolio...but the same holds true for those of us who auto-reinvest our AAPL dividends. As I said in the beginning of my comment, focusing so much on share price is shortsighted. It's *extremely* important for stock traders, but not so much for those invested long-term in stocks like AAPL. Since AAPL restarted its dividend program in August of 2012, my wife and I have auto-reinvested the AAPL dividends from the 60% of our AAPL shares that are in our IRA's...and it's been an incredible financial benefit to our portfolio. But, obviously, as the share price has increased, the number of new AAPL shares *purchased* each quarter with those dividends has decreased. Will the AAPL share price rise or fall after tomorrow's earnings report? The answer is yes...it will do one or the other. To help me stop focusing on the fluctuating AAPL share price so much, I put together a very small chart of how the number of new shares added by auto-reinvesting dividends *fell* last year as the share price increased. I don't know the exact date AAPL dividends will be paid this February, so I used last February's date. The whole point of the graph is to remind me, and other long-term AAPL investors who auto-reinvest their AAPL dividends that whether the AAPL share price rises or falls after tomorrow's earnings is unimportant in the short term. If it rises, fewer new AAPL shares from February's dividends...but increased worth of current AAPL shares. If it falls, increased number of new AAPL shares(meaning more *future* AAPL dividends) and *temporarily* decreased worth of current AAPL shares.
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 22, 2024 13:57:55 GMT -8
Comparing AAPL to a few others...today was a good day for AAPL.
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 21, 2024 11:12:04 GMT -8
Since my wife and I have always been long term investors, we've never stayed invested in AAPL because of the 2 year, 3 year, and 5 year return. AAPL dropped -35% in 2002 and -57% in 2008, while Steve Jobs was CEO...and also dropped -5% in 2015, -6.8% in 2018 and -26.8% in 2022 while Tim Cook was CEO. Short term investors may have not continued to hold after experiencing those pullbacks in the share price. The concern over AAPL's current PE is overblown, IMO. BWDIK I completely agree. I feel it is wrong to put too much credence in a ~2 year period, and I'm really surprised that you of all people would look at varying 24 to 28 month periods for a handful of stocks, and then compare them.I apologize for apparently not making it clear months ago when I first posted the table. I didn't decide to compare 7 stocks over a 2 year period to see how they performed when compared to one another. Instead, I noticed that, in early 2023, AAPL was moving to meet and surpass their previous ATH much quicker all the other stocks. MSFT was doing so as well. In mid-June AAPL had already exceeded its previous ATH, whereas all the others, except MSFT, had failed to do so. Even though AAPL had only gained 30.4% against its previous ATH, it had already surpassed it...the same for MSFT. Even thought META and TSLA had gained more than AAPL or MSFT when compared to their previous ATH, they were still far from it and would be unable to meet their previous ATH during the entirety of 2023.
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 20, 2024 16:25:05 GMT -8
Thanks for the data Lucky! Each person looks at different things. I'm not really looking for other single companies to invest in right now, but if I was and was continuing to think somewhat longer term, I'd probably be curious about the 2 year, 3 year, and 5 year (possibly also the 10 year) annualized return. I'd also look at the current P/E, the 12 month trailing earnings growth, and the 12 month earnings expectations from analysts (I like the P/E, but you kinda need these other things to help quantify it).Since my wife and I have always been long term investors, we've never stayed invested in AAPL because of the 2 year, 3 year, and 5 year return. AAPL dropped -35% in 2002 and -57% in 2008, while Steve Jobs was CEO...and also dropped -5% in 2015, -6.8% in 2018 and -26.8% in 2022 while Tim Cook was CEO. Short term investors may have not continued to hold after experiencing those pullbacks in the share price. The concern over AAPL's current PE is overblown, IMO. BWDIK I don't expect you to add these. But like how the shorter term investor might only care about the momentum in the last year and not how it did overall, the longer term investor probably wants to get rid of some of the middle data, and instead think more about that 5 year trend.This is why we're long-term investors. 😎 Luckily the Stock app now makes that 5 year overall (not annualized) number easy to get. Looks like AAPL as done significantly better than Goog, AMZN, META and MSFT over that timeframe, though NVDA and TSLA have significantly beat AAPL's 5 year +386% figure.It's hard to know what the future holds, but I'm still thinking for the next 5 years AAPL should beat the Nasdaq and S&P. Just as it has in the past. This is a table that I keep on my main AAPL spreadsheet and it gets updated every time I update the current AAPL share price. AAPL doesn't have the most gain since 2001, or perhaps even over the last 5 years...but with 3 splits since 2001 along with the products, management and the consistency of the company, I'm not looking for anything else. I've shown this table previously...but it clearly shows how AAPL has *not* produced the most gain since 2001...Monster Beverage(MNST) beats it handily. AAPL has done better for many years but there's no making up for 2004 and 2005 when MNST was up over 300% each year.
