Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been on the rise today, as renewed enthusiasm over future iPhone sales has brought buyers into the stock, pushing shares up $7.67 to $130.63, or 6.2% .The company has stated that its goal for overall iPhone sales by the end of 2008 was 10 million units, and according to Apple's COO, Tim Cook, the company remains confident in hitting that hefty goal.
Since the highly anticipated release of the iPhone last year, there have been a couple of points that Apple has taken a bit of heat over, the first being that outside programmers were not allowed to write programs for the iPhone, and the second being the company's decision to grant individual carriers rights to sell their phones in their respective countries.
Both of these shortcomings may soon change according to Cook. Speaking to to a Goldman Sachs investor group in Las Vegas, Cook hinted that starting on March 6 the company would give programmers the tools that they need to begin creating outside programs for iPhones. This could open untold numbers of new applications for iPhone users, and will definitely spark even more interest in the $400 smartphone.
The second area that has brought criticism to the company is the individual carrier restriction that it chose to adopt. This restriction may be coming to an end sooner than later, as Cook acknowledged that the company was "not married to the single, exclusive-carrier model."
Many iPhone users have already managed to get around the single carrier restriction, and it has been estimated by Bernstein Research that as many as 25% of all the iPhones in use out there are "unlocked" so that they can utilize non-approved networks. The problem for Apple is that for these users the company does not get its cut of carrier fees.
I do not have an iPhone (although I have played with many of them) but I have to say that they really do impress me. Everyone that I have met who has an iPhone, has fallen immediately in love with the unit. I have to think then, that by allowing a wider selection of carriers along with a wider selection of programs, Apple will easily be able to hit its 2008 goal, and probably easily surpass it.
How about our BloggingStocks readers out there? How many of you own an iPhone, and what are your thoughts on the product? Will more of you buy one if / when the company starts allowing outside programmers to write programs for the phones? And if so, what applications would you really like to see being offered for the phones?
Entrepreneur's Journal: Key steps for telesales success
The week in preview: Focus returns to earnings: Alcoa, Chevron, Family Dollar
Comfort Zone Investing: Survival of the fittest -- letting some banks fail
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-28-2008 @ 4:26PM
Doug S. said...
I bought my iPhone about 5 months ago just because I wanted a cel phone that would double as an iPod. Much to my surprise, I wound up become reliant on all of the functions on the home screen, using them for real, practical purposes and not just to toy around with them. So it has had a real impact on my daily life, more than I'd anticipated or even intended.
Similarly, my boss likes his so much that he bought iPhones for his wife and daughter as Xmas gifts. And my best friend has yet to actually the pull the trigger, but admits that he spent a solid hour in an Apple store playing with a display model, he was so entranced by it.
Admittedly, all three of us have used Macs for a while, so perhaps we're just used (or susceptible) to the Apple way of doing things. But still....
I find it hard to believe that the stock got a 10% pop on the SDK news, though. We've known for months that a third-party developer kit was in the works, and in fact, it's going to be delivered a little late. An SDK was always in the works; timing was the only question.
2-28-2008 @ 4:38PM
WeSeed Editor said...
I would gladly fork over the money for an iPhone—once the price comes down A LOT.
2-28-2008 @ 5:06PM
Mitch said...
@doug
The jump in stock price today was based on Tim Cook once again saying that Apple believes it will sell the 10million iPhones this calendar year. There have been many recent posts with people voicing strong doubt that Apple would hit their sales goal.
2-28-2008 @ 8:19PM
devanssjc said...
I bought my iPhone a couple weeks after they first became available, primarily because I wanted a phone that had a real internet browser on it. The iPhone has more than satisfied that need, though I admit I spend a lot of time waiting for the EDGE network to respond.
Still, the iPhone as it stands was worth the price for me. I was not an Apple nut before, but I'm well on my way to becoming one. The iPhone is the most practically designed smartphone I've ever used. All the things is promises to deliver, it delivers well. The other smartphones I've used in the past promise all kinds of features, and I end up not using them. Why? Because they are too hard to use or don't perform the function well. The iPhone is very intuitive and easy to use. I, Like the first responder, find all the functions of the iPhone to be much more useful than I ever expected.
Thanks