would love to have some AAPL right now! Up almost $12 today. And now with the holiday season right around the corner...

time to start pricing some december calls just out of the money.

So ... if a few hundred thousand people have an iBrick, it's okay because the stock is up?

Absolutely.

The bump in stock price reflects the companies past present and future projected performance.

Performance due based on demand for the products that they manufacture.

If someone wants to gamble on hacking the phone and bricking it then whose fault is it?

All the North American carriers will only buy handsets that are locked to thier network. Handsets are heavily subsidized and they want to ensure you use your subsidized phone on thier network. Years and years of "Free" phones have created this problem and I dont think users are going to be wiling to pay the $200+ for thier "free" phone anytime soon. Some phones are easier to unlock than others but trust me Apple isnt the only product that can turn into a "brick" by hacking. Dont want and Ibrick? dont fark with it.

It does sound fishy, but I work with someone who bought two about a month after they came out and has still not activated either.

I'm not saying Apple isn't a good company, but if ever there was a stock with emotional value...this is it. Apple stock seems more like baseball cards in that the fundamentals aren't important, or at least not as important as they should be.

But in the end things are worth what someone is willing to pay...Apple stock is just unique as to why they pay. Will it last? Hell if I know.

It's weird; this thread gets bumped on the topic of how many phones . . a Q is raised about the # of phones activated vs bricked . . .and the iDefense is Look over here at the stock price.

. . hookay.

btw, what phones are #'s 1, 2 & 3 ?

only a moron buys the phone betting it'll get cracked. How in the world is that Apple's fault?

Oh yeah, it isn't. Only the moron who bought the phone. As opposed to those of us who knew the story, bought it, and have had zero issues (ie most people). Oh wait, I forgot...Apple is supposed to anticipate the hackers and make them feel better. After all, there is no personal responsibility here...

I agree, you brick it...you buy it.

yup, same with any product you choose to mess with.

It's hardly Enron type accounting. Industry reports say that 18% of iPhones are 'cracked' to work on other networks. And there are plenty of iPhone users who appreciate everything else the thing does and dont' use it as a phone at all.

It's funny that the blind Apple hate propels the same people into wrong conclusions time after time.

agreed here as well. ...who was saying anything else?

I'm not an Apple evangelist, just a user, but folks can always invest in Microsoft, Dell or HP as an alternative. BTW, didn't MS just get spanked in Europe for their usual business practices. After the verdict and a large fine, they cooperated quickly under the threat of $2mil or so per day. It seems over here they merely get their hand slapped. Let's hope they eventually get it.

As long as Apple creates products consumers want/need without alienating that same customer base, they'll do fine, just like any other company.

Sherwood

I'm not an Apple user (yet), but I probably will buy an iPhone some day when the price drops again. Investing does not have to be "mutually exclusive", and imo there's no problem owning lots of successful, companies (that might compete with each other) as long as you remain diversified overall.

You say that like it's a good thing. Microsoft is the institution, the world requires their products to function. Apple makes trendy toys (save for the the ad/marketing industry).

Microsoft has a built in stability, Apple needs to keep hitting home runs to maintain their current stratospheric levels.

like Middle East stability?


Not true. Apple has to keep developing lifestyle personal electronics that tie into their computers. The growth of all of the iLaunch products point to their steadily increasing marketshare in the PC market.

It comes down this from a product development and marketing strategy:

Microsoft is part of a person's business life, and they typically hate it. And yet Apple can't compete in this marketplace. What should they do?

(I believe) Apple wants to become a part of a person's personal life, giving them every reason to love it.

Both are important to the consumer as a computer user, but they are completely different strategies for each company's success.

I agree. It's ALL about marketing and these companies are targeting different segments that are not mutually exclusive at all. Apple does NOT have to continue to hit "home runs", as they have a VERY profitable niche nicely secured imo. I'm not an Apple user, but how many folks do you know that move away from an Apple product to some other offering...talk about a loyal consumer base :)!

I don't care enough to argue this anymore. If you think Apple is worth 50% of Microsoft...then fine I guess.

Do you think Porsche is worth 50% of General Motors? ;)

I don't know if your're arguing (with me) or not :). I'm not debating Apple's value (as a company) vs. Microsoft as I currently have positions in both. At various points in time, I've had a vested interest in every company mentioned in this thread, but this topic was about the profitablility of the iPhone launch. Apple's performance numbers can stand on their own merit as they have for several years...YMMV.

