The Stock Market and Investing

fintail

Interesting. I know one thing Samsung won't copy - the iphone maps app :shades:

I'll wager none of that award money is ever seen. If Samsung really did blatantly copy...they will just change a word here and an angle there, and put it back out.

gagrice

Apple has a much bigger problem than collecting from Samsung. The new iPhone mapping is near worthless. What was Apple thinking when they dumped Google maps? Google maps is the number one reason I would get a smartphone.

Those hoping to locate the Washington Monument lost out in Apple’s rush to launch its own mapping app and banish the remarkably accurate, detailed one long provided for free by Google.

The list of mapping errors discovered as the new iPhone 5 hit the streets goes beyond the misplaced marker honoring the first U.S. president. Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) also was in the wrong place. So was an Apple store in Sydney. London’s Paddington Station, meanwhile, was missing entirely, according to a handy compilation by the Huffington Post.

OOOPS

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/apple-map-fails-ios-6-maps_n_1901599.ht- - ml#slide=1548605

kyfdx

Apple will just use the court decision as leverage, to get Samsung to pay for licensing their patents...

It's just business...

robr2

What was Apple thinking when they dumped Google maps?

Well we don't know what happened in the back rooms but the stated reasons are:

Google would only provide a neutered version of Google Maps to Apple - they wouldn't let Apple have the Turn by Turn directions that Google offered on their Android OS

Google wasn't sharing any of the user data they captured from people using Google Maps on iPhones.

Remember Google Maps wasn't perfect right away. It took years, hundreds of millions of dollars and a similar number of feedback points to get it to where it is today. Apple bought 3 mapping companies in the past 18 months and contracted with Tomtom to assist in this offering.

According to head of Nokia's Connected Car project, it takes about 2 million updates per DAY to keep up with the changes. Apple has already been updating the maps, POI's et al. It's a work in progress.

ljflx

"Apple has a much bigger problem than collecting from Samsung. The new iPhone mapping is near worthless. What was Apple thinking when they dumped Google maps? Google maps is the number one reason I would get a smartphone."

Give me a break. Many people love the mapping because of the turn by turn and you can access google maps thru safari. But regardless the mapping will clearly be updated and probably pretty soon. We're talking software here not hardware. So please - get real.

gagrice

We my son is here from AK and he has the 4S iPhone. His wife has the Samsung Nexus and they both like the Nexus much better. Software is what makes or breaks the hardware. Both like Android OS better than IOS. I don't know anyone that has tried both in the last 6 months that prefers Apple IOS over Android. If Apple is all you know then it probably seems ok.

And I won't give you a break. Without flawless mapping I would have NO use for a smartphone. I hate talking on cell phones. Getting bits and pieces of a conversation is not my idea of a good form of communications. At best cell phones are substandard communication devices with lots of foo foo apps. After 46 years in the phone business I am not impressed by our current state of the art phone service.

ljflx

Without flawless mapping I would have NO use for a smartphone.

Then its worthless to you, not the world. That's your problem.

I know many many people, particularly techno geeks that prefer IOS over android. In fact I know of no one that prefers the opposite.

If I follow you a smart phone sounds like the equivalent of a home purchase or a $200K equity purchase where you have tons of money at stake. It's $200 for cryin out loud on a new release phone and there are plenty of free ones out there including the iPhone 4 now. Even the 4S is down to $99. You seem to want perfection for free. As for getting bits and pieces, that happens to me on maybe 2 or 3 calls out of 100 and almost always because a person wonders into a bad coverage area or a tunnel. But you write as if it happens 100 out of 100 times. You have every right to hate cell phones. But that again is your problem and obviously the rest of the world disagrees with you given the market penetration. And smart phones aren't really phones. They are more like mobile pocket computers that allow you to make phone calls. That's what you get for anything from $0 to $200 and that comes across as a heck of a value to me.

gagrice

that happens to me on maybe 2 or 3 calls out of 100 and almost always because a person wonders into a bad coverage area or a tunnel.

I guess there is just a lot of bad coverage and tunnels in CA. I cannot recall a clean cell phone call from anyone over the last several years. Then we don't live in a flat area of the country. To me it is not the initial cost that is an issue. It is the $100 per month, if I don't get my money's worth. Then I worked hard for what I have and don't waste it. I can wait for what I consider perfection, as it would be a toy for me to play with.

