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As a shareholder I'm more curious about finding out how Apple retains and attracts top talent. It doesn't offer the flashy perks of Google and Facebook that lure in young blood.
 
Wow, the potential to have a smart watch with gesture based controls to control a TV would insane. You wouldn't need a remote anymore... your hand would be the remote!

That sounds OK, I think "insane" might be overselling it a bit. Plus, you'd need your watch on all the time, when most people remove it and put it on the table with their keys as soon as they walk in the door. And what about when other people in the house want to control the tv? You still need a remote. Same as with the controller app for iPhone now.
 
Spaceship delay

If steve were there, a delay in moving in woulnd't be tolerated!

*(It's a joke guys)
 
Well Wall Street and the tech press sure seem to be getting an erection over them as if they were.

Agreed. Talk is cheap though. And I don't mean that to sound as harsh as it does. In short - when someone is actually introduced by Apple (or whoever) - then it's time to get an "erection."

Wall Street and the Tech press love to get excited about all things Apple because they are one of the major players in the space. And are also typically not as transparent as other companies.

And what I meant (more specifically) is that watches and TVs might be new products for Apple - but not civilization. I didn't mean that Apple thinks watches and TVs are "new"
 
FWIW, I voted against reelecting him as a director not because I disapprove of his performance but because I believe a CEO should not simultaneously serve as a board member. I always voted against Steve Jobs for the same reason. (At least Tim Cook is not chair of the board)

I agree with that, although Jobs was kind of a special case. Total autonomy usually worked for him (or to put it another way, he wouldn't be able to do the things he did without it).
 
Lets see - Tim will say TVs are an area of intense interest, Apple TV is a great hobby product, and we are having our best quarter ever .
 
And predictably, the stock takes a hit when none of the rumors pan out.

No causation. Shareholder's annual meetings are always nonevents. Godot will show up faster than important news at a shareholder's meeting.

For example: When Apple declared the dividend last year, it wasn't announced at the shareholder's meeting, but the following month. Public companies hold these meetings because they are required, not because they want to use them to announcing something. Even if it's shareholder-related, they do it on their own schedule.
 
If watches and televisions are not considered new "Categories", I can't imagine what.

And that is what gets me excited. Bring it Apple!

.
 
Not sure what you mean. Apple was against this proposal.



Regardless, corporations cannot be trusted with regulating themselves. It would like letting a child loose in a candy store for an hour and expecting the store to look exactly the way you left it.
 
Let the speculation on new categories begin!!

I vote for a new "Professional Film and Video" category.

They could make a Mac for Professionals and call it something like a "Mac Pro."

Imagine the possibilities!
 
A defeat of a "Human Rights" committee? What's that say about the way shareholder's view of rights of the people?

It simply says that shareholders are wanting Apple to intensely focus on customers / markets / innovation / execution to yield far better shareholder value. There are plenty of laws and organizations elsewhere to address "human rights" in numerous venues.
 
Why does a company a a human rights committee? What's the point of it?

In case you have not noticed, Apple is not exactly virtuous when it comes to working conditions in the factories of its Asian suppliers, especially when considering that customers are paying good money for Apple products that goes directly into the company's vault, rather than spending a part on the improvement of labour standards and to polish the public image. The recent outcries and Apple's responses indicate that the customers grow weary of the company's policy and that a shift is unavoidable, particularly when you look at Apple's competitors. While it is not clear to me what this human-rights committee would have done, it does have a symbolic meaning now that it has been voted down.

Simply shoving the responsibility of working conditions to foreign governments does not work. There are many factors at play to keep the working conditions as they are, including economic incentives for those countries to keep the big companies there, strong pressure from abroad and even bribes to hamper with any legislative reform. Companies like Apple are at a unique position in that they can often dictate the terms of employment in those countries and improve the overall conditions. While I do not want to argue that the US Government should force companies to maintain certain human-rights standards everywhere, there is a strong desirability that companies should take their responsibility.
 
No causation. Shareholder's annual meetings are always nonevents. Godot will show up faster than important news at a shareholder's meeting.

Don't think so. Look at the AAPL chart from today:

The major volatility and lion's share of the drop occurred in a short period of time, directly correlating with the event. People were (wrongly) expecting news (probably at least the rumored stock split) and reacted negatively when it didn't happen.
 
Agreed. Talk is cheap though. And I don't mean that to sound as harsh as it does. In short - when someone is actually introduced by Apple (or whoever) - then it's time to get an "erection."

Wall Street and the Tech press love to get excited about all things Apple because they are one of the major players in the space. And are also typically not as transparent as other companies.

And what I meant (more specifically) is that watches and TVs might be new products for Apple - but not civilization. I didn't mean that Apple thinks watches and TVs are "new"

I go back and forth on the secrecy front. Part of me wishes Apple would be a bit more open with what they're working on just because they need some good PR right now. Google's done that with The Verge, letting them have a sneak peak at Glass and letting them do a feature on UI design at the company. Another part of me says screw it, let the products speak for themselves when they're announced. And I think back to last year and how it was a bit of a letdown just because so many things leaked ahead of time and the keynotes had no real surprises.

