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I didn't even know that AT & T had a senior plan. So, am I paying too much? I need to check this out with AT & T.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/08/14/wafer-thin-iphone-5-giv- es-apple-new-buzz-stock-breaking-out/?partner=yahootix
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEC_APPLE_BIGGEST_COMPANY?SITE=AP&SECT- ION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-20-12-20-45
“The largest transfer of wealth from the public to private sector is about to begin. The federal government will be bulk-selling the massive portfolio of foreclosed homes now owned by HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to private investors — vulture funds.”
So warned Roger Arnold, chief economist for ALM Advisors of Pasadena, California, in a column for RealMoney on August 11, 2011, that first lifted the lid on this latest colossal scandal to come out of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
“These homes,” wrote Arnold, “which are now the property of the U.S. government, the U.S. taxpayer, U.S. citizens collectively, are going to be sold to private investor conglomerates at extraordinarily large discounts to real value. You and I will not be allowed to participate. These investors will come from the private-equity and hedge-fund community, Goldman Sachs (GS) and its derivatives, as well as foreign sovereign wealth funds that can bring a billion dollars or more to each transaction.”
http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/sectors/item/11661-for-billionaires-only-u- ncle-sams-real-estate-fire-sale
http://allthingsd.com/20120824/apple-says-verdict-is-a-win-for-values-samsung-sa- ys-its-a-loss-for-consumers/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444358404577609810658082898.html?r- u=yahoo&mod=yahoo_hs
http://live.wsj.com/video/apple-wins-big-in-samsung-patent-trial-2012-08-24-2011- 5128/FDA99090-876F-49E8-B75E-5DF974E869A1.html#!FDA99090-876F-49E8-B75E-5DF974E8- 69A1
http://live.wsj.com/video/apple-vs-samsung-verdict-a-lawyers-take-2012-08-24-201- 152242/B404992E-83F3-410D-8B90-B80B1E6FA231.html#!B404992E-83F3-410D-8B90-B80B1E- 6FA231
If I was buying today, the Samsung Galaxy SIII would be far and away my first choice, with the Samsung Note 2nd and the HTC Evo 3rd. I have played with my neice's 4s and it left me cold. Maybe the 5 will catch up to the competition.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
http://beta.fool.com/mooseelz/2012/09/03/samsungs-patent-loss-are-others-gain/10- - 593/?ticker=AAPL&source=eogyholnk0000001
Not only did the jury find Samsung "guilty as charged" and thus older Samsung smart phones being barred from the U.S., but now Apple is asking for an injunction on the new smart phones like the the Galaxy S lll, Nexus, etc. That would be a real shocker for Samsung and a big boost for Apple and perhaps a few other smart phone companies if the judge agrees with Apple.
This had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the trial was in Apple's back yard. If you read the comments by the various jurors after the trial, it was obvious that the jury based the case ONLY on the evidence. The evidence overwhelmingly showed that Samsung cheated, period.
In fact, customers appear to have rushed out to buy the Galaxy S III, with some stores running out of stock, according to Global Equities Research.
Ironically, the one Samsung product that the judge temporarily banned before the trial, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, was found by the jury not to have violated a design patent. But the jury did find it violated three software patents.
Samsung is now asking for the ban on its tablet to be lifted. Judge Koh has set a hearing for Sept. 20 on that filing. Samsung has also vowed to appeal the original jury verdict.
A judge in Tokyo ruled Friday that several Samsung phones and tablets don't infringe on an Apple patent for music and video technology, and ordered Apple to pay the South Korean company's legal costs.
In a lawsuit in South Korea judges said Samsung didn't copy the look and feel of Apple products. They also ruled that each company violated some of the other's patents.
So what exactly is being contested in these lawsuits? First there is "look and feel," sometimes called "trade dress." This is the claim by the maker of one product that another product deliberately copies the look of its devices in order to confuse the consumer.
In the U.S. case, Apple won "look and feel" on its phones but not its tablets.
In Great Britain, a judge ruled Samsung's Galaxy tablets were not "cool" enough to be confused with Apple's iPad.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/technology/techman-fallout-descends- -after-latest-apple-samsung-bout-651571/
In the final analysis the only people to make out will be the stinking attorneys.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
The company is developing a new tablet with a 7.85-inch screen that is likely to sell for significantly less than the latest $499 iPad, with its 9.7-inch display, according to several people with knowledge of the project who declined to be named discussing confidential plans. The product is expected to be announced this year.
