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Comments
Agree.
I think the concept isn't a bad thing... but at the end of the day, the final execution is severely compromised.
TM
IMO, it's more of a partial fix for many of the shortcomings of the original. But, that's still a good thing. This newer iPad is better now... a step in the right direction... and it makes the iPad a more legitimate product instead of a fad.
I still think that Apple is missing the boat by not designing and selling a tablet/netbook hybrid. There are other companies doing this "net-vertible" approach, but they are not Apple. It's simple and it's brilliant.
Apple should simply take the MacBook Air, and give it a foldable screen that can fold around to become a tablet. Make it a touch screen. Then Apple would have the single most effective and useful mobile consumer product in the world. Give it 4G, Wi-Fi, as well as HotSpot. A product like this would dominate over every other mobile product in the world, and would become the standard of excellence.
Everyone would buy one. (Maybe even me... lol)
Anyway, I did some weeding in my portfolio today, and I sold off all my General Motors stock. I didn't like the way it was going nowhere. I then took all those proceeds and purchased more AAPL, of course!
TM
I don't think the Ipad is a fad. My wife works for a Fortune 100 company that has been testing Ipads to replace laptops foremployees that spend a lot of time outside of their office.
We were at a boat show last weekend. We are looking at Cobalts. The salesmen used an Ipad to provide us a quote. He printed a detailed quote from his Ipad and it was also emailed to me.
It was a seamless process. My wife and I were looking over the boat and he walked up to us. He was just carrying what looked like a day planner/notebook. As I was talking to him asking about certain amenities and power options. He flipped over the cover and started going over what options and colors were available etc.
He didn't have to leave us to get a laptop or any other type of sales material. It was all available from the IPad. I asked him if he was using an app. He wasn't, he was just accessing the dealer website for Cobalt and it worked well with his IPad. Fast too. I've dealt with several boat salesmen over the years and I've never received a customized quote so quick and seamless.
I think it makes a lot of sense for salesmen to carry around an Ipad. Lighter, better battery life, 3G, and with the touch screen it's easy to use while standing up. Apple probably has to continue to work on the security end, but it's only a matter of time I think. I'm sure cloud software services such as Salesforce.com would be great for use on a Ipad like device.
I'll probably break down and buy an Ipad soon.
Do your research, decide what is important to you and then go and drive the car to see if it is a good fit.
A friend of mine just bought a Kia Sorento. I had been thinking it was a good value but when I actually sat in it, I could just tell that it wasn't for me.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I understand your point, but let me stress that I do indeed think the original iPad was purchased by a whole lot of people that didn't really need it, but liked the novelty of it. I also think the original was lacking enough horsepower to make it an effective tool for many businesses. I maintain that this upgrade on this newer iPad is a very good thing, and that it strengthens much of the weaknesses of the original. That makes sense to me.
As a result of this more powerful and richer-featured iPad, I posted that I now see it as a more legitimate product instead of a fad. That's waht I said and that's how I see it.
To be clear, my point is to acknowledge that with the extra power and features that will now be built into the new iPad... it has indeed now become a legitimate tool. While I am aware that there have been some businesses already using the original iPad in productive ways, I still think there will be a whole lot more businesses that will agree with me and begin using this newer more potent iPad. Some of these businesses may have been hesitant before, but will now move forward because the enhancements are significant enough.
TM
I guess i didn't word my post correctly. I was attempting to support your claim that the Ipad is slowly becoming more of a legitimate tool. I agree with every thing stated in both of your posts.
I also agree with what you said about using a reversible touch display for the MacAir. That would be cool.
Those who want a smaller and cheaper form factor would still want an Ipad, but those who want a bit more versatility and power could have the Mac Air.
We definitely agree though. I wasn't all that hot on the first generation iPad. And I still wish the iPad had a better input method... which is why I love the idea of the MacBook Air, with its silky smooth ultra-thin keyboard. In addition, the MacBook Air can run apps PLUS the more powerful desktop applications.