You are happy with your Apples and that is great. Just don't expect everyone to buy your spin on Apple's apparent inability to make a mapping program that works well.

gagrice

It happens in every industry, but it is especially easy to see in technology because things move so quickly. It was less than 15 years ago that Microsoft appeared to be invincible. But once its Windows operating system and Office applications became giant moneymakers, Microsoft’s entire strategy became geared toward protecting its two cash cows. It ruthlessly used its Windows platform to promote its own products at the expense of rivals. (The Microsoft antitrust trial took dead aim at that behavior.) Although Microsoft still makes billions, its new products are mainly “me-too” versions of innovations made by other companies.

Now it is Apple’s turn to be king of the hill — and, not surprisingly, it has begun to behave in a very similar fashion. You can see it in the patent litigation against Samsung, a costly and counterproductive exercise that has nothing to do with innovation and everything to do with protecting its turf.

And you can see it in the decision to replace Google’s map application. Once an ally, Google is now a rival, and the thought of allowing Google to promote its maps on Apple’s platform had become anathema. More to the point, Apple wants to force its customers to use its own products, even when they are not as good as those from rivals. Once companies start acting that way, they become vulnerable to newer, nimbler competitors that are trying to create something new, instead of milking the old. Just ask BlackBerry, which once reigned supreme in the smartphone market but is now roadkill for Apple and Samsung.

Even before Jobs died, Apple was becoming a company whose main goal was to defend its business model. Yes, he would never have allowed his minions to ship such an embarrassing application. But despite his genius, it is unlikely he could have kept Apple from eventually lapsing into the ordinary. It is the nature of capitalism that big companies become defensive, while newer rivals emerge with better, smarter ideas.

“Oh my god,” read one Twitter message I saw. “Apple maps is the worst ever. It is like using MapQuest on a BlackBerry.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/opinion/nocera-has-apple-peaked.html?_r=0

cdnpinhead

fanbois get poked from time to time. It's truly interesting to me to see how invested people get in this sort of thing. I feel the same about my Garmin, but that's about it.

Let the wars continue!!

ljflx

And here's a few reviews on the Glalaxy S III

Comments

Overall, Im pretty happy with my Galaxy S III. Its really thin, lightweight, and is really fast surfing the internet. Audio quality via the phones speaker or a headset is pretty nice also.However, I have a few gripes after owning mine for almost 2 weeks. The screen is a total pain in the rear to see if youre out in the sunshine. I cant read the display at all unless Im indoors or complete shade.I absolutely detest how this thing handles email also. The Android OS is a Google product and this phone cant even display Gmail properly. Instead of email kept in converstations like it appears when accessed from a PC, it displays every email sent seperately.Hotmail is a COMPLETE disaster when accessed via my Galaxy s III. It doesnt synch properly at all, email deleted from the phone goes to Hotmails deleted folder instead of the POP folder, AND (since it doesnt synch at all), if you read and move an email from your inbox on a PC, then go clear out your phone, even the email youve moved to a different folder is sent to the deleted/trash folder. My old HTC Thunderbolt was MUCH MUCH better at handling email. Samsungs own apps on the phone have HORRIBLE privacy rights also (ie NO privacy). Verizons own apps for similar purposes (such as media), are actually better in that regard.Email handling is still my biggest gripe with this phone, and I hope that Android/Google and Samsung will get together to improve the OSs handling of it. Those of us who use our phones for business NEED better in that regard.

Comments

Phone is too big to hold for longGames are crisp and clean but if you play a lot of games the phone tends to freeze and crashapps blinkingMost if not all of my apps have Force ClosedLOCKED BOOT LOADER which likely means longer wait times for updates, based on Samsungs track record

Pros

large crisp screen

Cons

battery glitching freezing hard to hold

Comments

Unless this phone is running in a 4G network, it does not work properly! Txt and calls fail saying no SIM card inserted. This phone should not be sold in any area that doesnt have 4G!!!!!! Very disappointed and would not recommend this phone!! Buy a Droid Razor Maxx, much better phone!!!