Natalie Kerris, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/technology/apple-may-meet-tablet-competition-w- ith-smaller-ipad.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all
http://blog.laptopmag.com/ipad-mini-rumors-7-things-you-need-to-know
Funny how Apple was playing the bullied victim card 20 years ago...and is now on the other side.
In a media event in Los Angeles, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduced the Kindle Fire HD, the second-generation of its color tablet that can play movies, music and games, as well as display books. The new tablet comes in two sizes, it’s original 7-inch screen and a new 8.9-inch model. The 7-inch model with 16 gigabytes of storage will sell for the same $199 as its earlier version and will ship Sept. 14.
But it’s the announcement of its larger-sized Kindle Fire HD that is likely to make competition fierce for Apple’s ubiquitous iPad, which ranges in price from $499 to $829.
Like Apple’s computer tablet, the new Kindle Fire HD sports a high-resolution display, at 1,920-by-1,200 pixels (although still slightly lower than the newest iPad), dual stereo speakers, an HD front-facing camera for video conferencing, and it has an improved Wi-Fi system with two antennas and utilizes "multi-input, multi-output" (MIMO) technology for better Internet reception. Bezos claims the wireless performance of the new Fire is 41 percent faster than the iPad’s.
The tablet, which runs on a modified version of the Android operating system, also will support the faster 4G LTE network, a feature the iPad does not yet have. Bezos also introduced a new data plan to go with the Fire in which consumers can use up to 250 megabytes of data per month, as well as have 200 gigabytes of storage on Amazon’s cloud service for $49.99 per year.
Charlie - I'm doing the same as you. Passing the 4-s off to my son and taking the iPhone 5. The only thing I'm unhappy about is that I may not be able to charge it in my radios. I take big advantag of this now particularly as I have a radio in my kitchen near the door that takes me into the garage. Makes it nearly impossible to forget the phone. Re the new LS - I love it but also want to see the new S-class. The sales guys here d'ont even have any literature on it and it doesn't start selling for awhile. My lease runs thru mid next year.
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/09/07/why-pandora-media-plunged.aspx
As far as the car is concerned, I decided to stay with a winner (LS). I'm tempted to pre-order, but I may want to test drive the 2013 LS460 first. I am going to likely switch from the long wheel base to the short. I don't need all that room in the rear passenger area. Of course, it will be the AWD. No more snow tires. But according to your comments from the past, you were under the impression that the LWB drives better. Maybe I will test drive the 2012 SWB and compare it with mine. I would like to special order the car as soon as possible. I love the new looks and the high tech features on the new LS.
AMZN - Maybe we are missing the boat on this stock. Traders just don't seem to care about it's P/E. They seem to be of the mindset that AMZN will make huge amounts of money a ways down the road. I read in recent days that they will likely be coming out with their own smart phone as well and basically give it away at cost since they don't care if they don't make any money on the tablets or smart phones. Could this be a problem for Apple at some point?
$2000 per oz is a nice round figure. I am surprised that we supposedly have 75% of our money backed by gold.
I just traded in my 2006 LS 430 for a certified 2010 LS 460. Silver over grey, AWD, loaded to the gills and only 13,000 miles.
I am a slow adopter and I am not yet sold on that ram scoop grill on the 2013 LS but it will probably grow on me. Good luck to everyone.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Why not wait to see the car in person (plus in various color schemes) and decide then on LWB or SWB? Initial prices are the highest and you are buying sight unseen. Don't forget you have a great car as it is.
As usual, your advice makes a lot of sense. I should wait and test drive both the 2013 SWB and the LWB. There is no need to rush and make a mistake I will regret. I imagine, the new LS will show up at my dealer in November. So the wise thing to do is wait. After all, what's another 2 months of waiting mean? Nothing really. Plus, as you state, I may get a better deal if I wait a few months.
Perhaps sales from Amazon may slow down a bit after the 15th but that's only in CA. In reality, internet chatter indicates that Amazon sales are hopping from CA residents due to the impending sales tax collection. IMHO, I don't think sales in CA will slow down at all. Amazon still will offer lower prices and the convenience of not having to go to a physical store.
But on a positive note, this gives Amazon the incentive to build facilities in CA that will provide permanent jobs. That will give Amazon the opportunity to reach their goal of next day or same day delivery.
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http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/iphone-5-isn-t-only-factor-driving-a- pple-131134949.html
I will wait and test drive the new LS in November and make a final decision at that time.
