Apple Inks Deal for 'Large Budget, Ambitious' Sci-Fi Series From Simon Kinberg, Known for 'X-Men' Movies

[ryanwarsaw]

I hope that buying Apple shares in 2018 was not a key component of your retirement strategy.

I am a few years out yet and kept averaging down as the stock sank. I am actually waiting for it to go lower so I can buy more and if not I can't complain if it goes up. Anyway it isn't a big deal as I said before I could have been in real trouble I could have paid full price for a XS Max 512GB.

 

[Vjosullivan]

----- -----

 

[EdT]

Don’t understand why apple is in general interested to do any movies and series... they shall go for Hardware and Software in best Standards and good privacy

Because hardware isn’t growing in leaps and bounds, for almost any company, the way it did for most successful companies up to around 2010-2012. Most companies are now selling cheap(er) devices whose primary profit isn’t the device itself, the company may lose money on the device, but on the service you have to subscribe on to use the device- Amazon Dot and Echo and Firestick for example, or the Roku streaming devices. Money isn’t being made on the hardware, but on services provided by the hardware. Most people don’t need a computer, they want something to browse the internet or watch Netflix or get emails/twitter/Instagram etc. even PC gaming is losing players to cheaper console devices. The pictures aren’t as detailed or the action as smooth but the consoles are cheaper and the games are initially cheaper even if they are full of pay as you go loot boxes and character add ons.

Unless the reliability is complete crap or the graphics or sound is horrible, cheap wins. How many times have you read a post, here or on any product site, and people are complaining about the cost of product X because you can buy product Y for 1/2 that cost, and when someone tries justifying the higher price by pointing out the improved sound or picture or abilities he gets blasted by people saying they don’t care, the cheaper product is good enough as far as they are concerned.

 

[StoneJack]

What’s their core business? Macs? Macintosh has never reached a marketshare that could bring them the kind of wealth they’ve experienced as “The iPhone Company”.

So, right now the iPhone is their core business.

The obvious, in plain sight thing that people seem to miss is that Apple has always sold their hardware by producing content for it. The whole stack as Steve Jobs used to say. For the Mac, that meant producing the software that people consumed on the device. iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers... There’s other software that runs on Mac of course, but Apple provided the essentials built with the same ease of use and attention to detail that people love about the hardware. It’s what sold Macs.

Now, we’re in a smartphone and tablet era. What’s consumed the most on these devices? Video. Who owns that market now? Netflix. They get to dictate how their app works, how it looks and even where people have to go to pay for it. Netflix makes Apple virtually no money even though it’s run on their devices. What’s worse is that Netflix can run on anything; it doesn’t sell Apple hardware.

You can say, of course it doesn’t make Apple any money, it’s not an Apple company. Exactly. Netflix owes Apple nothing and that’s a dangerous recipe for a field that is going to dominate more and more what people use smartphones and tablets for. Netflix isn’t going to sell Apple hardware so Apple needs to produce content that will. Apple can’t afford to stay on the sidelines.

So yes, Apple is focusing on their core business.

Finally someone with brains here

 

[Gasu E.]

Not at all.

Assuming the stock recovers to its three-month-ago high of 233, the stock being in the 150s will have been nothing but a tremendous gift of a buying opportunity.

Please, why would you want to make an assumption like that? It breaks my heart when people say stuff like that. Think for a second on how stocks get priced. It's based on market expectations of future cash flows, coupled with general market factors such as interest rates. These market expectations are driven mostly by institutional investors and other large portfolio managers. (Yeah, there is sometimes a little bit of short-term volatile behavior driven by programmed traders, etc., but that shouldn't factor into a long-term investment strategy). What new information about Apple is going to drive market expectations back up, to fulfill your assumption? Huge new market? Sudden recovery in China? Some new product turning into an iPhone-like giant? That's a lot of faith! Of course, the entire market could turn around, pulling Apple with it; but if that's the case, you would have been better off with an Index fund.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Please, why would you want to make an assumption like that? It breaks my heart when people say stuff like that. Think for a second on how stocks get priced. It's based on market expectations of future cash flows, coupled with general market factors such as interest rates. These market expectations are driven mostly by institutional investors and other large portfolio managers. (Yeah, there is sometimes a little bit of short-term volatile behavior driven by programmed traders, etc., but that shouldn't factor into a long-term investment strategy). What new information about Apple is going to drive market expectations back up, to fulfill your assumption? Huge new market? Sudden recovery in China? Some new product turning into an iPhone-like giant? That's a lot of faith! Of course, the entire market could turn around, pulling Apple with it; but if that's the case, you would have been better off with an Index fund.