Yeah... no doubt if Steve would command the troops to marry the iPad with the MacBook Air... the result would be nothing short of amazing.
TM
I've had a very busy afternoon today so I could not post until now. Well, "young" TM, guess what I did early in the trading today? You guessed it. I bought more AAPL with the money I had from selling AMZN the other day. I bought close to the low today and $149.80. I am going to "sink or swim" with the company.
Have you taken your CT out on the highway yet?
Oh yeah... a short distance on the Ventura Freeway (101) on the way home from the dealer yesterday. And then a canyon road, and then Pacific Coast Highway. All great! I absolutely love the car. It's an economy car, for sure, but there is something fun and cool about the little thing. So far I'm averaging 35 mpg... not the 43 it's rated, but that's plenty good, and I have no doubt it will get better when I start driving it like a hybrid... LOL. I really do like the "sport" mode, and I know that it's not helping the fuel economy, but the sport mode is simply too much fun to resist compared to "eco" or "normal" modes... I'm sure I'll be trying to sqeeze more mpg's out of the car before too long, but for now, I'm having too much fun in sport mode.
I picked my son up from school today in the CT... everyone likes this car... the kids, the moms, and the dads as well. This is a neat little car Charlie... for a small, moderately priced economy car, equipped with nice amenities, that's also damned good on gas, I can't think of a better car out there! (But Prius is in second place... it really is.)
The crazy thing that is happening here is that my wife says she likes the car, and now admits that she even liked the Prius yesterday that we drove before buying the Lexus. I wonder if this is a hint that she wants a hybrid of her own? I think so. She might be trying to put me in a Prius so she can take the Lexus for herself.
I spent a little time today customizing the vehicle settings for delay times for the lights, when the door locks should lock, putting in the garage door code, and the "home" destination on the NAV, as well as pairing my phone with the bluetooth. I haven't tried the voice command system yet, or setting up my favorite satellite stations, but I'll get to all of it one of these days soon.
Man, I can't thank you enough for mentioning this car!!
BTW, I don't know why you sold Amazon. I love the company and the stock, and believe it will do even better as more and more people consider buying more online.
TM
I expect as gas goes up more people will shop at home. I buy some food products from Amazon when they are significantly less than the store. One downside is the state of CA may put about 10,000 online sellers in the state out of business. Not sure how the new law will affect those that sell via Amazon. TX has also put up a stink over Amazon warehouses distributing goods and not collecting TX sales tax. I trust Amazon over most of the other online sellers. If something is not what I expected it is very easy to return. I don't like buying high dollar stocks or I would have some Amazon. I would rather buy a $4 stock and watch it double than buy a $150 stock and wait for it to double. I am small potatoes for sure.
I sold Amazon (about $174) because it was acting like dog poop. Even today when the stock market is soaring AMZN does not look too spiffy. I love Amazon and it was difficult to part ways but i thought I could do better in something else....like AAPL. I did not want to fight it anymore. The market was saying that something is wrong with AMZN and the market is always right.
Man, I hope my wife likes the CT. We are going to test drive in probably in a few days.
This is probably going to shock all of you. The first E Trade Account I opened up on Dec. 1, is now composed of 100% AAPL. It is a small account that started out with $50K. It is now worth $55K. On the SEP IRA E Trade Account that I transfered here from somewhere else, about 60% is in AAPL. My wife and I have several accounts with the broker. Those accounts (considerably larger) are spread out with lots of stocks including AAPL (but only a small amount of AAPL). I told you guys that I am going to "live or die" with AAPL and you don't beelieve me
Couple of weeks ago, when AAPL started its unusual decline, I sold all my AAPL, and you sold part of your holdings. Then, when it got down to $338 - $340, I bought $40K AAPL, and you posted to me that you were invested at the level of $60K.
