Tech giant Apple (AAPL) finds itself face to face with the $300 level as we approach the opening bell Wednesday. [UPDATE: Apple opened at $300.20.] Tuesday, the tech titan finished trading at $298.54 after hitting an intraday high of $299.50. I don't want to seem as if I am trivializing a major stock milestone, but $300 should fall by the wayside rather quickly -- especially with the help of its 20-month moving average (as can be seen on this chart).

Along with potential technical support, there is plenty of news from Apple. First the company is in talks with two Indian telecom operators about launching a CDMA (code division multiple access) iPhone in India. Reportedly, Apple is in discussions with Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices about bringing a CDMA iPhone to India. A CDMA-based iPhone is what Apple will allow Verizon Wireless (VZ) to sell early next year in the United States.

Continue reading Apple Tops $300 -- Now What?

Apple Tops $300 -- Now What? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It seems excitement about Apple's (AAPL) iPhone is truly global, as demand for iPhone 4 handsets has outstripped supply, according to China Unicom (CHU). Sales of the popular smartphone, which launched in China Saturday, came at a faster pace than sales of previous versions.

More than 1,000 people waited, some for two days, outside the new Apple Store that opened in Xidan Joy City shopping mall on Saturday to get their hands on the new toy.

Continue reading Demand for iPhone 4 Exceeds Supply in China

Demand for iPhone 4 Exceeds Supply in China originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's a forgone conclusion that Apple (AAPL) has been the savior of AT&T (T) for the past few years. Little did any of the wireless companies know that Apple's various iPhone models would change the face of the wireless phone industry and sell millions and millions.

And the thing just turned three years old. Is there pent-up demand, though, to use the iPhone on different networks than AT&T (at least, in the U.S.)?

Continue reading Apple's Banner Year Is 2011 -- with Verizon Wireless

Apple's Banner Year Is 2011 -- with Verizon Wireless originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Appple (AAPL) has never been worth more than rival Microsoft (MSFT). Although the brand equity in Apple is at an all-time high and it can't make its newer products fast enough, Microsoft's continuing bankroll every quarter from software licensing has trumped just about every other computer company (hardware and software) for years. Microsoft's consumer electronics products (except for maybe the Xbox 360) have never had the cache or consumer love factor as Apple's products. And, it finally happened: Apple's market cap bypassed Microsoft's this week.

Continue reading Apple's Moment: Market Cap Leaps Past Microsoft's for First Time

Apple's Moment: Market Cap Leaps Past Microsoft's for First Time originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It seems like the consumer electronics sector is intensely focused on Apple's (AAPL) impending fourth-generation iPhone release that is sure to come out of next month's Apple developer conference. There is only one problem: the unannounced iPhone has already been exposed to the world for quite a while now.

Will Apple see financial harm from what may be the biggest product leak in its history?

Continue reading Apple Counsel: iPhone 4G Leak to Result in 'Huge Loss' in Sales

Apple Counsel: iPhone 4G Leak to Result in 'Huge Loss' in Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last year, Twitter said it had two goals for 2010: generate revenue and make acquisitions. At the time, the company was still sitting on a significant portion of its last round of capital, and given the $20 million annual burn rate revealed late last year -- plus the revenue it's generating -- it's unlikely that Twitter has had to deplete its coffers. So, Twitter has cash to put to work, and now we're seeing what that means.

On its blog, Twitter announced Friday that it has entered into an agreement with Atebits (aka Loren Brichter) to acquire Tweetie, which is one of the top Twitter clients for the Apple (AAPL) iPhone. In addition to acquiring the application, Twitter is also picking up talent. Brichter's efforts were good for a 2009 Apple Design Award, and he'll be part of future efforts to get Twitter for the iPad off the ground.

Continue reading Twitter Acquires Tweetie, Loren Brichter

Twitter Acquires Tweetie, Loren Brichter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The PC must be so boring right now. Almost all the noise from high-tech leaders Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG) centers around the burgeoning fight the two have in the mobile handset space. Add Apple's (AAPL) iPhone dominance into the picture and mobile is quickly becoming the next battleground for ad-related search revenue, now that Google has effectively won the market for ad-based search revenue on the PC.