Pros

long battery life

Cons

does not work properly unless running in a 4g network

Some of this sounds like the droid problems I had that turned me totally off to Android, You'll never get a perfect phone but Apple will be the closest to one for a long time to come.

gagrice

Yes, I have read many of the negatives on the SIII myself. Probably why I have not jumped onto a Smartphone. Each new phone that comes out seems to be flawed in some way. You should like your new iPhone 5 as the reviewers all say that unlike the 4 & 4s you can actually make a cell call.

For now we only have the reviewers Apple hand picks to praise the iPhone5. We should have plenty of real World reviews in the next couple weeks.

gagrice

From across the pond.

Apple’s competitors never been closer in terms of quality, function and aesthetics and from your feedback on our social networks we know how many of you are jumping ship to phones with a bigger screen and more features.

Given that iPhone 4S users can upgrade to iOS 6 and do just about everything the iPhone 5 can do, and that Android users can get similarly impressive handsets for less dosh, we reckon the smart money won’t all be going on a new iPhone this year, even if the mass market can’t get enough of it. It’s good, very good. But it’s no longer the best around.

http://www.t3.com/reviews/iphone-5-review

ljflx

Yes, I have read many of the negatives on the SIII myself. Probably why I have not jumped onto a Smartphone.

Then give it up. You'll never buy a smartphone if you approach it like buying a $250K item. Again it's free to $200 depending on model and you're buying a pocket computer that's accessible anywhere for a heck of a cheap price. It's not like you'll go broke buying a bad phone. And these days there don't seem to be any bad ones. Take Apple's last 3 phones and Samsungs top 3 and pick numbers out of a hat. You can't go wrong with any one of thoses phones. Not to mention the now free HTC1. You just want too much for too little. By the time you are ready the plan expenses and GB download fees will be too expensive and you'll have missed the boat.

robr2

Then give it up.

Chill out ljflx. Gagrice has been threatening to buy a smart phone for over a year now.

gagrice

At least a year. My biggest problem is justifying the monthly use fees. Being retired I am home on my mountain top most of the time with wifi and more computers than anyone really needs. When I bought the Kindle Fire it was to get my email while traveling so I did not need my Dell Laptop. That was an abysmal replacement for email. I gave it to my grandson who loves it. Reading about the iPhone and SIII, email is still a challenge with the latest and greatest Smartphones. I don't do webmail and keep every email in my computer since the advent of email in the 1980s. If it won't work with Thunderbird it is of little use to me as a traveling companion. I also want all my MS Contacts on whatever device I travel with. Along with Google maps. I like the Samsung Note size, though the SIII was not bad to read. If I talk on it 10 minutes a month I would be surprised. My Sprint Pioneer service costs me about $10 a year. So I have a cell phone for emergencies.

robr2

I don't do webmail and keep every email in my computer since the advent of email in the 1980s.

Why keep data that goes back that far? My former boss is like that - he has every e-mail he has ever sent and received and afaik really doesn't need to keep the e-mail his daughter sent with the score of her soccer game from 1999.

If it won't work with Thunderbird it is of little use to me as a traveling companion.

I presume you mean the e-mail package from Mozilla. But there's an app for that - it syncs Thunderbird only your desktop to a cloud based account that you can access from your iPhone.

I also want all my MS Contacts on whatever device I travel with.

Thunderbird or Outlook is what you use?

Along with Google maps.

There's an app for that on Apple devices.

If I talk on it 10 minutes a month I would be surprised. My Sprint Pioneer service costs me about $10 a year.

Isn't that the plan that has no monthly fee and charges by the minute? If it works for you great.

IMHO, you are making excuses to not like any of these tablets/phones because none of them are perfect for your situation. It sounds like an iPad with the app to sync Thunderbird and the Google Maps app would work. But let me guess - it doesn't have a stylus like the Note and isn't that good of an e-reader?

anthonyp

Do you know of any phone or app that will re-format an article so you can just scroll down the page without having to go back and forth?? Tony

gagrice

your desktop to a cloud based account that you can access from your iPhone.

I could do that with Webmail. I also understand you cannot attach a document to email via the iPhone. I get about 50 emails a day. I also get PDF documents mostly real estate stuff. I have to type in proposals or counter offers for earnest money agreements in Adobe Acrobat. Very few short messages. I have no desire to text anyone. I don't trust clouds or servers I don't have complete control of. Lost too much company stuff on our company servers to ever trust any of them again.

Thunderbird or Outlook is what you use?

