AAPL - Apple Inc.

[Palantir]

I could imagine an Apple TV-like device that's connected via Bluetooth to your washing  machine, coffee maker, oven. You wake up in the morning and via the iKitchen app on your iPhone, coffeemaker starts making coffee before you set foot in the kitchen, from the same iKitchen app you can control your house's temperature, set up schedules for your washing machine to wash/dry etc etc.

[Liberty]

One thing (not huge, but still worth noting) that I haven't seen mentioned much anywhere is Facetime Audio. If well integrated (and it will be), it will basically allow you to easily do the equivalent of a Skype call to anyone with a iOS or OSX device, but without needing you and the other party to be logged in some extra software. Should be quite useful to the average person (who doesn't always want to make a video Facetime call) and make the platform a bit stickier.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaceTime#FaceTime_Audio

[fareastwarriors]

http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2013/09/11/apple-iphone-evolves-as-a-business-tool/?mod=WSJ_business_cio

 

Apple iPhone Evolves as a Business Tool

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[watsa_is_a_randian_hero]

I could imagine an Apple TV-like device that's connected via Bluetooth to your washing  machine, coffee maker, oven. You wake up in the morning and via the iKitchen app on your iPhone, coffeemaker starts making coffee before you set foot in the kitchen, from the same iKitchen app you can control your house's temperature, set up schedules for your washing machine to wash/dry etc etc.

 

My friend bought these for his house over a year ago.  http://store.apple.com/us/product/HA895LL/A/nest-learning-thermostat-2nd-generation

 

Invented by the guy who helped design the original ipod.  Can control with ios or android devices.  Its habit-learning too...you don't have to program it.

[DukeCrow]

New podcast from Ben Thompson, Benedict Evans, and Ben Bajarin.

The first episode has a good discussion on Apple's iPhone strategy.

http://cubed.fm/

 

[Liberty]

One of the most peculiar announcements yesterday was that iOS 7 was now 64-bit. Apple seems to have left out that announcement at WWDC, possibly to avoid revealing that the A7 chip(and hence the next iPhone) would be 64-bit capable. Many seem to have assumed that this is just Apple preparing for the eventual transition. I think there's more to it than that.

 

Apple made a similar full-scale transition to 64-bit on the Mac with Snow Leopard in 2009. At the time, Macs were already at the point of reaching 4GB and above memory capacities. This isn't the case with the 5S today, or even for the majority of Android phones.

 

I don't believe Apple added 64-bit support to iOS 7 and all their apps just to prepare for an eventual transition to 4GB+ memory capacities in future iPhones. I think this was to do with something more impending. Do we know any product category that Apple would be interested in, that would require the use of both iOS and an A-series chip that is 64-bit capable in order to address 4GB+ memory?

 

Apple TV (the one that is yet to come, not the one that exists).

 

Just a few days prior to WWDC this summer, the Xbox One was annnounced with 8GB memory. The 360 had 512 MB of memory. Earlier in January this year, the PS4 was announced with 8GB of memory. The PS3 had 256MB of system memory.

 

If Apple were to release a competing living room solution now, as Steve Jobs claimed they had figured out, it would definitely have to have around 8GB of memory (if they were interested in addressing big screen console gaming seriously). It would also likely be iOS, and not OS X, that would be needed. I think that is why Apple just announced full-scale hardware and software 64-bit support, not because phones will eventually have 4GB of memory sometime in the future.

 

The second bit of credence for this theory comes from the new Game Controller Framework that was announced for iOS 7 and OS X 10.9. This seems to address the user control issues with big-screen console gaming, while the 64-bit hypothesis above ensures compute and graphics capability for larger screens.

 

More here: http://cannyvision.com/2013/09/12/the-most-forward-thinking-apple-yet.html

 

For the record, I think it's likely Apple will eventually have a gaming console. It won't be just that, but probably some evolution of Apple TV that can also handle a game controller and with lots of GPU power. Mix that with a great TV interface and access to content over the top and maybe even through a cable box and that would be a big market.

[Guest valueInv]

Security seems to be a big focus of this release:

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424412,00.asp

 

This only talks about half the security features, the other half is listed here:

 

http://www.apple.com/ios/business/

[DCG]

I worry about the fingerprint sensor not working well.

 

Seems like no other company has been able to get this type of thing to work consistently yet. I see the potential of people getting locked out of their phones and having this blow up on Apple. Hopefully they've tested the crap out of this.

[Guest valueInv]

I worry about the fingerprint sensor not working well.

 

Seems like no other company has been able to get this type of thing to work consistently yet. I see the potential of people getting locked out of their phones and having this blow up on Apple. Hopefully they've tested the crap out of this.

Authentec was a year ahead of everyone else. Apple then spent quite a bit of time readying the technology. I doubt they would put anything unreliable. Manufacturing problems are a whole another story....

[DukeCrow]

I worry about the fingerprint sensor not working well.

 

Seems like no other company has been able to get this type of thing to work consistently yet. I see the potential of people getting locked out of their phones and having this blow up on Apple. Hopefully they've tested the crap out of this.

 

Early accounts say that the reliability is pretty good. However, even if it does end up being unreliable, you would obviously just fall back to using a PIN or passcode, so there's no danger of being locked out of your phone.

[Liberty]

http://www.apple.com/ios/business/

 

The enterprise is going to LOVE this stuff.

[hardincap]

various polls on the net asking people which phone they plan on getting are showing very poor numbers for the iphone 5c. at just $100 more, why wouldn't you get the 5s? the better camera alone seems worth the price.

 

i wouldnt be surprised if apple cuts the price of 5c down to 499.

