AppleIphone posts
FeedPosted Nov 13th 2009 9:15AM by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Apple Inc (AAPL), PepsiCo (PEP), McDonald's (MCD), Walt Disney (DIS), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), Hershey Co (HSY), NYSE Euronext (NYX), Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF)
The future investment stars are already with us. The NYSE Financial Future Challenge, operated by the NYSE Foundation, By Kids for Kids, K12 Inc. and the United Investors Association, is in full swing, with five finalists just identified. To reach this level, the participants had to develop a new product, idea or process that would "excite, educate and motivate their peers" to become interested in the financial marketplace. The eventual winner lurks within this subset and will receive a $2,500 prize -- a great way to get that portfolio started. And, he or she will be feted at a closing bell ceremony at the NYSE (NYX) on January 11, 2010.
The finalists presented a variety of ideas which are sure to generate some buzz. Kelsey Foss, a 12-year-old from Mountainville, NY, proposed a new television show, "Stock Market Tycoon Idol," which would harness the popularity of reality TV while amping up the content. The program would involve the journeys of 10 kids as they seek to make money or lose it, with the possibility of becoming virtual millionaires along the way. The show would be set at a mock NYSE studio on Wall Street, and exports would be brought out to mentor the contestants. The reality TV reach would help engage a younger audience.
Continue reading Tomorrow's gurus shine in NYSE Financial Future Challenge
Posted Nov 10th 2009 5:30PM by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Apple Inc (AAPL), Technology
Even the thought is hard to believe for anyone who's been watching Apple Inc. (AAPL) over the long run. Once upon a time, the company was presumed dead, while Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) continued its march to market dominance. Today, Apple's $180 billion market value is evidence of a new era. Though it's still behind Microsoft's $250 billion, the company's rapid ascent and substantial market presence make at least speculation of catching up to the Redmond giant worth a few minutes of thought.
Microsoft is currently the most valuable technology company in the world, according to a Reuters report. Even Google, Inc (GOOG), with its astounding brand recognition and position as gateway to the internet, is worth "only" $136 billion. Apple, which was once considered a computer company that sold into education and appealed to some graphics geeks, has reasserted itself as a major global presence.
Continue reading Is Apple closing in on Microsoft?
Posted Dec 29th 2008 8:30AM by Brian White (RSS feed)
Filed under: Products and services, Apple Inc (AAPL), Wal-Mart (WMT)
When it was rumored that
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:
WMT) would carry the
Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AAPL) iPhone 3G
last month, many of us wondered what pricing the world's largest retailer would give the benevolent wireless handset. It's here now, as Wal-Mart confirmed at the end of last week that it would indeed be carrying the iPhone 3G as of yesterday in 2,500 stores in the U.S.
The price? Just a drop below normal $199 and $299 pricing. Wal-Mart is now selling the 8GB iPhone for $197 and the 16GB version for $297. For some reason, Wal-Mart whacks a few dollars off the price and thinks it has a pricing advantage. Not. Apple relented and allowed the retailer to take its usual "price ending in XX7" approach but apparently did not allow any discount on the iPhone beyond that. No lower priced handset, not a 4GB model for $99 that had been rumored. Nothing new really.
Except -- the iPhone will now be in front of the largest retailer audience in the U.S. That makes a huge difference for Apple. Pundits, myself included, have always thought brands cheapened themselves by selling in Wal-Mart. Does Apple cheapen itself by going into the largest discount retailer in the world? The iPhone and iPhone 3G have been around now for over 18 months and have sold in huge numbers, so I doubt it. The exclusivity factor of just being carried by AT&T has worn off, as has the novelty of the iPhone itself (it's no longer exclusive -- you see them everywhere). Assuming many Wal-Mart shoppers can pass credit checks, the iPhone 3G may find a whole new audience now.
Posted Dec 26th 2008 10:00AM by Brian White (RSS feed)
Filed under: Products and services, Rants and raves, Apple Inc (AAPL), Best Buy (BBY)
Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE:
BBY) is slicing $10 off the price of the 8GB
Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AAPL) iPhone 3G, cutting its price to $189.99 through January 3rd. In addition, the 16GB version of the iPhone will drop to $289.99 as well. Wow! A measly $10 off a new iPhone! Stop the presses!
Best Buy's
Scott Moore indicated that "we thought this would be a way to help customers right now." What a generous gift, yes? Truth be told, it's Apple who dictates to its retailer partners the prices they can sell Apple goods. This is why you'll see almost the exact same price for any Apple product no matter where you purchase it.
But, if Best Buy thinks whacking $10 off the price of an already-overpriced piece of hardware is doing customers a favor, something's in the food in
Richfield. And, a
$30 "setup fee" for the iPhone? What kind of nonsense is that? At least this fee is being waived along with this huge price reduction. Since Best Buy gives a free "walking out working" setup to all the other cellphones it sells, why on earth is there a $30 fee to setup the iPhone -- which is heralded as one of the easiest phones to setup anyway?
It's no secret that Best Buy has been hurt by the holiday season retail sales slowdown -- it has said as much -- but I'm not sure this is any way to help that situation. That is, unless customers are expected to line up to save the cost of a single movie ticket to a device that locks them into
more than $1,600 in calling and data plan contract fees over a 24-month period. What a mark that $10 will have, yes? If Apple and Best Buy really want to "help out" more customers, it sure needs to be more than a measly $10 pittance.