I had to switch to something when MS abandoned Outlook Express. Mozilla Thunderbird got the best reviews. I still use Outlook Contacts which I would change if something worked on all platforms well. I tried several with that Kindle Fire and none were worth a hoot.

Isn't that the plan that has no monthly fee and charges by the minute?

Yes, I signed up with Sprint on a promotion back in 1998. No reason to give it up. I just use it when traveling for emergencies. They replaced the phone when they dumped analog service.

IMHO, you are making excuses to not like any of these tablets/phones because none of them are perfect for your situation

Probably true. Why buy something that does not do what you want it to do? I am really leaning toward one of the Windows ultrabooks. Then I don't have to scrounge around looking for Apps that are compatible with all the software I have. The iPad and tablets are slick and I like them a lot. Just don't think they are practical for real computer work. Just playing games etc. I can see someone that has to be in contact at all times and has a schedule with clients etc being in love with a smartphone.

Talked to an 85 year old lady at church today. She loves her iPhone 4 and is going to get the iPhone 5. She uses her iPad with a Bible app. Maybe when I get old I will give in. PS she is the one with a LOT of AAPL bought in the late 90s. I asked if she was going to sell. She said not a chance. Unless it looks like they are going to crash.

robr2

Probably true. Why buy something that does not do what you want it to do?

Then let me be blunt. Stop raining on everyone's parade.

gagrice

If you had not noticed the Apple fan boys have run off people with other viewpoints. If that is what you think a forum should be, have at it. There are also other stocks and investments that are just as worthy of discussion as AAPL, if not more. Yes, iPhones and iPads are computers that do lots of cool things. They just don't do everything a computer is capable of doing well.

fintail

I think it is almost like pumping your own investment to think it will continue to mysteriously appreciate. Like the silver and gold bugs who pray for doomsday, not understanding other repercussions.

Luckily for AAPL and Foxconn, gen-Y is very materialistic and showy, so the game has a lot of time left.

gagrice

Well it looks like other companies may jump onto the Litigation Bandwagon against Apple. They copied a copyrighted clock design and did not offer to pay a use fee:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2206766/Swiss-rail-company-accuse- s-iPhone-5-copying-iconic-clock-design.html

Not all is hunky dory at Foxconn either. This could disrupt the flow of the iPhone 5.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/technology/foxconn-plant-in-china-closed-after- -worker-riot.html?_r=0

robr2

If you had not noticed the Apple fan boys have run off people with other viewpoints. If that is what you think a forum should be, have at it. There are also other stocks and investments that are just as worthy of discussion as AAPL, if not more. Yes, iPhones and iPads are computers that do lots of cool things. They just don't do everything a computer is capable of doing well.

Well than talk about the stock (and other stocks) and don't just nitpick the product.

ljflx

As a person who has traded hundreds of stocks in my life, and tens of thousands if I count mutual funds, you couldn't be more wrong about the chearleading. I like to analyze details and buy stocks that are opportunistic and look cheap. Apple remains one of, if not the cheapest S&P stock there is given its growth and growth potential. When it fits a different profile I will give up on it. Today is a buying opportunity, any dip in this stock is. Narjarian on CNBC said today would be a down day and a chance to get in on Friday. Something technical is going on based on his comments plus the iPhone 5 sold "only" 5 mln. By sold it means the numbers sold that will ship by Sept. 30th. It doesn't mean actual sales which are much higher. The Fedex guy just delivered the iPhone 4 I orderred for my daughter. I said to him "it's not an iPhone 5". He laughed. He said on the 21st they were delivering iPhones like crazy, that his truck was filled with them and that there is another huge day coming his month, presumably the 26th which is when mine is supposed to come. Then he said something else that made me buy some more shares today. He said Fedex had to delay millions of iPhone 5 orders into October from September. Clearly Apple could not keep up with sales demand. Guessing a 20-25% jump over the 4S seems adequate IMO. But for Apple an assumption like that, which would be aggressive for anyone else is not enough.

cyclone4

This 5 million iPhone number being tossed around this morning is BS as you stated, Len. This number does not take into account the pre-orders. The demand is simply greater than the supply. That is a good problem.