MS would like to the world to function solely with their products. Alas, their monopolistic strategies have troubled quite a few individuals, companies and countries. Competition is good for everyone (consumers too) as long as it's on a level playing field.

Here's what one county is doing:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4602325.stm

Here's what one continent has done:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21144-2004Dec22.html
(does this sound familiar with what the US Justice Dept. did/attempted a few years ago?)

We'll see if MS can win hearts and minds with their current business model. I hope they can do better.

Sherwood

Apple is different how?


.

Guys, I've spent most of my career working with IBM software... Microsoft, Apple, etc. are still learning how the "game is played" and have a LOT of catching up to do :).

The methods of alienating/developing customer base.

That's funny! I've never heard an Apple user dissing their products (I've never owned any), but I've sure had my own gripes with ALL of their competition :)

So then, 'Apple would like to the world to function solely with their products.. .but not have them feel alienated.' ? :confused:

Seriously, how can you Apple fanboys not see that Steve Jobs is trying to piss further up the pole than Gates?

Were all of the the Apple fanboys formerly on H.S cheer squads? . .. everything is about go team-Apple, go with you guys. And yet, paradoxically you all fault MSFT for go, go , going ....all the way to the top.

Obviously Gates did a whole lot to bring usable software to the masses. ...Henry Ford brought usable auto's to the masses. Perhaps Steve jobs is to Gate, what Porsche was to Ford ..... or perhaps he's just another John deLorean, pumping out a pretty veneer on top of existing mediocrity. :cool:

Anyway, you guys are delusional, if you think that Jobs is not one hell of an aggressive player in all of this.

I'm just an investor (in both), and not an "Apple fanboy", but does that aspect really matter? I've never owned an Apple product and don't care much for Microsoft either, but that doesn't matter (to me) from an investment perspective.

"So then, 'Apple would like to the world to function solely with their products.. .but not have them feel alienated.' ? "

Your juxtaposed words, not mine. MS is closer to conquering the world than Apple is. I think Apple will be pleased with merely 20% market share ... next year.

If you plot GM vs Toyota in the last 10 years, maybe the same trend with MS vs Apple in the next 10. Dunno, can't predict the future. B. Gates might have an epiphany and mimic S. Jobs, and Jobs may eventually morph into another corporate suit for all I know.

Sherwood

Not Enron accounting at all, as others have stated.

The inverse is actually true; Apple spreads the income of an iPhone sale over a 24 month period instead of booking it all when sold. They are doing this because they will be adding features over time. That seems very un-Enron, yes? :)

Best,

Kurt

Let's see 1.4 million in 5 months is 3.36 million per year. If sales continue exactly at this pace, 10 million will occur mid spring 2010. If sales continue exactly at this pace.

And it's no longer $5Billion in sales. The price of the phone has dropped...

so is 19.5% market share a failure?

http://www.betanews.com/article/Jobs_iPhone_has_195_of_US_smartphone_market/1200418182

Apple's deal -- unique in the industry -- is $10 per month direct from AT&T in addition to phone sales revenue. So Apple is doing pretty well.

I think the industry expectation was for them to have announced 5 million unit sales, so I'm surprised today's 4 million sales report didn't affect the stock more.

A 6+% hit is pretty big, though the market as a whole took it in the sphict.

I still love my iphone, but what did they introduce new last week at the show in Vegas ?

iPhone's market share is equal to the combined percentage of the next three largest companies—Palm, Motorola, and Nokia.

Whoa! That's amazing! :eek:

AAPL sold 4 million iPhones since launch (200 days).

FWIW.

iPhone 2

What will it need to make you switch?

For me:

2 keyboards. A slide out thumb-board in portrait mode and tilt like keyboard for landscape mode.

Make sure it will connect with Blackberry services, make sure it will work directly with MS active-sync. Open it up for third parties to develop software. Have it come out of the box with the ability to open and manipulate word, excel, power point. It should be able to read PDF files.

Add a thumbwheel for scrolling through messages (like the blackberries) and you will have a device that will appeal to anyone. And yes, if it was like the above and offered GSM, and not locked to a Network, I'd buy one.

Here's the reference. Last sentence. Maybe they are talking U.S. market? Only "smart" phones?

http://www.macworld.com/article/131581/2008/01/iphoneupdate.html

It's smart phone market; RIM is still number one in this market ahead of Apple.