Since then, we both have bought more AAPL. I own about $50K of AAPL at this moment in all my accounts. So, to avoid the confusion... simply, what is your total AAPL investment in all your accounts?
Once we clarify this, I have some more questions for you.
TM
OK... You have earned another star! I gave you a nice big gold one for the hint about the Lexus CT 200h... which I LOVE.
Now... I will give you a speculative stock tip. Of course you must do your homework on this of course... talk to your broker. This could be a VERY good tip.
The stock is... WFT
There is a huge news story behind this. The stock was doing nicely, and then... BANG!... an accounting problem led to the stock taking a massive hit due to a kneejerk over-reaction. Analysts now predict there is at least an 80% (almost certain) chance the stock will recover appropriately once the accounting mess is straightened out. When (if) this happens, the gains are all icing.
I personally put in $20K. I like the situation enough to take the risk. You and your broker check it out and let me know what you think! TALK TO YOUR BROKER NOW!! Don't wait.
Also, just FYI... ARMH has slightly dipped today on a big up-market. I bought a little more.
Damn, have I told you I love that crazy little CT?... LOL. I'll probably tell you every day for at least a month.
TM
Btw, My wife and I are taking a test drive on the CT tomorrow afternoon. I somehow hope to convince her that FWD on this vehicle is very good in snow. We probably will have to drive it again after we get some snow in the next couple weeks. Btw, I forgot to ask you. Do the rear seats fold down?
Yes... 60/40 split fold-down rear seats.
BTW, rear-seat accomodations are sorely lacking... as I mentioned in my very first post about the car. I consider it a little better than a 2+2... in this case 2+3. But, for my needs, it's perfect to put the kids back there now and then. I would be hesitant to ask any adults to sit back there for any real time/distance.
Good luck with the test drive... can't wait to hear all about it!
TM
Just a hearty congratulations on the new car....It surely has been a nice recovery for you.....and my `heart` is with you in your exciting new life Tony ps Both you and Charlie gave the market a good kick in the pants , and I am taking advantage by re positioning a couple of my bond holdings , while the chance is here
Thanks.
Hope you are doing well, as you thaw out from that horrible winter.
Yeah... seems Charlie, with a little help from me and some others around here, has really sent the market soaring again.
To top it off, he got me into a Lexus... imagine that!! We truly made history this week.
Good to hear from you!
TM
You got that right!!
As I stated before I believe, our economy is considerably stronger than all the "Joe Blows" out there realize. I think TM and I have a contest going on who is going to be closer to the value of the Dow around July 4th. I don't even remember what I projected right now but I have been a very consistent bull on the stock market and the economy since March of 2009. I think I predicted 12,750 on the Dow by July 1, but I may have been closer to 13,000. I'm sure TM will dig up the exact predictions and bring us up to date. He is VERY concerned about these predictions.
HA HA ... gosh, Charlie... let's see... you already owe me at least a steak dinner for my end-of-2010 prediction... and I imagine you'll owe me at least some baseball tickets or something to that effect around July 4th, when my next prediction comes true.
TM
I`v repositioned a bit on the bonds, in anticipation of a tricky move by the fed...No not a blatant rate increase, but possibly some reserve jiggering, and a subtle twist to the inflation numbers......
Things have improved so much I am just shy of out right mania...A nice feeling, but that is usually just the time to be cautious...I`m taking Warren Buffets latest letter to shareholders ( which I highly recommend) to heart---particularly his fathers advice, and keeping the symbolic thousand dollars in the envelope....
I too expect a generally strong market, but do think sometimes after it gets above thirteen thousand-- a scary correction...One I don`t want to experience, but will.....Market always goes way higher than it should, before correcting, but that`s it`s nature....... Tagman has such a good sense for the market, I think he will give us all a good warning, and your sage consistent counsel should keep us on` track`....Tony
This model did not have the Nav or any of the bells and whistles I like to play with. I never had a chance to try the Sport mode since my wife needed to do some errands and we decided to try again some other time (hopefully after it snows so we can see how it handles in snowy surfaces). My wife did have some concerns about the trunk space capacity maybe being too small. There are times when she hauls items (like garden items, etc.) that are rather large. We brought home a brochure and we will study the specs and compare with what she drives now (RX450h).