I also bought a few (8) more shares of AAPL this morning at about $689. I definitely see this as a buying opportunity. The iPhone 5, the new iPad, the upcoming iPad Mini all strongly suggest more tremendous growth for Apple. I believe that it will reach $750 by the end of this year and reach $1,000 sometime in 2013.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the most important news. I was able to buy the iPhone 5 last Friday, but not from the AT & T Store. By the time they got to me (I was about 18th in line Friday morning), I was told that they had already sold out of the black 64 gig. Basically, they had VERY few phones available for sale. I decided to go to Best Buy to see if they had any. They had zero iPhone 5's. Then, just for kicks, I went to the Apple Store to see what was going on. I was there about 10:00 AM and they had been open since 8:00 AM. The line was not too long and when the Apple sales lady got to me in line, I was very happy to hear that they had the model I wanted. I was in the store for about 2 hours because of all the technicalities of doing a cross-over with my wife. She was not there and I did not have her iPhone 3GS with me. She now has my iPhone 4S and I have the iPhone 5. I love the new phone. It is incredibly fast for searching websites. The camera is awesome, and the display is spectacular. I have not had a chance to work with the panarama view yet but I hear it is awesome. The phone feels so light and thin and I am not going to get a cover for it. It is much more accident-proof than the 4S since it has an aluminum back instead of glass. As far as the Maps is concerned, yes it does have some errors, but so what? I'm sure that Apple will fix it in the coming weeks. It is not a big deal to me. I like the voice, turn by turn directions on it. This feature was not available on the 4S Google Maps.

cyclone4

Well than talk about the stock (and other stocks) and don't just nitpick the product.

Exactly!!

fintail

Are there miracle products in the pipeline, or will intentional obsolescence be eternal? I can only imagine the growth going on for so long without those ideals. Apple is a genius at packaging and marketing, anyway.

fintail

I saw the Swiss thing. No doubt the cult members will have an explanation, and AAPL will probably sue the Swiss railway group as there is a "patent", they are next after the Polish grocery store :shades: :shades:

cyclone4

Here is the real story on the iPhone 5 sales so far:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49155100?__source=yahoo%7Cheadline%7Cquote%7Ctext%7C&par=- yahoo

ljflx

You must have missed the boat on Apple. I hope you catch the next one. Please - stop with the bitterness.

fintail

It's not like I am saying anything incorrect. If anything, I've been generous giving credit where credit is due. Nice making it personal though, speaks volumes

anthonyp

After checking out the s3 , I find the screen size is good for me, aapl on the small size (5) but what will make me get the 5 is the synching ...I can`t get the s3 to synch whit the macbook --in any way--and this reminds me of why I changed to apple ...I know you can get an app that will make it do so, but I just don`t want to get into that..

As far as I am concerned, I just don`t want to be caught between Google and Apple.....Apple service is so much better , but I think the s3 is a vastly better sized phone for using the internet.......and to answer the question I asked everyone, Apple has a tiny button that re-formats an article Tony

cyclone4

Apple service is so much better , but I think the s3 is a vastly better sized phone for using the internet.......and to answer the question I asked everyone, Apple has a tiny button that re-formats an article Tony

Tony,

As always, it's nice to hear from you. Because my eye sight is not very good, I would also prefer the larger screen such as that on the S3. However, the iPhone 5 is incredible in many other ways. Yes, there are glitches on the new Maps, but I feel confident Apple will fix them in due time.

Speaking of Apple service, I have called Apple Care with various questions quite a few times since I purchased the MacBook Pro with retina display back about July 1. I never had to wait to talk to a person for more than about 3-4 minutes. And, they were very kind and very helpful. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with Apple Care.

Finally, what is this "tiny button that re-formats an article" that you are talking about?

anthonyp

hi Charlie

I`m with you 100% on the aapl service...Same experience...wonderful, and also the aapl store..

When you go to an article--say a news paper--and when it pops up, just for a second or so there is a small (light blue color) that is shown above the article, that if you touch it, the article re-configures itself so you can read it up and down, without having to try and go side to side also...Sort of makes it a long line of type that has the size lettering you can see, so you just scroll down to read....I have to repeat do this from memory , but I found it at the store sample.....The s3 does some sites, so in that case it must be site specific ... I don`t know the language of the electronic world, so it makes it hard to communicate, so I hope this conveys the essence of what I mean....