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 20, 2024 15:06:04 GMT -8
Here I am again with a table showing the current share price of 7 stocks measured against their ATH's...for some, like AAPL, MSFT and now META, it's a *previous* ATH. I'm sorry, but I can't quite get over the fact that so many folks talk about how poorly AAPL did in 2023(+48.2%) compared to GOOG(+58.8%), (AMZN +80.9%), NFLX(+90.1%), META(+194.9%) or even TSLA(+101.7). The 2023 gains in those stocks don't relate to the stock's ATH and I think it's meaningful that 2 of the 7 stocks(AAPL and MSFT) set new ATH's several times during 2023 while 5 of the 7 stocks had ATH's that were over 2 years old...set in 2021. META has now joined AAPL and MSFT by setting a new ATH and GOOG is very close to doing so as well. The MSFT share price is currently doing much better than AAPL...but AAPL shareholders can appreciate that AAPL has been slowly correcting for the last 9 market days...and since it was $181.18 on 01/05/24, it's up $10(5.7%).
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 19, 2024 11:22:41 GMT -8
This is a writeup this morning from Daring Fireball. I always value what John Gruber has to say about *anything* Apple related...I also appreciate that *he* reads what Bloomberg has to say so I don't need to read their crapola. 😎 =============== YOUTUBE AND SPOTIFY ARE NOT LAUNCHING VISION PRO APPS EITHER ★Mark Gurman and Ashley Carman, reporting for Bloomberg (Gurman has been killing it this week on the Vision Pro apps beat — he’s breaking all of these stories):
Google’s YouTube and Spotify Technology SA, the world’s most popular video and music services, are joining Netflix Inc. in steering clear of Apple Inc.’s upcoming mixed-reality headset.
YouTube said in a statement Thursday that it isn’t planning to launch a new app for the Apple Vision Pro, nor will it allow its longstanding iPad application to work on the device — at least, for now. YouTube, like Netflix, is recommending that customers use a web browser if they want to see its content: “YouTube users will be able to use YouTube in Safari on the Vision Pro at launch.”
Spotify also isn’t currently planning a new app for visionOS — the Vision Pro’s operating system — and doesn’t expect to enable its iPad app to run on the device when it launches, according to a person familiar with matter. But the music service will still likely work from a web browser.
Spotify’s fuck-you to Apple I don’t find surprising, given the longstanding animosity between them. But YouTube is a surprise to me, and it’s a sign of how profoundly different the relationship is between Google and Apple today from the pre-Android era. In 2007, before third-party apps were even supported on iOS, YouTube was a built-in app on the original iPhone. (Apple designed and made the app; Google provided the back-end APIs and, obviously, the content.) Then-Google-CEO (and then-Apple-board-member!) Eric Schmidt was invited on stage by Steve Jobs to demo the YouTube app and sing the praises of both the iPhone and the Apple-Google partnership. That Apple-made Google-supported YouTube app was still a built-in default app on iOS when the iPad launched in 2010.
So for both the original iPhone and iPad, YouTube was part of the system software. For Vision Pro, there’s no app at all, not even the iPad app.
