That's the danger with year-over-year reporting. It seems to me that Q4-14 is being compared to a very weak Q3-13. In the long run, this product category doesn't seem to be going anywhere - and that's despite a particularly weak competition in the form of Win 8. Could be a price issue: If they limited the premium vs. a comparable PC (hardware-wise) to 20%, they might be able to sell many more Macs and (finally!) expand the platform. That said, they're obviously never going to make it in the business customer arena - not enough choice and flexibility.
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Apple Reports Q4 2014 Year-End Results: $8.5 Billion Profit on $42.1 Billion in Revenue [Call Concluded]
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That's the danger with year-over-year reporting. It seems to me that Q4-14 is being compared to a very weak Q3-13. In the long run, this product category doesn't seem to be going anywhere - and that's despite a particularly weak competition in the form of Win 8. Could be a price issue: If they limited the premium vs. a comparable PC (hardware-wise) to 20%, they might be able to sell many more Macs and (finally!) expand the platform. That said, they're obviously never going to make it in the business customer arena - not enough choice and flexibility.
Point taken, but Honda makes quite a few products other than cars. And your comment also reminds me that not so long ago Toyota spent quite a few years (and quite a lot of dollars, I presume) trying to develop a general aviation airplane, with no success that we know about. All this stuff is a lot harder than it looks.
"The mobile-payments market will probably more than quadruple to about $90 billion by 2017. "
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/20...ap-fees-from-banks-in-new-payment-system.html
Isn't apple's fee 1%?
I think it's way less than 1%, and of course it has to catch on first. Still, even a small sip from such potentially huge pipe could be massive.
Exactly. I very much want them to put more effort into making better Macs, but I just can see them doing so based on how they're selling now.
Well, Honda actually DOES make watercraft.
But to use your words... did Honda get "too dependent" on automobile sales?
Is that why they ventured out into boats and planes?
I have a feeling Honda will make most of their money from automobiles... just like Apple will make most of their money from iPhones.
Is that bad?
Apple has had premium prices for most of their history. They kinda do their own thing regardless of what the rest of the industry does.
You can buy a Windows laptop for $300... but you need $800 to get a Macintosh laptop.
And it's the same for phones. You can get a "smartphone" for $75... but Apple's phones start at $500
Apple appears to maintain premium prices... and profits.
Is that a useless gimmick? Absolutely it is. I know you don't have any examples of anyone saying that's an innovation though...right?
Just applescruff being applescruff
Is that a useless gimmick? Absolutely it is. I know you don't have any examples of anyone saying that's an innovation though...right?
Just applescruff being applescruff
I didn't claim that anyone said it was innovating. I just know what the reaction here would be if any other company touted it as a feature during a new product introduction.
I didn't claim that anyone said it was innovating. I just know what the reaction here would be if any other company touted it as a feature during a new product introduction.
Yes you always know things...without any proof. This is what you do, nothing new to see here.
Yes... Honda makes many products: cars, motorcycles, small engines, robots, etc. But don't their cars generate the most income? (I seriously don't know)
There are many comments here like "Apple is too dependent on the iPhone" and "Apple needs to diversify"
I'm just having a hard time figuring out how they should do that (which is why I'm glad I don't have to make these kinds of decisions for Apple)
Like you defending a phone you don't own or hadn't seen?
Are your done? What are you upset about today? For what had become commonplace here, you've once again been proven as saying things with zero proof and now you're upset? This is too easy for me...You make it too easy.
Go find someone who won't call you out. You thrive in those situations.
You're wrong. There are some things where the iPad runs circles around the iPhone and Mac, like with certain educational titles, music apps, shopping apps, reading news/books/magazines, some games and if Apple addressed the Safari tab reloading issue with Air 2, web browsing.
Why - it is a waste of money. Many billions have been spent on buybacks and the stock is trading right where it was over two years ago. Totally dead money for the longer term investor.
Increase the dividend - that way I have $$$ in hand - real ROI.
Yes... Honda makes many products: cars, motorcycles, small engines, robots, etc. But don't their cars generate the most income? (I seriously don't know)
There are many comments here like "Apple is too dependent on the iPhone" and "Apple needs to diversify"
I'm just having a hard time figuring out how they should do that (which is why I'm glad I don't have to make these kinds of decisions for Apple)
Right, and that is the point. Diversification just for the sake of it doesn't generally work. Companies that stray too far from their competencies get in trouble. Even if those products make money, over time the company can lose focus and consumers can become unclear about what the company does. I don't think anyone wants Apple to become "Apple Industries, Inc."
It will. The phablet market is actually going to help iPod. If you got a 6+ you now have a device you really can't jog with. That might lead to some folks thinking they need an iPod shuffle again. Or maybe a reasonably priced Nano.
The buybacks will allow the dividend to be increased over time since there will be less shares outstanding to split the dividend payments between. But I know what you mean. A sudden and unanticipated "special dividend" of $50 billion would be nice in some ways. Sure it would be a huge tax hit for investors, but you don't have to reinvest every dividend, you could take some of it in cash to pay the taxes on it.
It won't happen because buybacks are more tax efficient and there isn't enough Apple money in the US to pay such a large dividend.
Nokia was first a lumber company. Later they recognised the potential of the mobile network they built to connect the town and moved into the mobile business.
If done well, diversification is a very good strategy to keep alive. Although too often it is indeed a failure.
It's only hidden for people like "Math is Hard" Kevin from The Office (U.S. version). Everyone else knows how to subtract iPod sales based on this Qs #s to get an idea. Also guessing Apple will do its usual sales announcement the weekend after launch. Apple can't hide the sales number. The Apple Watch just isn't mature yet for its own category and doesn't fit the others since it's an accessory, not a stand-alone product.
I've been shopping for a good Windows Laptop. I'm not sure that there is any hardware premium anymore. It certainly isn't 20%. Maybe if you just look the processor spec and do that comparison, it looks like there is a premium. But when you look at the entire product. By way of example, my HP Spectre from 2013 was about a $1,100 laptop. (It is slightly busted and needs to be replaced sooner rather than later.) It looks okay, very comparable to a 13" Macbook Air in looks, size and weight, but its trackpad stinks and it has less than a 3.5 hour battery life. It isn't as good a piece of hardware. And it cost the same amount as Macbook Air, maybe 10% less.
If you can suggest a Windows Laptop that compares to the current 13" Macbook Air in size and weight with a nice screen and an SSD, and sells for 20% less, please let me know. I will tell my IT department to get it for me.
Thought it is probably not literally true, diversification seems more like luck when it works. A few decades back, big business was all about conglomerations and companies such as GE became collections of unrelated industries. It seemed like the perfect plan until some of them were in troubled industries that top management didn't understand very well. They can drag the company down just as easily as build it up if not more so. I don't think anyone is suggesting this for Apple, but I hope Apple resists the temptation to enter product markets outside of their competencies just to diversify, or to do something with their money.