I tell you I think aapl is a fine thing for those that `tweet`, but there are alot of us that would just enjoy a little larger version, that may be harder to hold and type with one hand....I don`t, so therefore that larger screen would help me ....The s3 really is a fine phone and I would keep it if it would be easy to sync......This reminds me so much of Microsoft, and Dell, that I am just not going to keep it and will get the 5.....Tony

ljflx

A couple of excellent stories on high frequency trading From the NY Times;

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/opinion/putting-the-brakes-on-high-frequency-t- - rading.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/business/high-frequency-trading-of-stocks-is-t- - wo-critics-target.html?pagewanted=all

And a sickening one on Wall street exec comp. Yes - they benefitted big time from the havoc they caused in 2008, much more than they would have without it and our government policies on the bailout helped make it happen. Just another example of why government misunderstands business 90% of the time.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/in-stock-market-rebound-a-windfall-for-wa- - ll-st-executives/?ref=business

anthonyp

There sure have been many rather negative articles on the stock lately....

As I have been making the effort to consider the smart phone, and the carrier Verizon, in my opinion-- ---at this time--- it boils down to either Apple and the osx6 or Android ....I tried the Android out and it was not compatible with my MacBook on the picture front....I can understand Apple competing with Samsung, and making things not smoothly work with the competition, but me, the consumer ,should be able to easily sync with whatever I have... Imagine the router not working with all sorts of computers.. I`m not going to get between Apple and Google, so the 5 would be my second choice, but that is what I would get now

The I phone is a bit small for me, but I think, if I get one, I will be able to operate it with my current products, but I can see where the further I go with Apple, the more isolated I will become...Sort of like a trap....This might backfire.....I further have found out that the carrier Verizon is in violation of their purchase of the spectrums they purchase....The` hot spot` should not be charged for....There is supposed to be free access to the spectrum. NO 20$ charge... Tony

gagrice

Better wait till the bugs get worked out of the iPhone 5:
You could end up with a large Data bill from your cell carrier.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/01/technology/iphone-5-data-overage/?source=cnn_bin-

ljflx

The iPhone uses wireless first and cellular second. So the bill shouldn't be too bad.

Re debate - Obama seemed to be asleep at the wheel last night. He was unprepared and more importantly unknowledgable about things a President should know inside out. Romney is now revitalized and has a chance in this election. A lot of people are going to connect Obama's behavior in last nights debate with his inability to get things done in Washington. Simply put Obama loves solo speeches where there's no one to challenge him and abhors meetings, debates and the like where other folks in the room have greater knowledge and understanding then he has. He usually blows off strategy meetings with the intelligence divisions and sends someone else in his place. This frustrates these divisions to no end. My view of last night, and I said this to my wife after the first 15 mins of the debate, was that he was visibly nervous, stuttered in his replies, had no plans for the economy and couldn't wait to walk away from that podium. Romney shined and came across like a pure CEO and leader and this was reflected in CBS and CNN polls and in focus groups. He also exposed something that no one is really talking about. That being that Obama doesn't know the tax code. Obama seems to think GAAP accounting drives taxes, hence his comment that companies get a tax deduction for building plants overseas. He doesn't seem to be aware of schedule M1 which adjust from GAAP to Statutory for tax purposes. M1 takes this expense out as a deductive expense. Romneys reply that he's been in business for 25 years and that's there no such deduction and that he had no idea of what Obama was talking about was classic. Obama let that discussion end ASAP. He was in way over his head against Romney on any business issues and he knew it. I think he also greatly underestimated what Romneys agressiveness would be in the debate.

Steve Jobs in 1983. This man was an ultimate visionary in technology for consumers. He envisioned mobile communication and the iPad before the PC revolution even occurred. If he ran IBM, Microsoft or Intel they'd be trillion and a half dollar companies right now.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/apple-steve-jobs-knew-1983-215706238- - - - - - .html

houdini1

I could not agree more on your assessment of the debate.

50 million people got the surprise of their lives last night when they finally got a good look at the real Romney without him being filtered thru the liberal media. It was really his first chance to talk directly to the voters.

It was an old fashioned country beat down. I actually found myself feeling sorry for Obama.