Regarding Netflix’s pass on Vision Pro, a little birdie informed me that until this week, the Netflix iPad app was available for those with access to Vision Pro hardware, and it worked just fine. This birdie still has the Netflix iPad app installed on their Vision Pro. Perhaps people at Netflix would disagree with just how well it worked — I don’t know — but I get the strong impression that the decision was political/strategic/spiteful, not technical. Entertainment is not the sole purpose of Vision Pro, but it’s a major one — and surely the primary one for many buyers — and it’s launching without the two biggest video entertainment apps in the world. Apple expected Netflix’s iPad app to be there on launch day.
This isn’t a dealbreaker — watching Netflix through Safari should be OK (albeit without offline downloads, a huge factor for using Vision Pro on airplanes), and many people think of YouTube as a website, not an app. But there’s no way around it: this is a bad look for Apple, not for Netflix or Google. The buck stops with Tim Cook on this. He should have been on the horn with Ted Sarandos and Sundar Pichai and worked this out. It’s his company that’s launching a $3,500 headset.
It’s also worth pointing out that these corporate pissing matches are reciprocal. I doubt we’ll see any calls for Netflix, YouTube, or Spotify to be investigated by antitrust regulators over their refusal to allow their iPad apps to run on Vision Pro. But imagine if Netflix and Spotify wanted to be on Vision Pro on launch day and Apple refused, to leave more room in the spotlight for Apple TV+ and Apple Music. Or what happens if the Vision platform becomes a huge hit, and only then do Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify submit native apps — and Apple turns them down, on the grounds of “Where were you when we needed you?” People would lose their shit. We might even get a testy tweet from Elizabeth Warren.
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 19, 2024 10:36:51 GMT -8
Done. But my wife and I don’t pick ours up until February 5th. Her appointment is 10am and mine is at 11. Very smooth process, however the time slots got filled fast for Apple Park preventing a successful purchase…so we moved to a different Apple Store. Fortunately for AAPL investors, the time slots filled up quickly there as well. 👍😎 Did you need corrective lenses? And if so, how was the process with entering the prescription? Curious 👀 We had cataract surgery about 6 months ago, macster, and our vision is better than it was previously...but since we haven't had our eyes tested yet to get a *new* prescription, we didn't have a chance to try that part. Fortunately, according to dmiller's experience, it appears to not be a problem.
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 19, 2024 5:38:55 GMT -8
Wow, that was a great day. Wanna do it again? AAPL is currently trading at $190.12 +1.49 (+0.79%) RSI is 51.60 RSI for DOW is 58.74 Is there any news out today? Oh, yea.. there some product being available for order. Who's ordering it? Done. But my wife and I don’t pick ours up until February 5th. Her appointment is 10am and mine is at 11. Very smooth process, however the time slots got filled fast for Apple Park preventing a successful purchase…so we moved to a different Apple Store. Fortunately for AAPL investors, the time slots filled up quickly there as well. 👍😎
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 18, 2024 15:46:44 GMT -8
The only 1st gen product I have purchased as the iPad. At the time it was great but you may recall within a year or two the 2nd gen came out that was so much lighter and faster. Put me down for the wait and see group. Would love to “borrow” a friend’s thought! Wise words. I've been first day/first gen every product since the first iPod, including the first iPhone which is when I finally had the confidence to start buying Apple shares. But I love the AirPods, AirPods pro, several versions of iPads including the first, and until the last couple years upgraded iPhones on the yearly upgrade plan (but currently have an iPhone 15 max, so I'm all set for Spatial Videos!). I'll sleep on it. I'm awake by 5 most mornings, anyway! I'm *not* "awake by 5 most mornings"...but I will be tomorrow! Your earlier comment, "As a long-time shareholder, the $3500 cost shouldn't be a huge concern." says it all, IMO. As shareholders who love to photograph wildlife, my wife and I have spent as much and more on cameras, lenses and travel...so we'll be trying to pick up *two* tomorrow morning. Will the later models in a year or two be better and less expensive? Without a doubt...but I want to experience what's caused such over-the-top reviews from those who have tried the AVP...and I want that experience ASAP. 😎
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Post by Luckychoices on Jan 2, 2024 17:28:29 GMT -8
It's tough to start the year having AAPL drop -3.58% for the *day*...however, I think it's worthwhile for long-term AAPL *investors* to remember that AAPL has some really bad *years* since 2001.