 

[Guest valueInv]

various polls on the net asking people which phone they plan on getting are showing very poor numbers for the iphone 5c. at just $100 more, why wouldn't you get the 5s? the better camera alone seems worth the price.

;)

 

Maybe that's exactly the question Apple wants people to ask  ;)

[hardincap]

or maybe they were just wrong with the price and will have to lower it, like they did with the macbook retina and other products in the past. doesnt that seem even remotely possible to you?

[Guest valueInv]

or maybe they were just wrong with the price and will have to lower it, like they did with the macbook retina and other products in the past. doesnt that seem even remotely possible to you?

 

Apple hasn't changed the pricing. They're just changed the look of their mid-tier phone to differentiate their tiers. This is the same pricing structure they have been using successfully for years.

 

You can argue that the look change is a bad strategy. In that case, when the 6 comes out, they will jut keep the 5s and kill the 5c.

 

So far there is little evidence that 5c is doing badly. The numbers are not out. Do we expect the 5c to sell out? Did e see the 4s sell out when the 5 came out?

[hardincap]

or maybe they were just wrong with the price and will have to lower it, like they did with the macbook retina and other products in the past. doesnt that seem even remotely possible to you?

 

Apple hasn't changed the pricing. They're just changed the look of their mid-tier phone to differentiate their tiers. This is the same pricing structure they have been using successfully for years.

 

You can argue that the look change is a bad strategy. In that case, when the 6 comes out, they will jut keep the 5s and kill the 5c.

 

So far there is little evidence that 5c is doing badly. The numbers are not out. Do we expect the 5c to sell out? Did e see the 4s sell out when the 5 came out?

 

so its not possible apple could be wrong with the pricing strategy this time, simply because its worked before?

[Guest wellmont]

Security seems to be a big focus of this release:

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424412,00.asp

 

This only talks about half the security features, the other half is listed here:

 

http://www.apple.com/ios/business/

 

but it's not as secure as a blackberry.  ;D

[Palantir]

Apple always does its pricing like this. Only for a $100 more you can move up to the next level! Think of how the iPad Mini is 330 but the iPad 2 is 400.

 

 

ValueInv, you still haven't told me why preorders for the 5C start before the 5S.

[Guest valueInv]

or maybe they were just wrong with the price and will have to lower it, like they did with the macbook retina and other products in the past. doesnt that seem even remotely possible to you?

 

Apple hasn't changed the pricing. They're just changed the look of their mid-tier phone to differentiate their tiers. This is the same pricing structure they have been using successfully for years.

 

You can argue that the look change is a bad strategy. In that case, when the 6 comes out, they will jut keep the 5s and kill the 5c.

 

So far there is little evidence that 5c is doing badly. The numbers are not out. Do we expect the 5c to sell out? Did e see the 4s sell out when the 5 came out?

 

so its not possible apple could be wrong with the pricing strategy this time, simply because its worked before?

 

 

It is possible in the same way it is possible that the 5c is a massive hit.

[Guest valueInv]

Apple always does its pricing like this. Only for a $100 more you can move up to the next level! Think of how the iPad Mini is 330 but the iPad 2 is 400.

 

 

ValueInv, you still haven't told me why preorders for the 5C start before the 5S.

 

Manufacturing difficulties?

[DCG]

I don't have a link handy, but Barron's gave both phones a real good reviews in this week's issue.

[Guest valueInv]

So Wellmont, what do you think the iPhone's marketshare is going to look like in Japan over the next 6 months?

 

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/14/apples-iphone-sparks-japanese-carrier-battle-iphone-5s-goes-free-on-contract

 

::)

[Guest wellmont]

I think these moves will help slow down, at the high end, the Android onslaught in Japan. Good for Apple! But the real growth continues to be customers with less means, buying their very first Android smartphone. I believe smartphone penetration in japan is only 40%. so lots of growth is going to happen at the low end.

 

2012

Among smartphone platforms, Android was the clear leader, growing to 64.1 percent in the June quarter, up from 62.2 percent in March. Apple’s iPhone actually dropped 1.4 percent in market share over the quarter, settling in at 32.3 percent. Microsoft came in at a distant third with 3.2 percent.

 

That’s another first, and the research firm says that Chinese handset makers like Huawei saw “sales jump 3 fold” during the final quarter, putting them in a better position than Japan’s local mobile makers.

[Guest valueInv]

I think these moves will help slow down, at the high end, the Android onslaught in Japan. Good for Apple! But the real growth continues to be customers with less means, buying their very first Android smartphone. I believe smartphone penetration in japan is only 40%. so lots of growth is going to happen at the low end.

 

2012

Among smartphone platforms, Android was the clear leader, growing to 64.1 percent in the June quarter, up from 62.2 percent in March. Apple’s iPhone actually dropped 1.4 percent in market share over the quarter, settling in at 32.3 percent. Microsoft came in at a distant third with 3.2 percent.

 

That’s another first, and the research firm says that Chinese handset makers like Huawei saw “sales jump 3 fold” during the final quarter, putting them in a better position than Japan’s local mobile makers.

 

And what are the yearly stats? Btw, Android grew because DoCoMo was heavily discounting Sony handsets. Guess what they are discounting now?

[DCG]

2012

Among smartphone platforms, Android was the clear leader, growing to 64.1 percent in the June quarter, up from 62.2 percent in March. Apple’s iPhone actually dropped 1.4 percent in market share over the quarter, settling in at 32.3 percent. Microsoft came in at a distant third with 3.2 percent.

 

Not that Apple wouldn't want to have more marketshare, but is it really that surprising that a platform being given away for free has a higher market share?