The car is very nice looking, but I am not sure if she will like it enough to change from what she now drives. A lot will depend on how it handles in the snow.
The market had a nice bounce near the close and was well off the lows of the day. I see that AAPL closed higher (awesome). I also saw that JDSU (I own some with the broker accounts) was sharply higher. The ONLY thing that is holding the stock market back these days is the Libyan and Middle East concerns. But those things will eventually ease and this market will sky-rocket "to the moon Alice".
Well, regarding the CT... you really must try one that is well-equipped... otherwise you might as well test a Corolla, if you know what I mean. What a shame the sales guy didn't put any gas in the car. Ridiculous, particularly for a Lexus sales guy.
Also, driving in Sport mode is quite a bit more spirited than driving in Eco mode... almost profound for a car like this. I have found myself enjoying the ability to switch back and forth, depending upon the raod and traffic conditions.
The CT is definitely a small car, and the rear seat accomodations are marginal. But, with the seats folded down, there's quite a bit of room to haul a lot of stuff.
My son had two auditions today, and I was on the road in traffic quite a bit. But, I thoroughly enjoyed the car and I averaged 36 mpg. I think the car is capable of getting around 38 - 41 mpg, but I probably won't typically get much more than the 36 mpg I got today, because my driving style today was pretty similar to the way I usually drive.
I didn't pay much attention to the market today, except to notice that early this morning it looked like something terrible had happened again. After that, I never paid it any attention.
I agree that eventually this Middle East mess will be past history.
I think the Dow is going to go to 14,000 sooner than a lot of people think.
TM
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/automobiles/collectibles/06-jaguar-e-type.html- ?_r=1&scp=1&sq=turning%2050%20still%20an%20object%20of%20desire&st=cse
I posted years ago on that "other" forum that as a kid, I had a small scale replica of a red Jaguar E-Type. I loved it, and kept it on my little shelf that was just above my little desk where I did my homework. I also had a model of a 1930's era Model J Duesenberg, and one of Mickey Thompson's 1960 Challenger I Land Speed Record Car. They were my treasures.
If I was ever in the financial position of being a collector of cars... the Jaguar E-Type would undoubtedly be included.
TM
Horrible, horrible day so far. I haven't seen this kind of bleeding in quite some time.
Frankly, I don't see the rationale for it. Those jerks at Wells Fargo should be fired... for downgrading a great sector and causing massive dollars to be lost today. Idiots!!
It's my opinion that Wells Fargo fund managers are now manipulating the stock market to boost their fund's performance... which has been very lacking and costing their company. I have a close friend who sells Wells Fargo investment programs to brokers. He indicated that the funds had underperformed for quite some time, and have been difficult to sell for quite some time. It's my opinion that today's move by Wells is a deliberate market manipulation. :mad:
TM
They caused a tumble in the chip sector and related tech stocks, by manipulating a deliberate downgrade to the sector... done in such a clever way as to not appear to be much of a downgrade, but undoubtedly enough to give them the result they were after (IMO).
They created the potential for those "in-the-know" (like how about their own fund managers?) to make a ton of money with the drop... which would be expected by those that caused it. Additionally, they will be in a position to make some more money when the sector rebounds... which it will likely do even faster, if they deliberately upgrade it again sometime in the future.
The reason why I attribute their downgrade to a deliberate manipulation is that this particular year (and beyond) is destined to be a monster hot year for mobile communications and devices around the world. The growth for chipmakers and mobile techonology-related stocks should be huge this year, as an avalanche of new products and services is about to be unleashed upon the American public... and the world, for that matter, unlike anything before.