AAPL was down -35% in 2002, -57% in 2008, -5% in 2025, -6.8% in 2018 and -26.8% in 2022...and yet AAPL is up 68,656% since the first market day of 2001. Those who dumped their AAPL in 2002 made a bad decision, IMO...as did those who avoided AAPL because of that bad year in 2002.
For long-term AAPL investors, I believe 2024 will be a great year for AAPL...and I believe the Apple Vision Pro, for example, will surprise many skeptics with how popular it proves to be, regardless of its high price tag.
Cheers to the AAPL Longs and a happy 2024 to *all* AAPL investors...except for those who short the stock!
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 29, 2023 18:18:13 GMT -8
Not a terrific week for the 7 stocks I've been tracking on and off this year...but I must agree with CdnPhoto that it's been a good *year* for all 7. Especially if we remember when AAPL ended the year being down in several previous years: -39% in 2002, -56% in 2008, -4% in 2015, -8.4% in 2018 and -28.6% in 2018.
Even though this wasn't a terrific *week* for all seven stocks, 3 of the 7 finished up from last week...unfortunately AAPL wasn't one of the 3.
In addition to the information that normally appears in the W/E table, I added 2 additional columns...one showing the % gain for 2023, and the other showing the % gain over that last 5 years. You'll notice that even though AAPL finished last out of the 7 in the % gain for the year, it was 2nd of the 7 in gain over the last 5 years. Also, please remember that both AAPL and MSFT set new ATH's several times this year while the other 5 still have ATH's that were set over 2 years ago in 2021. I can't speak for anyone else but I'm quite happy with a 392.9% gain over the last five years. 😎
I hope all the AFB members had a good holiday...have a great 2024!!
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 24, 2023 15:44:51 GMT -8
OK, one market week to go in 2024...and, as CdnPhoto said in the opening post, AAPL had a negative week after 7 continuously positive weeks...bummer. AAPL was down -2.4% from its close the previous week...while the other 6 stocks on the table all had positive weeks...from MSFT, barely positive at +0.1%, up to GOOG, which was up +5.8% from the previous week. Highest % of Previous ATH % Gains/Losses for W/E: 12/22/23
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 21, 2023 10:34:13 GMT -8
You make a really good point...and why would PED want to give AFB members access to something for which others have to pay? I've only been subscribed for a couple of months but links to the articles and member conversations are worth the annual payment, IMO. Umm… the breath of knowledge gained from the members there is very interesting compared to this board. Not to knock this board down too far lol, but here is like a good old boys and girls club compared.You say how would I know. Well like others I’ve spent a lot of time there before Elmer pay walled the comment reading.It’s obvious Can't really agree with this part too much, macster. The AFB is still the second place I head to in the morning before I check out PED's site. The first place of course is finance.yahoo.com/quote/AAPL/ Edit…there was a lot of politics at Apple 3.0 at the time. Hopefully not so much today but I’m not paying up to listen to left leaning political opinions and wanting to cast my voice into it objectively on an Apple board.I agree completely with you on this point. If I had to wade through comments about TFG and other ridiculously inane comments, I'd ask for a refund...I certainly wouldn't resubscribe. Likewise you can read the post headlines and go off and read the topic elsewhere. Not worth paying up imo but the technical viewpoints were interesting and many of the big boys live there.I'm not sure who you mean by "the big boys". Some of the commenters at Apple 3.0 seem to be very technologically savvy...other, perhaps less so. So far, I'm seeing responses similar to what I might see on AFB. There are two or three individuals whose comments I make a point of reading whenever I see them...but that's also true on AFB. In any case, have no fear of finding extremely political comments at Apple 3.0...PED would be foolish to allow them because it would cause many subscribers to end their subscriptions...as would allowing others, like AFB members, to view the site for free.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 20, 2023 19:37:08 GMT -8
