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Apple Shifting Further to Consumer Electronics?
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anaylysts
though they think they are informed, these analyst have little to go on besides the very speculation we post everyday on these boards. Nobody knows what apple is doing except the almighty steve. we must remember though, apple is a COMPUTER business not a music business (though they do have the most dominant presence in the world in that market)
though they think they are informed, these analyst have little to go on besides the very speculation we post everyday on these boards. Nobody knows what apple is doing except the almighty steve. we must remember though, apple is a COMPUTER business not a music business (though they do have the most dominant presence in the world in that market)
TheMasin9 said:
Market cap means the per share price of a companies stock times all outstanding shares.
So just because Microsoft shares are priced lower than Apple does not mean that they are a smaller company market cap wise. Microsoft has more shares outstanding. So you have microsoft with a 26-27 dollar stock price but a 282 billion dollar market cap.
Apple is a computer company that owns a lot of products. Everything from software (FileMaker to pro media apps) and hardware (iPods) that are feeding money into Apple. With half a billion dollars a year in R&D it's possible that Apple will come out with "one more thing" and it will first be supported on the Mac platform, with XP a secondary consideration.
The key factor for me is that Steve J and Gang know that the potential life span of the iPod might not be as long as everyone wants. If the product cycle drops in a few years they will still have the Mac, which is the core product - and a very profitable one at that. While the iPod is having a great ride right now it should be clear that it's long term potential is not better than the Macs. Macs will therefore continue to have the R&D funds needed on both the hardware and software side.
The key factor for me is that Steve J and Gang know that the potential life span of the iPod might not be as long as everyone wants. If the product cycle drops in a few years they will still have the Mac, which is the core product - and a very profitable one at that. While the iPod is having a great ride right now it should be clear that it's long term potential is not better than the Macs. Macs will therefore continue to have the R&D funds needed on both the hardware and software side.
Apple could be the next 'Sony'. Apple does have the Walkman equivilant in the iPod, but they won't go the route of the Playstation and release a game console.
Has anyone else noticed that Sony is aligning PS3 as more than a game console? It's more of a entertainment center, something like Windows Media Center. Apple has already layed the groundwork for this type of product with the Mac mini and FrontRow. I think Sony and Apple are right and Microsoft is a bit off base with the Xbox 360. A game console is just a game console, but a media center for your living can be a game console, your dvd player, a dv recorder, etc.
Maybe Apple can convince game developers to develop for their platform, and release the proper hardware necessary as add-ons for the Mac mini to complete it's game console/media center/dv recorder makeover.
Just a thought.
Has anyone else noticed that Sony is aligning PS3 as more than a game console? It's more of a entertainment center, something like Windows Media Center. Apple has already layed the groundwork for this type of product with the Mac mini and FrontRow. I think Sony and Apple are right and Microsoft is a bit off base with the Xbox 360. A game console is just a game console, but a media center for your living can be a game console, your dvd player, a dv recorder, etc.
Maybe Apple can convince game developers to develop for their platform, and release the proper hardware necessary as add-ons for the Mac mini to complete it's game console/media center/dv recorder makeover.
Just a thought.
mdntcallr said:
Prediction: They will introduce exactly this, but they will take advantage of the high price/margin of these devices to squeeze a Mac Mini level computer right into the TV itself.
You are going to see basically a 50 inch iMac with all of the Tivo/music player/movie player type functionality built in. It will cost about the same as current 50 inch plasmas, but look and work a lot better and include a computer.
I am going to be sad that I can't afford one.
Cheers!
That seems to be the natural evolution should Apple want to implant itself into the livingroom. In fact, if Apple were to introduce a flat-panel TV, the computer itself would be largely invisible, sort of like the iMac G5, but without the unnecessary bulk of the underside.HumanJHawkins said:
Here's to the Crazy Ones
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Norse Son said:
wow... I mean really.... WOW.. Do you even use a mac??? Seriously... If you do, I dont know HOW you could have posted that!!! ^ Why on earth would a mac need to control my CD changer when I have all my CD's ripped to iTunes??? Also, how many people really have DVD changers? 99.9% of people have a single DVD player and that would be replaced by the dvd drive in the mac. And the DVR? Yeah,... um... Apple is supposed to be announcing a "TIVO Killer" so interfacing with a DVR would be kinda pointless.
freeny said:
Hey man, just wanted to let you know, I LOVE your icon!
More than one market
Sony is listed on more than one stock exchange. See: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/stock/listing.html
Their total market value is probably more like USD$100 billion or maybe as high as USD$200 billion. Plus they must have an enormous amount of liquid capital in cash and shares of other companies, not to mention property.
Sony could most definitely attempt to acquire a majority stake in Apple, whether it would succeed and whether it would want to are the real questions.
I really don't think Sony would want to buy Apple. Except for the enterprise computing products like xServes and Mac OSX they already make all the stuff that Apple do.
Back when Apple was running itself into the ground I remember people thinking Sony might be Apple's saviour through a takeover. Fortunately that never happened as you can be pretty sure that back then Sony would have just cannibalized Apple and sold what it didn't want.
But back to the topic, I would certainly love to see an Apple TV with a Viiv Mac Mini in the guts. I can hear Steve Jobs talking now... "we're bringing the simplicity of the iPod to the living room"
gnasher729 said:
Sony is listed on more than one stock exchange. See: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/stock/listing.html
Their total market value is probably more like USD$100 billion or maybe as high as USD$200 billion. Plus they must have an enormous amount of liquid capital in cash and shares of other companies, not to mention property.
Sony could most definitely attempt to acquire a majority stake in Apple, whether it would succeed and whether it would want to are the real questions.
I really don't think Sony would want to buy Apple. Except for the enterprise computing products like xServes and Mac OSX they already make all the stuff that Apple do.
Back when Apple was running itself into the ground I remember people thinking Sony might be Apple's saviour through a takeover. Fortunately that never happened as you can be pretty sure that back then Sony would have just cannibalized Apple and sold what it didn't want.
But back to the topic, I would certainly love to see an Apple TV with a Viiv Mac Mini in the guts. I can hear Steve Jobs talking now... "we're bringing the simplicity of the iPod to the living room"