I do think the idea of a large company like aapl being the front runner for their customers could really shake things up.....Just think, pay a thousand dollars for a smart phone with two years of service for 2gb... I bet if aapl did something along those lines, they would just `clean the boards`...and as a matter of fact someone is going to something along those same lines...Competition is picking up...Tony
Groundbreaking 4G LTE Package
Amazon worked closely with AT&T to offer the most affordable 4G tablet data package. This 12 month AT&T 4G data package includes 250MB a month of blazing fast data, 20GB of additional Cloud Drive storage, and a $10 Amazon Appstore promotional credit, all for a one-time payment of only $49.99, with no monthly payments required. The $49.99 package is only available for the first year of service. If you need more data, additional 3GB and 5GB data plans from AT&T are also available for purchase. You can sign up for a data plan right from your device.
GS is a heck of an improvement over the old one, anyway. If I was shopping in the uber-regions and wanted AWD+economy, I'd look up an S350 Diesel, all are 4Matic, and highway mpg will be over 30, not bad for a boat.
NY Times story today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/technology/amazon-forced-to-collect-sales-tax-- - - - - aims-to-keep-its-competitive-edge.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
The car is much improved in looks, ride and handling and has gotten very good reviews. The V8 (which in this case is also a hybrid) always was tuned more toward luxury and was LS like. So it looks, based on your comments, like that is still the same. They are only bringing in 1 of 10 cars as a V8 so you may have to order in advance. How is the backseat and trunk room on this car?
Re Apple - the 5 looks great and I will pre-order it. Glad they have an adapter that makes it fit the old chargers in the radios etc. Stock took off late and I was expecting that. Lot of options expire tomorrow.
http://blog.laptopmag.com/iphone-5-vs-the-world-how-apples-device-stacks-up
http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/13/technology/apple-lightning-adapter/index.html?so- - - - urce=yahoo_quote
Edit - New all-time high for Apple as it crosses $684. I think anyone who is trading and following trends of how the stock performed after past iPhone announcements is in for a surprise. First of all Cook said yesterday that the iPad market share rose to 68% despite the cheaper competition. If they come out with a smaller iPad in October this will hurt Amazon and others. Second he said Apple was dominant in notebooks the past 90 days and third there are several other product upgrades plus a promise of other major announcements between now and year end. The notebook and iPad news will impact the bottom line positevly in the next earnings. Now the iPhone 5 is coming out early and may sell 10mln+ in 10 days. I must have talked to 10 people yesterday and they are all pre-ordering immediately. These are big numbers based on Cook and projected sales and then Q4 is going to be out of this world. How can you sell this stock at this point?
Len - I did not pay too much attention to the back seat area. I think there is enough room but I need to inspect it again. I was much more interested on the feel of the ride which was exceptional. I know that the trunk space is 13.8 cubic feet as compared to the LS at 18 cf. But 13.8 is pretty darn good considering it's a hybrid. I honestly believe that I would buy this car, but the fact that it does not come in AWD will likely keep me away.
I forgot to tell you that I also test drove a 2012 LS SWB model just to see how it feels compared to my 2008 LWB. I honestly could not tell much difference at all. But more will be revealed when I test drive the all new 2013 LS (SWB & LWB) sometime in November.
The current port is a 9 year old design and very inefficient for the future. It takes up precious real estate in a package that needs space for other features.
Give it 4 weeks and you'll see knock off port adapters on Amazon for $3.
What bothers me most is not the price but the fact that it won't play music on the existing radios thru the adapter. I'd almost rather wait for a new radio than buy a new adapter. But they may be expensive. I bought my current radio heavily discounted at macmall for $49 and it plays great. Good advice about Amazon. Thanks.
Charlie - I'm taking the iPhone 5 as a pre-order tomorrow, am buying the iPhone 4S for my son and tranfering my 4S to my wife so that we'll have music thru that. I of course have iPods that also contain music but they are not updated with my latest purchases. For my daughter I'm going to take the free iPhone 4. That's 3 great phones for $299. I have 3 Verizon upgrades I can take advantage of. One question that hopefully you, Rob or anyone else knows the answer to. Will the iPad sync with all 4 iPhones or just mine?
Well there's another bit - Apple gets licensing fees (up to $4 per unit I've read) for Apple approved products that are compatible with their hardware. It's another way to ensure cash flow.