Special Apple Finance Board member privilege for read only at Elmer Dewitt’s Apple 3.0 board posts. lol…seriously, run it by Mr.Dewitt Why do you think his posts and member replies are worth reading but aren't worth paying for. You make a really good point...and why would PED want to give AFB members access to something for which others have to pay? I've only been subscribed for a couple of months but links to the articles and member conversations are worth the annual payment, IMO.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 20, 2023 13:29:06 GMT -8
Once again, the AAPL chart today makes me glad to be an AAPL Long. It opened at $196.90...rose to it's high of $197.68 within the first 20 minutes and then finished the day, down -1.07%. There were 47 million+ shares traded today, so this was business as usual for some. OTOH, a glance at the second attachment shows that the other tech stocks did pretty much the same, except for GOOG. I have no idea what happened about 2:30PM or so, but most of the stocks headed down about that time. I'm sure someone on AFB can clarify what the factor was this time.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 15, 2023 8:22:15 GMT -8
Yay, Steve! That took Big Ones...but the result of that demo and the resounding success of the iPhone changed many lives for the better. Steve Jobs Rigged The First iPhone Demo By Faking Full Signal Strength And Secretly Swapping Devices Because Of Fragile Prototypes And Bug-Riddled Software — The Engineers Were So Nervous They Got Drunk During Presentation To Calm Their NervesThe late Steve Jobs, renowned for his innovative vision at Apple Inc., faced a unique challenge in 2007 with the first iPhone presentation. The device was a groundbreaking concept, but it wasn't ready for a public debut. Jobs, known for pushing boundaries, orchestrated a presentation that was more of an artful illusion than a demonstration of a fully functional product.Jobs insisted on a live presentation, deviating from the norm of prerecorded demonstrations common in Silicon Valley. To ensure the success of his ambitious plan, Apple’s development team devised a “golden path” — a carefully scripted sequence of actions designed to minimize the risk of malfunctions during the demonstration. Jobs also requested that the iPhones be configured to always display full signal strength, regardless of the actual signal quality. This was to showcase the phone’s wireless capabilities convincingly. Another major hurdle was the iPhone’s limited memory capacity of 128 megabytes, inadequate for unfinished, resource-heavy applications. To circumvent this, Jobs used multiple iPhones on stage, switching them out as needed to manage memory constraints.Jobs dedicated five days to rehearse the presentation, a testament to the gravity of the event for Apple. On the day of the presentation, despite the high risk of technical failures, Jobs completed the 90-minute demonstration without any noticeable issues, a feat considered nearly miraculous by those aware of the backstage challenges.
The iPhone’s development was shrouded in secrecy. Apple’s culture of discretion was evident as engineers signed multiple nondisclosure agreements, disappearing into highly secure areas to work on what was internally seen as a moon-shot project. This intense environment led to a high-stress situation where engineers and managers were reportedly consuming alcohol and got drunk during the presentation to ease their nerves, fully aware of the device’s fragility and being "riddled with bugs."The original iPhone also faced design challenges. Jobs and Apple’s design chief Jony Ive initially envisioned an iPhone made entirely of brushed aluminum, but this was later revised because of concerns about radio wave interference. The eventual prototype presented by Jobs was a marvel of ingenuity under constraints, showcasing a revolutionary device amid internal challenges. When Jobs stepped onto the stage on Jan. 9, 2007, the world saw a confident presentation of a revolutionary phone. Behind the scenes, however, it was a different story. The development process was tumultuous, marked by disagreements and high turnover among engineers. The device demonstrated on stage was an incomplete prototype, with no guarantee of stability. Jobs’ flawless demonstration was a carefully orchestrated series of tasks designed to avoid any system crashes. Despite the backstage chaos and technical limitations, the presentation was a success, marking a significant milestone in technology history and setting the stage for the iPhone’s monumental impact on the smartphone industry.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 13, 2023 13:59:29 GMT -8
It couldn't happen to a nicer stock. 😎 Apple Stock Closes at an All-Time High. It’s Added $1 Trillion in Market Value This Year.Apple shares hit at a record Wednesday, closing at $197.96, up 1.7% on the day.