There’s a lot more emotion and illogical behavior (and manipulation) in Apple’s stock than a simple valuation based on discounted future cash flows. Those who sell Apple whenever traders beat it up are merely being reactive and would have lost a ton of money over the last 10 years.

The outlook for Apple is not only just about the iPhone; peak iPhone was 2015 and units have been flat for years. Apple will enter new markets, including the video content that upsets so many in this thread.

To me, Apple is a long-term buy and hold investment. Low-fee index funds are great for owning the market, but for that portion of my investments I hold in individual stocks, Apple to me is a clear buy in the 150s. Your opinion differs and that is fine.

 

[Peter_M]

I miss some really good, though-provoking and intelligent sci-fi series and movies. However, there are few if none to be seen these days.

We're either getting asinine superhero movies like Aquaman, or another dumb post-apocalyptic zombie show. Remember Babylon 5? Now, that's proper writing with great scope and imagination. Most shows today have very simple premises, with no sweeping and epic story arch, also lacking character development, and a true sense of mystery. Also actors are chosen either for their looks or to maintain ethnicity quotas, not for their talent, charisma or being likeable/relatable.

Also identity politics and anti-Western/anti-male Neo-Marxism seems to be infecting most of the stuff from Hollywood and Netflix these days. First Man refused to show the US astronauts planting the American flag on the moon, because it's nationalistic. Give me a break. I fear Apple will tread down the same path. I long for the days where you could relax watching a great TV-show or movie, without being lectured by condescending liberal-leftist nonsense.

There are a few good TV-shows here and there (Stranger Things, Breaking Bad, Game Of Thrones), but I've almost given up finding new good movies. Most of todays movies are plagued by lazy and unimaginative scriptwriting, and preachy writers more concerned with propagandising the viewer, than making true art.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[drumcat]

What’s their core business? Macs? Macintosh has never reached a marketshare that could bring them the kind of wealth they’ve experienced as “The iPhone Company”.

So, right now the iPhone is their core business.

The obvious, in plain sight thing that people seem to miss is that Apple has always sold their hardware by producing content for it. The whole stack as Steve Jobs used to say. For the Mac, that meant producing the software that people consumed on the device. iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers... There’s other software that runs on Mac of course, but Apple provided the essentials built with the same ease of use and attention to detail that people love about the hardware. It’s what sold Macs.

Now, we’re in a smartphone and tablet era. What’s consumed the most on these devices? Video. Who owns that market now? Netflix. They get to dictate how their app works, how it looks and even where people have to go to pay for it. Netflix makes Apple virtually no money even though it’s run on their devices. What’s worse is that Netflix can run on anything; it doesn’t sell Apple hardware.

You can say, of course it doesn’t make Apple any money, it’s not an Apple company. Exactly. Netflix owes Apple nothing and that’s a dangerous recipe for a field that is going to dominate more and more what people use smartphones and tablets for. Netflix isn’t going to sell Apple hardware so Apple needs to produce content that will. Apple can’t afford to stay on the sidelines.

So yes, Apple is focusing on their core business.

First off, Pedro, did you see the part where I said Macs were their core business? No? That’s because I didn’t say that.

Second, all of the argument you made here was that Apple needs to make television shows to sell more phones.

Are you reading your own words here?

You JUST made the argument that back in Mac years, they made good Mac software. Now, they make little computers that go in your pocket. Maybe, just maybe, they need to start making better SOFTWARE and apps that help you with your phone. It’s EXACTLY the same as the argument you just made. The same. No change needed.

Use the stock email app? Try to attach something once you’ve started drafting an email. Weather? Those satellite images are nowhere. Calculator? No tape function.

I could keep going, but it is a laughably, absurdly long list.

If Apple wants to have TV in your phone, they simply need to make AppleTV an App, and start making HDMI dongles. That’s going to be a lot more effective than a cheesy tv series.