Posted Dec 9th 2008 4:00PM by Brian White (RSS feed)
Filed under: Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), Marketing and advertising, Smartphones
Google, Inc. (NASDAQ:
GOOG) is starting to place its advertising all over its web-based products as it tries desperately to gain ad revenue outside of its web search results.
In what has been a long time coming, the world leader in internet search will now be tailoring ads for its search product specifically for smaller screens like those on the
Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AAPL) iPhone and the Google-powered G1 smartphone, offered by T-Mobile.
This makes sense. A web search performed on a standard web browser brings up text ads that bring in billions of revenue for Google every quarter. On smartphones with full web browsers but with a lack of screen real estate, these ads work but are sub-optimal. If Google can get this right and make text ads next to search results look like they belong on small-screen web browser, it will have significantly upped its ante.
Will customers click (with their fingers, no less) on mobile ads set next to mobile search results on these full-featured phones? The law of averages suggests they will, most likely. As iPhones sell in more volume and smartphones eventually become the mobile device of choice, mobile advertising will become a decent income stream for Google and other mobile ad networks.
At least, that is Google's dream. So far,
mobile ads are miniscule in income generation compared to standard web search income generation -- even with many more phones in use than computers with standard web browsers.
Posted Nov 20th 2008 12:12PM by Brian White (RSS feed)
Filed under: Deals, Apple Inc (AAPL), Wal-Mart (WMT)
It was just a matter of time. It looks like the
Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AAPL) iPhone 3G
will be coming to Wal-Mart sometime before the end of the year, but probably after Christmas. According to the
Boy Genius Report, which claims its sources are reliable and to have come across some internal Wal-Mart correspondence, the iPhone 3G will be sold in 2,500 Wal-Mart locations in about a month from now.
Remember that the iPhone 3G must be activated (unlike the original iPhone), so only Wal-Mart locations that can use a specific ordering and activation system can carry the iPhone 3G. Some Sam's Club locations will also carry the iPhone 3G, but they also must use the Wal-Mart ordering and activation system in-house (several Sam's locations use a different wireless activation system). All in all, this will make the iPhone available to just about every American (well, the ones with good credit at least) as more U.S. shoppers have exposure to Wal-Mart than just about any other store.
The question is whether Apple is forsaking the iPhone cool brand allure by offering it at the largest discounter in the world. At this time, no. The iPhone 3G has been out in the world long enough for the iPhone to make its name. Offering it at Wal-Mart now won't impact its reputation nor affect Apple's cred.
Since Apple pretty much dictates pricing to its retail partners, expect the iPhone 3G to sell for a dollar or two less than the standard $199 and $299 pricing levels seen at all other retailers. Say, something like $197.48 and $297.48, as Wal-Mart is into non-standard retail pricing schemes to try and create the illusion of low prices against the competition. The presumed launch date: December 28th. Get ready.
Posted Nov 12th 2008 3:10PM by Brian White (RSS feed)
Filed under: Products and services, Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL)
T-Mobile's G1 mobile phone -- with its
Google, Inc. (NASDAQ:
GOOG) powered -- may have a bill of materials that's about 10% cheaper than
Apple, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:
AAPL) iPhone 3G, according to research firm iSuppli. No wonder it retails for only $179 with a two-year contract while the 8GB iPhone 3G sells for $199 with the same two-year contract.
Part of the difference may be in the memory of both units. While the iPhone 3G comes with 8GB of memory already installed, the T-Mobile G1 comes with a paltry 1GB memory card, which of course can be upgraded unlike the iPhone's memory capacity. The cost breakdowns:
$144 for the G1 and $160 for the iPhone 3G. Even with the price break of a meaningless $20, can the G1 ever hope to compete with the iPhone's sales numbers?
Doubtful, at least in its current configuration. Apple's iPhone 3G surpassed the
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:
MOT) RAZR to become the best-selling handset in the U.S. in this year's third quarter. The G1 is just now hitting the market as of late October. With the prices of the two units within $20 of each other, and with the iPhone's huge lead in being on the market, the G1 won't make much headway against iPhone sales. 2009 - and a second-generation G1 - could see renewed interest in T-Mobile's offering. Right now, it's all Apple.
Posted Oct 31st 2008 12:10PM by Brian White (RSS feed)
Filed under: Products and services, Apple Inc (AAPL)
One of the holy grails for consumer electronics manufacturers has always been to produce a single device that is good at so many things that customers don't need a whole collection of gadgets -- just one. The perfect example of this has been
Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:
AAPL) iPhone. It makes calls, allows web browsing and email, can play music, TV and movies, and do about a jillion other things.
It's not the first device to try and be a jack-of-all-trades, but it's arguable the first to be the simplest and coolest at everything it does. Customers are apparently noticing, as they are dumping other gadgets in favor of
carrying and using just one - the iPhone. And we're not talking middle-income families and consumers either, but those with incomes below the median.
This is music to Apple's ears -- its device is being used by all demographics for everything from telecommunications to video and music to web browsing (possibly being the first "portable" computer for many).
ComScore stated that iPhone ownership spiked 48% from June 1 to the end of August among households earning between $25,000 and $50,000 a year. Need Apple say more? Not really.
Next Page >
The infighting between 
While 
When 
With most 
Twitter finally reveals revenue ambition, wants to be Google -- but not yet
Google says: Chrome for Christmas
Why is gold marching higher? Ask the central bankers