The close puts Apple above its previous all-time closing high of $196.45 from July 31. Apple shares have now rallied 52% this year, giving the company a market value of $3.08 trillion.
Apple’s market cap has increased about $1 trillion this year, an impressive feat given that just five U.S. companies are valued at $1 trillion or higher. Microsoft shares have matched Apple’s $1 trillion gain this year.
Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Nvidia are the only other publicly traded U.S. companies valued at more than $1 trillion.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 9, 2023 14:15:22 GMT -8
6We have been positive for Six weeks in a row. Great week, Santa has joined the rally. Let's see if we can keep this up and hit an ATH close, and ATH intraday next week. Being positive for 6 weeks in a row is *excellent*...and, in those 6 weeks, we're up 15.1% of our 01/03/22 ATH(92.4% to 107.5%)...more % gain than any of the other 6 stocks. MSFT is second with a 13.1% increase over the last 6 weeks.
I don't think many people recognize how well AAPL is doing as they make their way back from the massive share price drop in 2022. For example, when a commenter on Seeking Alpha stated he planned to trim his AAPL, I responded, "**Yep, AAPL's up 45.8% this year. Time to trim. /s"
A different person responded to my comment with: ======= "Is it absolute or relative that one cares about? AAPL is the worst performing out of the magnificent 7 currently this year. Albeit not by much as AAPL, GOOG and MSFT all in the 45 to 50 range? AMZN,TESLA in the 90% range and META and NVDA 160+. Does AAPL have the best prospects over the next 12 months compared to the other 6?" ======= IOW, the person was emphasizing that AAPL wasn't up as much as some of the others like AMZN and TSLA. ======= I replied, "Myself and others on Seeking Alpha have been invested in AAPL for years...in some cases for decades. AAPL is up 48.9% so far this year...48.9%.
If that makes AAPL "the worst performing out of the magnificent 7" I'm not bothered by that at all.
-- "...GOOG and MSFT all in the 45 to 50 range? AMZN,TESLA in the 90% range and META and NVDA 160+" -- **I don't follow NVDA so I can't speak to that stock. But for the others I can tell you that AAPL and MSFT are the *only* ones of the 7 that have set a new ATH set this year...the rest have an ATH that was set in 2022 or even late in 2021.
Stock % of 2021/2022 ATH MSFT—-110.5%—11/19/21 AAPL—-105.1%—01/03/22 GOOG—-85.5%—11/18/21 META—-85.0%—09/07/21 AMZN—-79.0%—07/08/21 NFLX—-67.3%—11/17/21 TSLA—-58.3%—11/04/21
After looking at this list, if you still think AMZN and TSLA are doing *better* than AAPL because they may be up "in the 90% range" this year, you and I have completely different ideas about how to gauge a stock's progress and possible future success. ======= When that commenter replied to that without mentioning the % of previous ATH's which have been reached by the 7 stocks, my final comment was: ======= But you *completely* failed to address my point. How can AAPL be the "the worst performing out of the magnificent 7" if the other stocks have still not even reached, much less exceeded, their ATH from almost 2 years ago...meanwhile, both AAPL and MSFT have set *new* ATH's this year?