Concerning the Iphone data problem, it appears there is a bug in some of the phones that charges the cell rate even though it is using wifi.

anthonyp

I had the same impression as you and ljflx.....In fact I agree almost totally with the Romney plan, but do want to hear more specific facts......and would like to hear that the federal government would have some guidelines on how the states spent the money that would be funded from the us gov...I am not sure about the Obama medical plan vs Medicare ....Just need more information...Tony ps On a walk today came across a truck with a person fixing someone`s wifi...Company called Morris...They offered a high speed wi fi (12) for twenty nine dollars a month....May be saying good by to att up here in mountains shortly.....Really a poor experience with att the last year, and I still spend quit a bit with them...They had better get some customer care going quickly.

ljflx

Houdini,

Great to hear from you.

fintail

Barry sure looked like an empty suit after that one, indeed. Now only if trust funder could give some specifics. It was as silly as the 08 debates, but reversed. Oh well, no matter who you choose, if you are above 47% but below 5%, you lose.

Funny how the dollar took a beating today, right after the beat down. Markets make no sense.

gagrice

Gold did real well today. :shades: As did the stock market. The dollar is on a decline with QE3 dribbling out worthless Federal Reserve notes.

fintail

I just need the dollar to hold up for about another 8 weeks, I am going to Europe soon :shades:

Luckily, I made an investment of sorts in some spending money Euros some weeks ago when the dollar was stronger, so I won't be as bad off as I could be.

gagrice

Rent one of the Mercedes with the 250 Bluetec and give us an assessment. I am sure that would be what I would like. I can dream about a full sized SUV getting close to 40 MPG on the highway. Getting it by our [non-permissible content removed] EPA is the problem.

fintail

Oh, I splurged and have reserved a larger car. So it will likely be a diesel 7er/S/A8 or maybe a 6er. I will only accept a gasoline car if it is a tuned model. The big diesel cars can still average over 30mpg, as did the diesel 7 series I rented 3 years ago.

That's where the weak dollar will hurt me - fuel. But, gotta pay to play,and it will be at least a couple years til I can get back, you only live once. I suppose I could invest the cost of this vacation, but I can't take it with me :shades:

ljflx

Apple around $640 is a real low multiple for a stock with insatiable iPhone 5 demand. I'd never sell a company with demand like that. They may have a supply problem or it may be pure speculation but fixing a supply problem is easy. Fixing a demand problem takes years assuming you can fix it at all. At the Apple store the sales rep told me there is a line every morning to get in the store for iPhone 5's and the stock is sold out in 2-3 hours. On Saturday when I was passing by the store you could barely get in. One thing I really took notice to when I was there last Thursday afternoon (mobbed too but at least navigable) was that the mac book air just looks fabulous and was getting a lot of attention.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11730657/1/at-640-apple-prepares-to-rally-opinion- - - .html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

cyclone4

They may have a supply problem or it may be pure speculation but fixing a supply problem is easy. Fixing a demand problem takes years assuming you can fix it at all. At the Apple store the sales rep told me there is a line every morning to get in the store for iPhone 5's and the stock is sold out in 2-3 hours.

Truer words were never spoken.

Don't listen to the media. At this stage of the game they try to affix fundamental rationale to the selloff even if it doesn't exist. The fundamental case for Apple has never been stronger. Anyone who tells you otherwise is misinformed or severely lacking in brain power.

Apple is one week away from adding another product that will sell tens of millions per quarter. The iPhone 5 is producing global pandemonium. This sell-off has nothing to do with design flaws in the iPhone 5.

Are you kidding me, Doug Kass? You want the iPhone to be heavier? Do you have any idea where the future of technology is headed? Five years from now iPhone's will be flirting with weightlessness.

When designing a product that is hand held the ultimate goal is to make it as light as possible. Adding weight to the iPhone 5, as Doug Kass suggested Apple do, would be the most ridiculous design decision in the history of technology.

I love these last 4 paragraphs in the linked article.

anthonyp

You guys have had a wonderful ride, and I agree, aapl may not have such a robust quarter, but the momentum is still with it....As I have said , the product is lacking for me, but I will probably still get it....I mean why is an under thousand dollar device so earth shattering if I really don`t care for it?? Made much bigger mistakes than that

People may be taking large profits anticipating tax changes, and the competition may have been making larger inroads, so they came to market a little early....Who knows, but still Apple is what it is...and I wish things had worked out for me, but they did for you guys.....Tony