In closing Pedro, you were wrong and right. You were wrong to say things I didn’t say. And you were right about the software/stack argument. You just didn’t pick the right stack.

 

[avkills]

So happy Apple has loads of money to blow on **** like this instead of working on relevant things like a new Mac Pro! Do not get me wrong, a show based on the Foundation series would be very cool; but these types of stories really get me grumpy and angry.

Apple! Millions of people have made hackintosh computers that allow easy access to RAM, GPU swaps, CPU upgrades, HD adds, etc etc etc. How damn hard is it for an almost trillion dollar company to release a ****ing pro machine that allows all of the above. Quit being stubborn. For all I care, just release a ATX motherboard and then let the internals and case be bought as needed. There is no special ingredient in any of your hardware other than the T2 chip (another **** you to users who needed netboot and used DeployStudio). Just about everything you are currently doing is a big "**** you" to the scientific, arts and media industries that supported you to get you where you are today. Pretty lame to be bragging about how important GPU processing is for your OS when you don't support the fastest hardware available (nVidia).

Who makes an iPad Pro with a drawing device, yet does not have external drawing tablet display support from your own computers out of the box. You DO! The biggest no brainer and you missed it. But then again Steve-o hated drawing devices; so you already went against that.

Maybe Apple would be better off killing off the computer division and just make hackintoshing the norm; then at least users would be able to get the computer they need, instead of the computer Apple thinks you need.

Have not seen any "Thinking Different" since Steve passed away.

 

[Vjosullivan]

----- -----

 

[cardfan]

They are an iPhone company. But it’s built upon a Mac foundation you can’t ignore. Just like iTunes which was made more irrelevant over the years.

I think macs are crucial for apple but they obviously don’t. Perhaps they’re right. The masses are largely ignorant when it comes to macs. Apple hardly markets them. Schools have abandoned them. Business never embraced them and apple pulled back from both.

Apple TV started out as a hobby. This is double talk for them saying we really have no idea. Over the years it was called pulling strings. Then rumors of a tv service that went bust. IMO apple is all about pulling strings with no real plan overall.

Does anyone think Apple has a real roadmap or overall strategy to anything not iPhone? They’re pulling strings. Just when you think they’ve abandoned something (iPad mini, Mac mini, Mac Pro, etc) they come back to it. Just when you think they’ve gotten serious about something (Apple TV, Siri, HomePod, iBooks, etc) they then abandon it for years.

Apple car? That whole thing came about as a response to many analysts wondering what could be next. What is apple doing with their cash? It was a desperate string. Same with an actual TV set.

Pulling strings might work if your Steve Jobs. He sort of knew which were the right ones and insisted on a great user experience as you could tell he personally attested. The iPhone was one. But I’m not sure Apple has a guy in charge that can evolve past pulling strings.

Even when HomePod was introduced one apple exec mentioned these speakers made no sense without a screen. Another insists a touch Mac makes no sense because it’s a pain in you know what and a bad user experience to reach hand up to constantly touch screen. But then here comes iPad Pro embracing bad ergonomics and user experience.

These are just observations. A company not on the same page. Before it just had to have Steve Jobs blessing. Now who knows.

 

[avkills]

On the contrary, Apple executives have all been "Thinking Different" to Steve.

Ain't that the truth. When emoji get stage time, then you pretty much know nothing of real substance is going to be released.

I am actually going to be a bit sad if I end of making another Hackintosh. But the writing seems to be on the wall. Either that or just go Windows for content creation, and the cheapest MacMini to do day to day stuff.

 

[KPandian1]

What is the general opinion that this AV-streaming service from Apple will cost per month?

 

[ipponrg]

These are just observations. A company not on the same page. Before it just had to have Steve Jobs blessing. Now who knows.

There have been employee rumblings years ago that there was a lack of cohesiveness and chemistry between organizations from within. So not surprising now that there seems to be some synergy issues (at the moment?)

 

[Nunyabinez]

Jumper was pretty good. I won't stand for this slander!

It's possible that my hatred of Hayden Christensen clouded my perception.

 

[EdT]

It's possible that my hatred of Hayden Christensen clouded my perception.

Why do you hate Hayden?