AAPL - Apple Inc.

[compoundinglife]

Great, another fool with a lot of money telling Tim what to do.

 

 

Go away loser.

 

My guess is that outside of his chat with TC Icahn will be fairly passive with this position. I don't see him raising a big stink or trying to tell them to what to do. But I guess we shall see.

[Palantir]

I hope so. It may all be a giant grandstanding with little action on Icahn's part. Apple has a good dividend and has been buying a lot of stock, any activism seems unnecessary at this point in time. Just IMO.

[Guest valueInv]

Great, another fool with a lot of money telling Tim what to do.

 

 

Go away loser.

 

My guess is that outside of his chat with TC Icahn will be fairly passive with this position. I don't see him raising a big stink or trying to tell them to what to do. But I guess we shall see.

 

Why did he have to go tweet about it and raise the price for buybacks? Couldn't he have just kept quiet?

[jeffmori7]

Great, another fool with a lot of money telling Tim what to do.

 

 

Go away loser.

 

My guess is that outside of his chat with TC Icahn will be fairly passive with this position. I don't see him raising a big stink or trying to tell them to what to do. But I guess we shall see.

 

Why did he have to go tweet about it and raise the price for buybacks? Couldn't he have just kept quiet?

 

Exactly, he is losing also by promoting so soon his investment...

[compoundinglife]

Great, another fool with a lot of money telling Tim what to do.

 

 

Go away loser.

 

My guess is that outside of his chat with TC Icahn will be fairly passive with this position. I don't see him raising a big stink or trying to tell them to what to do. But I guess we shall see.

 

Why did he have to go tweet about it and raise the price for buybacks? Couldn't he have just kept quiet?

 

Exactly, he is losing also by promoting so soon his investment...

 

Is he? 13F will be out this week and the same thing would have happened to the stock then if he had been silent instead of tweeting it. We are talking maybe a days worth of buybacks had he remained silent till the filling was out. It doesn't make a difference.

[jeffmori7]

Great, another fool with a lot of money telling Tim what to do.

 

 

Go away loser.

 

My guess is that outside of his chat with TC Icahn will be fairly passive with this position. I don't see him raising a big stink or trying to tell them to what to do. But I guess we shall see.

 

Why did he have to go tweet about it and raise the price for buybacks? Couldn't he have just kept quiet?

 

Exactly, he is losing also by promoting so soon his investment...

 

Is he? 13F will be out this week and the same thing would have happened to the stock then if he had been silent instead of tweeting it. We are talking maybe a days worth of buybacks had he remained silent till the filling was out. It doesn't make a difference.

 

Oh right, I didn't realize the 13F was coming. Thanks.

[Guest valueInv]

Great, another fool with a lot of money telling Tim what to do.

 

 

Go away loser.

 

My guess is that outside of his chat with TC Icahn will be fairly passive with this position. I don't see him raising a big stink or trying to tell them to what to do. But I guess we shall see.

 

Why did he have to go tweet about it and raise the price for buybacks? Couldn't he have just kept quiet?

 

Exactly, he is losing also by promoting so soon his investment...

 

Is he? 13F will be out this week and the same thing would have happened to the stock then if he had been silent instead of tweeting it. We are talking maybe a days worth of buybacks had he remained silent till the filling was out. It doesn't make a difference.

 

Suspected as much, but I'm still pissed.

 

There are two more chances to disappoint this year. Fingers crossed.

[Guest valueInv]

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/12/4615882/larry-ellison-says-we-already-know-apple-is-doomed-without-steve-jobs

 

Thought you'd get a kick out of this one valueInv ;)

 

Here's what I got a kick out of:

 

http://gigaom.com/2013/08/13/larry-ellison-says-one-of-the-google-guys-did-oracle-wrong/

[ASTA]

Just happy Uncle Icahn also gave apple some love :D

[jeffmori7]

Media are definitely crazy..now it's all started again on Yahoo Finance : Will Apple hit 700$ again? in big headline!!!

 

Sorry valueInv!

 

 

[Guest valueInv]

Media are definitely crazy..now it's all started again on Yahoo Finance : Will Apple hit 700$ again? in big headline!!!

 

Sorry valueInv!

 

The guy ruined my week.

[Guest valueInv]

http://gigaom.com/2013/08/14/the-full-htc-heres-to-change-video-ad-a-super-hero-or-super-zero

 

Apple's ad campaign looks pretty good now, huh?

 

HTC seems to be in a hurry to turn into the next RIM.

[Guest valueInv]

Some great analysis:

 

http://techpinions.com/customer-acquisition-and-the-entry-level-iphone/21719

http://stevecheney.com/on-the-future-of-ios-and-android/

[Liberty]

Some great analysis:

 

http://techpinions.com/customer-acquisition-and-the-entry-level-iphone/21719

http://stevecheney.com/on-the-future-of-ios-and-android/

 

Thanks, these were good.

