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In terms of pretty much everything Tim was (and still is) the right person for Apple.
While Cook has acknowledged that Jobs wouldn’t have approved of everything Apple has done since his passing, I believe Jobs wouldn’t regret handing the reins to Cook one bit. Jobs was certainly aware that Cook wasn’t a visionary, but he executed his role exceptionally—maximizing and consolidating Apple’s market value, just as Jobs likely expected.
 
Hopeful Apple’s board will see the problems and hire an innovator at the helm.
Ah yes, a board filled with the likes of former CEOs from Blackrock, J&J, and Grameen (a loan company). I’m sure they’ll pick an innovator over a logistics/money man. /s

Cook isn’t going anywhere for a while. And I won’t be surprised when he’s succeeded by an inferior Cook Jr (no relation obviously).
 
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I wish that people were embarrassed that money itself is their product.

I'm not saying it should be illegal to invest, but with a bit of shame it might not grow to such a preposterous scale.

Prostitution, for example, exists and is legal in some places like Nevada. But there are no titans of that industry who are exalted.
I really don't get your logic. The basic purpose of investing is to lend companies your money so that they can grow and in the process make you and that company wealthier. Nothing to be embarrassed about there. One can invest either directly by buying shares in companies or, if one does not have the time and/or expertise, one can invest in companies or funds that do the picking for you. If you're suggesting those firms should be 'embarrassed', I ask WHY? Seems like they're providing a valuable service!

Now, speaking of of Berkshire Hathaway in particular, their product isn't money. Besides companies like AAPL, where they mainly reap the benefits of their share investment, they own large chunks of companies - and manage them - in the transportation and insurance industries. So if you invest in Berkshire Hathaway, you're investing directly in the growth of several insurance and transportation companies.
 
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In terms of money, Cook was exactly the right person for Apple at the right time.
In terms of in ovation he was the swan song for Apple to exit stage left.

I do t buy Apple products because they make a lot of money for the company. This article calls out exactly why we do t buy Apple devices now. And probably won’t for some time.
 
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I wish that people were embarrassed that money itself is their product.

I'm not saying it should be illegal to invest, but with a bit of shame it might not grow to such a preposterous scale.


That's precisely how it's supposed to work. You can either have capitalism or not. If you want to have it, it seems silly to complain when it works how it's supposed to.
 
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In terms of in ovation he was the swan song for Apple to exit stage left.

I do t buy Apple products because they make a lot of money for the company. This article calls out exactly why we do t buy Apple devices now. And probably won’t for some time.

so you only buy products from non-profits?

please point me towards these non-profit electronics!
 
I’ve been reflecting on an investment I should've made when I was living in Florida back in 2009. The markets were still shaking from the financial crisis, and Apple ($AAPL) stock had dropped to just $78.20 per share. I should have took risk and bought 4,000 shares, which would have cost me $312,800—worth about ₱12.6 million then at a ₱40.29 exchange rate.

Now in 2025, after multiple stock splits (28-for-1 total), those 4,000 shares have become 112,000 shares. With Apple now trading at $198.89, my portfolio would be worth a stunning:

👉 $22.28 million
👉 Or ₱1.24 billion at today's ₱55.60 rate

And that’s just capital appreciation.

Since Apple started paying dividends in 2012 (3.5 years later), I’d now be earning:

  • ₱1.43 million per quarter in dividends
  • That’s over ₱15,000 per day just from holding
  • Over the past year, that’s ₱5.6 million in passive income
In short, that one bold move in 2009 would have now generate me more in quarterly dividends than I ever imagined earning in a year. And the total value? Grew 71x in USD, and nearly 100x in pesos.

The lesson? Hold quality. Be patient. Don’t underestimate long-term compounding, especially with companies like Apple. I didn’t buy a stock—I bought a lifelong cash machine.



📊 Apple Investment Journey: 2009 to 2025​


MetricJan 20, 2009May 6, 2025
Forex ($ → ₱)₱40.29₱55.60
AAPL Price$78.20$198.89
Effective Pre-Split Price$5,568.92-
Stock Splits28-for-1 (cumulative)-
Shares Owned4,000 (pre-split)112,000 (post-split)
Portfolio Value ($)$312,800.00$22,275,680.00
Portfolio Value (₱)₱12,602,712.00₱1,238,594,713.00
Years Until First Dividend3.56-
Quarterly Dividend per Share-$0.23
Quarterly Dividend Total ($)-$25,760.00
Quarterly Dividend Total (₱)-₱1,432,333.37
Daily Dividend (₱)-₱15,696.80
Last 4 Quarters Dividend Total ($)-$100,800.00
Last 4 Quarters Dividend (₱)-₱5,604,782.75
Daily Dividend (₱, annualized)-₱15,355.57
If we knew the future we'd all be rich.
 
In terms of in ovation he was the swan song for Apple to exit stage left.
I disagree.
In 2011 Apple sold headphones that were… Just wired headphones.
In 2025 they sell wireless headphones that can basically do anything. Listen to media, block out noise, bring in noise, be used as actual hearing aids if necessary, and more.
In 2011 health tracking on Apple devices was basically just the Nike plus iPod app.
In 2025 the Apple Watch it’s basically the best complete health tracker for the majority of consumers, and it’s also the best selling Watch in general.
In 2011 the MacBook Pro was a big beast with a battery that could maybe last 5 to 6 hours on light loads, with failing third-party graphics cards.
Today the M4 MBP is literally one of the most reliable and efficient machines that exist in the consumer laptop space, the iPad even more so.

These were all products introduced under the direction of Tim Cook. Even smaller things like the AirTags add little useful utilities to the Apple ecosystem.
Sure, Tim hasn’t had an “iPhone” moment, but no other company really has. Samsung hasn’t, Google hasn’t, Microsoft * Certainly* hasn’t.
But that is not the point, something doesn’t have to be the smart phone killer to be “innovative”.
 
The funny thing is that Buffet wasn't even the one who initially acquired AAPL. I forget which of his minions did. So while it was Berkshire Hathaway's wisdom that gave it this massive return, it wasn't Buffet's.
 
Tim is doing a very good job for Apple. Majority of the profits for the company came under Tim's leadership. Shareholders too are making good money by holding onto the shares.
 
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Cook has killed AAPL's innovation. There hasn't been a successful product since the iPad under Steve.
 
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