I still think Apple does need to do something on the PR front. Every day seems to be an onslaught of negativity. Most of it is not based in reality but often times perception can become reality and that's what I think is happening with Apple right now and part of the reason the stock is in the doldrums. But I see no evidence that Cook or Schiller have any plans to counter any of this negativity.
 
And your point is?

Should Apple be working on a "new category" for civilization Sam?

Any ideas what that category should be?

:rolleyes:

I never said they should or they shouldn't - did I. The CEO of Apple made a statement that they are working on new categories. I simply stated two categories which are rumored are not new.


Did I say they should be or shouldn't be? Did I even suggest I had a new category for them to enter? No.

Eyeroll all you want. You're "picking" a fight where there is none just because you probably took my original comment personally.
 
In case you have not noticed, Apple is not exactly virtuous when it comes to working conditions in the factories of its Asian suppliers, especially when considering that customers are paying good money for Apple products that goes directly into the company's vault, rather than spending a part on the improvement of labour standards and to polish the public image. The recent outcries and Apple's responses indicate that the customers grow weary of the company's policy and that a shift is unavoidable, particularly when you look at Apple's competitors. While it is not clear to me what this human-rights committee would have done, it does have a symbolic meaning now that it has been voted down.

Simply shoving the responsibility of working conditions to foreign governments does not work. There are many factors at play to keep the working conditions as they are, including economic incentives for those countries to keep the big companies there, strong pressure from abroad and even bribes to hamper with any legislative reform. Companies like Apple are at a unique position in that they can often dictate the terms of employment in those countries and improve the overall conditions. While I do not want to argue that the US Government should force companies to maintain certain human-rights standards everywhere, there is a strong desirability that companies should take their responsibility.

Sorry I don't think Apple needs a human rights committee to do what they're doing on the contractor/supplier front. A meaningless gesture that most likely wouldn't get them good PR anyway. Actions are more important than setting up some silly committee.
 
I never said they should or they shouldn't - did I. The CEO of Apple made a statement that they are working on new categories. I simply stated two categories which are rumored are not new.


Did I say they should be or shouldn't be? Did I even suggest I had a new category for them to enter? No.

Eyeroll all you want. You're "picking" a fight where there is none just because you probably took my original comment personally.

Would you be happier had Tim Cook said new categories for Apple ?
 
In case you have not noticed, Apple is not exactly virtuous when it comes to working conditions in the factories of its Asian suppliers, especially when considering that customers are paying good money for Apple products that goes directly into the company's vault, rather than spending a part on the improvement of labour standards and to polish the public image. The recent outcries and Apple's responses indicate that the customers grow weary of the company's policy and that a shift is unavoidable, particularly when you look at Apple's competitors. While it is not clear to me what this human-rights committee would have done, it does have a symbolic meaning now that it has been voted down.

Simply shoving the responsibility of working conditions to foreign governments does not work. There are many factors at play to keep the working conditions as they are, including economic incentives for those countries to keep the big companies there, strong pressure from abroad and even bribes to hamper with any legislative reform. Companies like Apple are at a unique position in that they can often dictate the terms of employment in those countries and improve the overall conditions. While I do not want to argue that the US Government should force companies to maintain certain human-rights standards everywhere, there is a strong desirability that companies should take their responsibility.


"Apple’s board recommends that shareholders vote against a proposal from Mr. John Harrington, a beneficial owner of at least $2,000 in market value of the company’s common stock, to establish a separate Board Committee on Human Rights.

Such a committee would, according to the proposal, “review the implications of company policies, above and beyond matters of legal compliance, for the human rights of individuals in the US and worldwide, including assessing the impacts of company operations and supply chains on resources and public welfare in host communities”.

In recent years, Apple has indeed become embroiled in public controversies regarding the human rights implications of its products and supply chains, including but not limited to controversies related to Foxconn, a supplier of many key items for Apple with facilities located in China and elsewhere.

Apple argues that a separate committee isn’t needed at present, however:

The Company is committed to the highest standards of social responsibility and human rights wherever we do business.

The Board is aware of no other company doing as much to safeguard and empower workers as the Company does today.
The Company’s dedicated Supplier Responsibility team continually audits the Company’s suppliers for compliance with the Company’s industry-leading Supplier Code of Conduct. The Supplier Code of Conduct is based on widely recognized international human rights principles as defined by the United Nations and the International Labor Organization.

…

The Company’s auditing program has expanded in breadth and depth over the past several years. In January 2012, the Company became the first electronics company to be granted membership in the Fair Labor Association (the “ FLA ”), a leading non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of workers. In February 2012, at the Company’s request, the FLA began a series of independent inspections of the Company’s final assembly suppliers and has published the results on its website for complete transparency.

…

The Board does not believe that establishing a committee is an effective way for the Company’s practices and goals to continually evolve and improve in response to changing conditions. Instead, such an additional and redundant committee would distract the Board from its other responsibilities to the Company and its shareholders, while adding little value to the Company’s existing commitment to human rights and social responsibility."
 
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