Continue reading Motorola Hints at Dumping Google on Its Handsets; Microsoft Chosen Instead

Motorola Hints at Dumping Google on Its Handsets; Microsoft Chosen Instead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even though the consumer electronics industry wants to have some company -- any company deliver an Apple (AAPL) iPhone killer, that company won't be Google (GOOG). Google, on the other hand, has become Apple's Microsoft (MSFT) from the late 1980s. What's that, you say?

Microsoft took the personal computer market by storm by not tightly controlling every piece of hardware and software that was used with its now-ubiquitous Windows operating system. Apple, on the other hard, guaranteed a solid user experience by tying its excellently-designed hardware with only its own operating system software. It's been said that Microsoft, more than any other company, enabled the PC era by not controlling the hardware it's software rode on top of. Google has the same goal in the mobile space, which is where the future of consumer computing is headed.

Continue reading Why Won't Google Deliver an Apple iPhone Killer?

Why Won't Google Deliver an Apple iPhone Killer? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

McDonald's (MCD) isn't the only company tapping into the "billions" game. In a bit of chest-thumping while Google (GOOG) announced its new cell phone, Apple (AAPL) let the world know that iPhone and iPod Touch users have pulled down 3 billion applications from the company's App Store since its launch a year and a half ago.

Steve Jobs, the company CEO, said, "This is like nothing we've ever seen before." He didn't reveal how many of these apps were free -- and whether billions and billions of downloads translate to billions and billions of dollars.

Continue reading Apple App Store: Billions and Billions Served

Apple App Store: Billions and Billions Served originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has reinvigorated the wireless handset industry. It was there first (in many ways) and it will be hard for any company without virtually unlimited resources to wrestle the golden crown from Apple. First movers generally don't relinquish their titles.

With Google (GOOG) set to announce the "Nexus One" handset tomorrow based on its own Android mobile operating system, does it want a piece of Apple's action? Is that its goal?

Continue reading Why Google's Nexus One Smartphone Isn't Meant to Take Anything Away from Apple

Why Google's Nexus One Smartphone Isn't Meant to Take Anything Away from Apple originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Could Mobile Payment Become a Common, Easy Reality?

Could Mobile Payment Become a Common, Easy Reality? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This little gem was perpetuated by tech guru and investor Roger McNamee. Of course, he is a member of the Palm (PALM) board of directors, and his firm is an investor in the company.

Did I mention that PALM shot up after his comment, before the mediocre and overpriced Pre hit the market? The company then issued shares a few days later? You and I would go to jail for doing this.

Continue reading Lie #11: The Palm Pre Is the Ultimate iPhone Killer

Lie #11: The Palm Pre Is the Ultimate iPhone Killer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Palm Inc. (PALM) seemed like a company with a solid comeback plan last summer. After more than a year of downward spiraling, the company was on the verge of releasing its hottest product probably ever, the Palm Pre. This was supposed to be the wireless handset that would finally challenge the Apple (AAPL) iPhone with it's slick user interface and svelte design.

Sales of the Pre in recent quarters were indeed decent, although Palm's decision to choose Sprint Nextel (S) as its exclusive launch partner may have dampened things a bit. Although Sprint's network, at this time, fares way better than AT&T's (T) network that is constantly being made fun of, the Pre still didn't slow down iPhone purchases.

Continue reading Where Is Palm Headed After the Hype from Last Summer?

Where Is Palm Headed After the Hype from Last Summer? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In just over 30 months, Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has taken over Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Mobile operating system in terms of smartphone market share in the U.S. -- this from metric firm comScore's latest measurement of operating systems actually in use by customers by sampling techniques, not overall device shipments or sales by wireless carriers.

Windows Mobile, which has been around for the better part of a decade in some form but has stagnated horribly in recent years as the competition has blown past it, will continue to falter with the Windows Mobile 7 operating system pegged for next year or should get out of the space entirely and cede to Apple, Google's (GOOG) Android devices and RIM's (RIMM) BlackBerry market -- which currently has the largest market share for smartphones in the U.S.