CES was literally overflowing with all kinds of new tech products... many of which will sell like crazy. Consider that Intel's "Sandy Bridge" line of products is literally upon us, and AMD's Radeon line has newer and faster graphics technology products, some of which have even worked themselves into some of Apple's latest computers, replacing nVidia in some cases.
We are literally in a high-tech mobile products and internet communications explosion around the world. For Wells Fargo to downgrade this sector at this particular time is nothing short of a deliberate manipulation, IMHO.
As I said, I have been aware from an inside source of the Wells funds recent poor performance, and it makes sense to me that they would be looking for a means to boost the investments into their funds by showing that their funds offer a better return to the investor. Well, this was one way, IMO, by creating a situation that could put them in a lucrative position to take advantage of... while the rest of us got hit between the eyes, and didn't have a clue, because we've been expecting great things from the chip and related tech sectors.
IMO, the market over-reacted, and I have no doubt Wells expected that to happen, and they took advantage...
IMO, if there enough reasons to think that if something looks and smells a lot like a skunk, chances are good it's a skunk. So, I just can't help but be suspicious of Wells.
IMO, good chance those Wells boys made money while the rest of us lost money... and that's just what they had in mind.
TM
Does anybody know of any Inverse ETF's (and their symbols) for gold, silver and oil, the ones where the ETF goes up when the commodity goes down???...thanks if anyone knows...
My question about this is the following? What in the world do the Wells Fargo dudes know about the chip sector and tech stocks? I think the answer is little or nothing. This makes no sense to me.
You can find many more, google is your friend. Obviously these are pretty well beaten down right now. Are you thinking the gold rush may be over?
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
If you or I could do that to the market on that scale, we'd be very wealthy.
TM
BTW... my Lexus CT 200h is up to 36.7 mpg overall average as of yesterday. And FUN while doing it... love that sport mode on occasion. (Thanks again for suggesting the car!.. lol.)
Fox News actually has also reported the same thing I posted. So there must be someone at Fox that sees the connection between that focused decline and the Wells downgrade, although they stopped short of calling it manipulation.
TM
It has always seemed pretty obvious to me and I think it is just SOP for these big insiders. Just look how that one article about states going bankrupt took down the municipal bond market last year.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Simple... if anyone can increase their ability to predict and influence (and even control) the market, they will benefit.
TM
Reminds me of oil spiking into the $130's on a Goldman report a few years ago. One of the worst oil inventory reports imaginable came out that day and to offset it Goldman put out its sector report about a week or two early and everyone reacted to that report and pumped up oil prices over 10% on a day with a phenomenal build in supply and weakening worldwide demand. It was so obvious a move by Goldman that even Kramer couldn't stop talking about the rigging of that market that day.
Given how thinly traded oil is and how high a leverage the oil market has, manipulation is very easy. But stocks , with 50% margin are usually much harder to manipulate. The one time you can do it is when there is nervousness about a lot of other issues. I also noted a lot of CNBC guests talking about a fallback. Sometimes these things are well co-ordinated and of course most CNBC guests have their own agenda.
You hit the nail on the head on everything you stated.
If I were driving it, I'm sure I would getting at least 45 mpg. I take driving a hybrid very seriously.
BTW - with all that went on in December I never told you guys that we got my son the Lexus HS250H. My son had a change of heart and wanted a hybrid and very high gas mileage. Lexus was dealing at $399 a month and I simply took it on a great price with nothing down. It had just about every option and was a $42K car. My son is the opposite of me. I know every road and every path to get there. He can't exist without a nav so that was a requirement and most cars with them were at or higher than this Lexus. it's actually a wonderful car with a great ride and adequate handling. MPG started slow in the high 20's but now averages 36mpg. We took it in smoky granite.
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=xds7es&s=7
Regarding the HS, it has been a sales bomb for Lexus - pretty much giving them away in leases. I bet some were waiting for the CT.