[Guest valueInv]

If you want to get a feel for iOS 7, check out beta.icloud.com. I have to say, it blew away my expectations. Jony Ive knows what he is doing.

[compoundinglife]

If you want to get a feel for iOS 7, check out beta.icloud.com. I have to say, it blew away my expectations. Jony Ive knows what he is doing.

 

Yeah I tried it out a few weeks ago to play with the hosted version of keynote. Pretty cool.

[txlaw]

If you want to get a feel for iOS 7, check out beta.icloud.com. I have to say, it blew away my expectations. Jony Ive knows what he is doing.

 

Yeah I tried it out a few weeks ago to play with the hosted version of keynote. Pretty cool.

 

I gotta say, I'm really digging the design. 

 

As long as iOS 7 doesn't kill my battery life, I will definitely be upgrading.  It feels so much more modern than the current OS.

[texual]

Ehh iCloud beta, kind of gimmicky looking. I don't think this is all that good. Frosted glass? Thats Windows Vista era stuff that Apple just rehashed like its from the vintage store!!!

 

But who knows maybe itll be a hit. I don't understand these types of things to begin with.

[Liberty]

http://qz.com/115513

 

“Both sides sounded keen,” China Mobile’s chairman Xi Gouhua said today after releasing first half earnings (paywall). Xi was referring to Apple and his company, which are in talks for China Mobile to offer iPhones to its subscribers. Apple CEO Tim Cook met Xi in Beijing last month, to discuss “cooperation.”

 

Both sides have plenty of reasons to be keen. China Mobile has 740 million subscribers, or two out of every three Chinese mobile users, making it the world’s largest mobile carrier. But less than a fifth of its subscribers have signed up for 3G data plans, which offer faster data connections and bring in much greater revenue per user for carriers. Already data accounts for a third of China Mobile’s revenues. Yet it lags behind its smaller rivals: more than a third of China Unicom’s subscribers have a 3G plan while half of China Telecom’s do. If it offered the iPhone, it would undoubtedly see an uptick in 3G numbers. That’s especially important at a time when voice and SMS revenues are eroding thanks to online services such as WeChat. [...]

 

Looking at the long term though, the timing couldn’t be better for a tie-up between Apple and China Mobile. One of the reasons that the Californian firm and the Chinese carrier haven’t been able to agree on a deal so far is that Apple’s hardware was incompatible with China Mobile’s network. That problem could be solved on Sept. 10, when rumors suggest Apple will introduce new models using compatible CDMA technology. That same product launch could also see the release of Apple’s “cheap” iPhone, expected to be priced at between $250-$350. Taking into account carrier subsidies, it is conceivable that the device could take on Xiaomi’s low-cost, high-performance devices, some of which go for as little as $130.

 

Another reason Chinese consumers may rush out to get data plans is that China Mobile is building an LTE network (LTE stands for long-term evolution; LTE networks are a successor to 3G), which it will probably roll out by the end of the year. All those people without smartphones could potentially leapfrog straight ahead to super fast mobile broadband on shiny new Apple devices. Looked at that way, China Mobile’s disadvantages—its low subscriber base for data and lack of iPhone support—may turn out to be just what drives growth in the coming years.

[Guest valueInv]

http://qz.com/115513

 

“Both sides sounded keen,” China Mobile’s chairman Xi Gouhua said today after releasing first half earnings (paywall). Xi was referring to Apple and his company, which are in talks for China Mobile to offer iPhones to its subscribers. Apple CEO Tim Cook met Xi in Beijing last month, to discuss “cooperation.”

 

Both sides have plenty of reasons to be keen. China Mobile has 740 million subscribers, or two out of every three Chinese mobile users, making it the world’s largest mobile carrier. But less than a fifth of its subscribers have signed up for 3G data plans, which offer faster data connections and bring in much greater revenue per user for carriers. Already data accounts for a third of China Mobile’s revenues. Yet it lags behind its smaller rivals: more than a third of China Unicom’s subscribers have a 3G plan while half of China Telecom’s do. If it offered the iPhone, it would undoubtedly see an uptick in 3G numbers. That’s especially important at a time when voice and SMS revenues are eroding thanks to online services such as WeChat. [...]

 

Looking at the long term though, the timing couldn’t be better for a tie-up between Apple and China Mobile. One of the reasons that the Californian firm and the Chinese carrier haven’t been able to agree on a deal so far is that Apple’s hardware was incompatible with China Mobile’s network. That problem could be solved on Sept. 10, when rumors suggest Apple will introduce new models using compatible CDMA technology. That same product launch could also see the release of Apple’s “cheap” iPhone, expected to be priced at between $250-$350. Taking into account carrier subsidies, it is conceivable that the device could take on Xiaomi’s low-cost, high-performance devices, some of which go for as little as $130.