Continue reading iPhone Mobile Operating System Surpasses Windows Mobile in the U.S.

iPhone Mobile Operating System Surpasses Windows Mobile in the U.S. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Google (GOOG) released its Nexus One concept phone last weekend to some of its employees, the blogosphere and industry pundits went on a feeding frenzy: Would Google try and release its own wireless phone and compete directly with its existing carrier customers? Could a Google Phone give Google even more power of the information that controls our daily lives? Amol Sarva, founder of the Peek device that resembles a smartphone but only does email, chimed in on the Google Phone, which Google has coined the "Nexus One."

Sarva called Google's offering "every bit as good a piece of hardware as the Droid or the iPhone." To many, those are fighting words. Apple's (AAPL) phenomenal success with the entire iPhone ecosystem (iTunes and App Store) won't ever be matched, but Google has the best chance of anyone to get close. Indeed, the Google "Android Market," which offers applications for all the various Android-powered handsets, now has 20,000 programs available for download in just over a year. Apple had 50,000 in its first year.

Continue reading Apple's iPhone and App Store Armada Faces Serious Challenges

Apple's iPhone and App Store Armada Faces Serious Challenges originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Those who own an Apple (AAPL) iPhone be prepared to have your head explode. Highly regarded think-tank consultant Strand Consult has just released a report that may send shock waves through the iPeople. Apple iPhone users are a tad delusional and many even lie to protect their iPhones.

Strand's report went as far as comparing those who protect their iPhones at all costs as those who may be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. That comparison alone is sure to spark debates for a while, but the question is this: Do you fabricate arguments to protect the "quality of life" your iPhone has provided you? Be honest, now.

Continue reading Strand Consult: Apple iPhone customers are delusional liars

Strand Consult: Apple iPhone customers are delusional liars originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Googlephone becomes official: The game changes yet again

Googlephone becomes official: The game changes yet again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple (AAPL) saw limited success in China when it recently debuted its iPhone there. Although the Chinese really weren't all that impressed by the device's requirement of an expensive calling plan from Apple partner China Unicom, the iPhone has sold fairly well since its debut. Or, it has sold poorly depending on your perspective.

In two months, China Unicom has sold a little over 100,000 Apple iPhones. Compare that with China Mobile, China Unicom's largest competitor and the largest mobile carrier in China, which apparently doesn't feel threatened by the lackluster sales performance of the iPhone. Indeed, a mobile market with a 1.3 billion potential customer base and the comparison of 100,000 handsets sold for a device that has seemingly revolutionized the entire mobile industry don't appear to belong in the same sentence, right?

Continue reading Apple iPhone sales pick up in China, but still at dismal pace

Apple iPhone sales pick up in China, but still at dismal pace originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Verizon (VZ) is betting the farm on a high-stakes bid to supplant the Apple (AAPL) iPhone with its Droid device. In the long run this may be a good move, but in the short run the ad blitz and high cost of this rollout are really going to eat away at Verizon's bottom line.

While spending on tech devices has been strong, the bottom line is that the initial price point for the Droid may be a bit high and it will take some time for consumers to catch on to this smart phone, considering how loyal Apple users are. Things may change in a few weeks if I hear some favorable news, but for now VZ is a sell.

Next: Dog of the Dow #13: Walmart (WMT)

Dog of the Dow #12: Verizon (VZ) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tired of the prudes over at Apple (AAPL), who keep a tight leash on filth in iTunes? Well, it seems like the folks at Google (GOOG) are keeping an open mind. Even though its Android Market isn't playing in the adult space, Google isn't preventing adult-only content from getting on its devices, while Apple has made it a point to keep its iPhones and iPods clean from the start.

The latest entrant into the Android experience is a company called MiKandi (say it, "my candy"), which provides mobile access to the hot stuff you can enjoy on a screen of any size. MiKandi has no connection to Google other than the use of its technology.

Continue reading Android gets a red light district

Android gets a red light district originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.