Are you of the viewpoint that what happens in a particular year is more important than what happens over a period of years? Can you appreciate that setting a new ATH, while other stocks still have an ATH from almost two years ago, is much better than what happened *this* year? ======= Sorry to belabor the point and go on and on, but I don't think some folks are considering how really well AAPL is doing this year. The fact that both AAPL and MSFT have set new ATH's this year, and that many of the others still have ATH's from 2 years ago, is significant.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 8, 2023 12:18:55 GMT -8
That is a bad memory, lost a fortune on JDSU. I knew to sell when I saw an interview with the CEO. He was styling in a black beret on a late night talk show, all full of himself. Sadly I also lost a few bucks on that solar play. We didn't invest in solar(or in Pets.com) but we did invest in JDSU, Oracle, Home Depot, AAPL, and a few others. When the Tech Crash came in 1999-2000, we lost about $100,000...and that's when we put the remnants of our investments into *only* Apple because it was the only company who made products we actually used. Losing that money turned out to be the best thing for us...but it was pretty painful at the time.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 6, 2023 23:00:56 GMT -8
3 Trillion as a limit for Apple makes as much sense to me as the "Law of Large Numbers". We don't hear that rubic much anymore, do we? I believe that quality and steady needs-driven evolution will continue to expand Apple's lead over what used to be called the "competition". There are limits, but they are not arbitrary. Who knows what the effect of the AR and auto efforts will yield? Other than that, I have the highest respect for financial analysts I assumed the /s on this post. Thanks Bud! I assumed it as well...his meaning was obvious to all of us...I was kidding him.
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 6, 2023 12:12:56 GMT -8
Other than that, I have the highest respect for financial analysts /s FIFY. 😁
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Post by Luckychoices on Dec 3, 2023 16:04:37 GMT -8
After two weeks where all 7 stocks ended the week in the green, 4 of those 7 ended in the red...down from last week. MSFT is still doing very well at 110.5% of its previous ATH...even though it was one of the 4 that ended in the red. AAPL was green and above 105% of its previous ATH for the first time since mid-July. AAPL still has 4 more weeks of 2023 to exceed...well, you know(Shhh...I don't want to jinx it). 😎 Even though I know AAPL and MSFT investors sometimes get impatient that the share prices are rising slower than they might hope, I think it's important to keep in mind how well they're doing in this environment compared to the other 5 that are being tracked...the table below makes that reality very clear.
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Post by Luckychoices on Nov 29, 2023 11:22:18 GMT -8
Is it just me or does anyone else think that it might be time for a 2:1 split? 2005(2-1 Split)<-9 years ->2014(7-1 Split)<- 6 years ->2020(4-1 Split)<- 4 years -> 2024Even 2024 seems a little early to me...BWDIK
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Post by Luckychoices on Nov 26, 2023 12:19:16 GMT -8
Apple Is Dangerously Close To Losing Its Spot As The Most Valuable StockSupercharged by its AI chops, Microsoft's market value is now $2.8 trillion — just 5.7% shy of Apple's at $2.98 trillion. That means Microsoft's share price only needs to hit 400.53 — it's already at 377.80 — to dethrone Apple as the most valuable S&P 500 company. And given Apple's reliance on now-ubiquitous smartphones, it's only a matter of time when it bows out to faster-growing Microsoft, analysts say. And make no mistake, if Microsoft pulls the jump off, it's due to two letters: AI. Generative AI is already revolutionizing industries. And Microsoft's position with Open AI founder Sam Altman puts it in a class of its own. The fact that Microsoft so quickly moved to hire Altman when he left Open AI signals Microsoft's big bet on the technology, Colas says. Microsoft's profit is seen rising more than 14% in the current fiscal year, topping the anemic 6.9% profit growth expected from Apple. Apple still has no AI strategy. While investments put into MSFT could be instead of into AAPL, I mostly don't see it as a zero sum game. Instead, it is partly a "rising tide raises all boats", but also a "the top companies are worth X". By having some others in the same ballpark, the pricing is a little easier to justify, and so there is less pushback to a large valuation. We may feel that the P/E and other rations should be more important, and a certain company valuation shouldn't matter, just as a certain dollar value on the stock shouldn't matter. And yet in practice, we know