 

Another reason Chinese consumers may rush out to get data plans is that China Mobile is building an LTE network (LTE stands for long-term evolution; LTE networks are a successor to 3G), which it will probably roll out by the end of the year. All those people without smartphones could potentially leapfrog straight ahead to super fast mobile broadband on shiny new Apple devices. Looked at that way, China Mobile’s disadvantages—its low subscriber base for data and lack of iPhone support—may turn out to be just what drives growth in the coming years.

 

Like I've said before, a mid-range iPhone changes the equation for them. Right now, they've kept their head above water by snagging customers in segments Apple does not play in (which are huge in emerging markets). Even then, they are lagging. Enter the 5C and now they have a big risk of falling behind.

 

The same applies to NTT DoCoMo.

[texual]

Why does a mid range iPhone automatically change the game for them? I am curious as to why you actually feel this way specifically. Do you have faith that it will be just as popular as the iPhone 4s? There are a lot of mid range phones and even cheaper options available. The best Apple device was the iPhone for being a premium. Even that premium space is crowded. What makes you believe the mid range iPhone will be a hit?

 

What if its not?

[texual]

I guess I feel foolish for answering my own question with another: is the mid range iPhone something you are anticipating being a bridge to the rest of the world? I cannot see Americans buying a mid range iPhone, which is what I was originally asking. But the mid range is mostly for the Chinese/Indian market I am assuming?

[Palantir]

Why don't you think that Americans wouldn't buy a mid range iPhone given that they buy iPhone 4S and iPhone 4? In the future, it's likely that carriers will start cutting subsidies which will raise the initial cost of owning a device, and as such, a cheaper iPhone will become more relevant.

 

In India at least, don't know about China, they sell phones unlocked, so a cheaper iPhone is an obvious strength.

 

To some extent I'm starting to see smartphone fatigue even among iPhans, as due to market saturation smartphone generations now offer incremental improvements rather than big bursts which may extend the smartphone replacement cycle, so even Western iPhans may end up buying the iP mini...IMO. This could also increase market share.

 

As to why it will be a hit? I think most people prefer the better looking, easier to use device with a great brand name. Apple beats Android on each count. So given the choice between a 350 Android and a 400 iPhone Mini, which would you buy? I suspect most people would pay slightly extra to get the iPhone Mini. In a sense, they are inserting themselves at the top end of the "midrange" sector. Think Mercedes C, E, and S-Class.

[texual]

Why don't you think that Americans wouldn't buy a mid range iPhone-

 

Because for the past 6 years Americans have proved that they are totally fine with paying 200$ every two years for subsidized iPhones. They also have paid more every year for their bills. Today the data packages on top of phones were something unheard of at least in my circles just a few years back. Now its normal that everyone on a family plan pays an extra 30-40 dollars a month just for data and texts. Share everything plans are way more expensive than I remember my old cell phone bills back in the day.

 

Also every American pretty much owns or plans on owning a smartphone and they seem to be fine with buying the iPhone 4/4s and 5.

 

In the future, it's likely that carriers will start cutting subsidies -

 

There is no indication of this happening ever. Only T-mobile has the gall to try this. And they will realize very soon that nobody will really want to partner with them for exclusive launches and premium handsets won't go there because frankly, having subsidies helps push phones to more people. Stores benefit, customers benefit. I cannot see Verizon wanting to advertise a higher up front cost for anything. Part of the beauty of that business is everything sounds cheap on first glance. 200 dollars is really the upper limit of what you can expect to pay for anything when you sign a contract. That's a pretty ok number, but put a 300-500 dollar tag, it really hinders our perception after decades of being on subsidy.

 

given that they buy iPhone 4S and iPhone 4-

 

So that leads me to wonder why do they even bother making a 'mid range' iPhone when they can just keep cycling the current phones down 100 dollars and let that be the cheaper option. Hey at least they aren't watering down their brand by calling it lower end, mid range, or using plastic. I'd rather own a 4s knowing it was premium a year ago and still is, but not the latest iteration.

 

If they made the 5s the 200 dollar phone and the 5 the 100 dollar phone, I don't understand what mid range means anymore. 100 bucks is mid range price, but not mid range quality. The iPhone 5C from what I read was going to utilize less high end materials and be made differently. Don't really follow why Americans would buy that - except for one scenario: you lost your phone, broke it, or have no Apple Care and still want an iPhone. You get the cheaper one and use that, its still an iPhone I guess.

 

iPhatigue -

 

I live in NYC and I take trains everyday. I pay attention to every person using their phones. I think in the last year I have seen a sea change in habits. If you asked me last winter, I would have said New York is a iPhone town. Nobody here would ever give up their iPhone. Today I really think its getting closer to 50/50 for Androids, mainly Galaxy. My entire workplace is now on Galaxy Note II, or S4. Still have yet to see more than 2-3 Windows Phones in the wild. ;)

 

The best iPhone would be if they made a phablet sized one!!!

 

[texual]

As you can tell I am getting really tired of my 4 inch iPhone 5. I'm really itching for one of those giant hilarious looking phablets that you just grin when you see someone holding it up to their ear.