that at least some investors are drawn to or away from a big round number, and that while the timing of a stock split during an upswing and good positive gains for the company may play a big part of it, a stock split does seem to help more than the underlying "Two $50's for your $100" comparison would predict. I welcome MSFT making it up to this level. I expect that with an additional player at around the same level, it will be easier for AAPL to advance upwards when company news and investors are ready to support such a push. AAPL/Apple has been an absolutely amazing investment for many of us over the years...it's done much better, for much longer, than most investments. But, is it the #1 investment over the last 20+ years? Heck no! And it's missed being #1 by a lot. Some time ago, I got tired of hearing how *fortunate* Apple investors were...that they just happened to pick a great stock...as if no other stocks would have given such great returns. So I searched and found a stock I'd never heard of previously...Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST). It's done *much* better than AAPL over the last 20 years and gained 132,275% since the first market day of 2001...while AAPL has gained a *relatively* puny 71,587%. Do I regret being invested in AAPL instead of MNST over the years? Not one bit. And I feel the same way about the possibility that Microsoft will soon "dethrone Apple as the most valuable S&P 500 company". In fact, the statements, "Microsoft's profit is seen rising more than 14% in the current fiscal year, topping the anemic 6.9% profit growth expected from Apple. Apple still has no AI strategy." sound like comments an AAPL Bear might make on Seeking Alpha...6.9% growth is *anemic* when compared to 14%? Less than half...sure...anemic?...I don't think so. In any case, check the table below to see the different results from investing $10,000 in each of four stocks 22 years ago. MNST is the winner by far...but I'm still very happy with what AAPL has done in the same time period. If I've made any serious math or entry mistakes in the table, please let me know and I'll fix them. BTW, I am *not* suggesting MNST has given the best return of any stock over the last 22 years...just much more than AAPL.
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Post by Luckychoices on Nov 24, 2023 16:08:30 GMT -8
Nice to see a second green week for the 7 stocks. MSFT is still doing really well and is now 111.3% greater than it's old ATH from 11/19/21...AAPL is the only other of the 7 to have set a new ATH this year and is 104.4% of its previous ATH from 01/03/22. If seeing AAPL so far above its old ATH doesn't float your boat...take a look at the table below. Starting from the market close today, 11/24/23, I backed up a year at a time back to 2018. I took the share price closest to 11/24 of each year...so it was plus or minus 2 days from 11/24. Each year, except 2022, shows a substantial % increase in share price. So, if you consider how AAPL has increased each year(except for 2022) over the last 5 years(YTD-46.2%)...and consider the 325.5% increase in share price from 2018, you should be *very* pleased you're invested/investing in AAPL. Cheers to the AFB members!!
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Post by Luckychoices on Nov 21, 2023 10:13:41 GMT -8
I apologize for posting a link to a non-Apple article...but I just skimmed this article and looked at some of the comments from folks who are invested in MO. For the most part, they *love* their quarterly dividend and scoff at the author for his negative take on the stock. Altria: Do Not Be Fooled By The 9.6% YieldLet me just say that, as often as I read complaints on Seeking Alpha about AAPL's "dismal dividend yield", I'm pleased to not be invested in a company which makes a product responsible for ill health and sometimes the death of customers that use its product as it was designed to be used. I recently exchanged comments with a person on Seeking Alpha who said the following: "Problem with the dividend is not that Apple needs to push the payout to get above 1% yield, the problem is valuation: You get your 1% yield if the valuation normalizes. Lately we have seen a huge multiple expansion which hurts the yield. In other words: The stock price is currently too high, it’s not the dividend that is too low."My take was that it's the divided $ that's important...not the yield. My wife and I invested in AAPL 12 years before Apple restarted its dividend program, therefore we look at the dividend as a very nice financial bonus. If an investor doesn't feel the AAPL dividend they're getting is sufficient...buy more AAPL shares...or sell AAPL and invest in a different company that pays a higher dividend *yield*. And now, back to our regularly scheduled daily discussion of all things AAPL/Apple. :-)
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