Tim Cook highlighting $150 million in charitable contributions over several years does little to undo the public's perception of Apple as a scrooge in the charitable contributions category.
You do realize that many of the other companies that even get close to Apple's profits give several hundreds of millions ANNUALLY to charity, ranging from 5-10% of their profit? Apple can't even claim getting anywhere close to 1% of their profit donated to charity.
I agree. But in Apple's case, their iOS devices are terrific 'gateway' products for people to check out the rest of the hardware ecosystem, i.e., Macs.
Of course, and that's happening. I also know people who started out with Macs, such as my household.
From two of my posts in this thread earlier today:
No particular reason the "Eyes Free" feature can't be universal plug-n-play. "Eyes Free" is the likely reasoning (along with the European common External Power Supply (EPS) rule) behind the supposed new dock connector for the new iPhone (assuming the rumors are true).
and
Courtesy of Car and Driver posted June 18, 2012 at 12:47pm by Austin Lindberg
"... Apple’s new Eyes Free Siri integration, which will be a part of the iOS 6 software update, has generated quite a buzz since its announcement last week. Part of this is due to the limited amount of information that Apple and its partner manufacturers have provided. Basically, the new feature will allow users to access the iPhone’s personal assistant, Siri, via a voice-command button, and pass your voice from the car’s built-in microphone to the phone. Although Apple mentioned a list of nine automakers it’s working with to implement Eyes Free, few have had much to say about the announcement past generic enthusiasm. Fewer still have been forthcoming with details about how Eyes Free will be utilized or when compatible vehicles will be available. We spoke with engineers from Chevrolet and Mercedes-Benz to find out how Eyes Free will work in their vehicles.
It’s important to first point out that Siri is a software change, both for the car and the phone, and not one that affects hardware—existing voice-command buttons will be used to access the system through a Bluetooth connection. According to an engineer we spoke to, Apple’s software development includes a refinement in how Siri deals with high amounts of background noise—the in-car’s single mic can pick up road, wind, and engine noise that makes it difficult for Siri to comprehend commands. (In normal use, iPhones have a pair of built-in microphones with noise cancellation that are bypassed by the in-car mic during hands-free operation.) Apple has somehow solved the problem with the iOS6 changes that go along with Eyes Free.
Once the car and phone are running the correct software and paired over Bluetooth, the actual hardware interaction is fairly simple: The driver presses the voice-command button—usually located on the steering wheel to allow for “eyes-free” operation—and receives the normal Siri prompt over the car’s stereo speakers. The button press will have to be different from the normal momentary tap that brings up control of built-in systems such as navigation. To differentiate between the two types of requests, Chevy will use a press-and-hold (about a second or two) to access Siri; Mercedes has yet to determine the key combo its system will require. Other options we can foresee include a double tap, or maybe spelling Siri’s name with Morse code..."
Yes, and those are special commands on a button on the steering wheel, that won't have a place for anyone else, as it will work with Apple's devices.
There's nothing in either of those articles to support what you've said. As we all know, Apple is fanatic about secrecy, and as Cook said at All Things D, he was doubling down on secrecy. So asking a couple of "spokesperson's" about this who rarely know anything anyway, means nothing. What was interesting was the statements that said that something was being done.
No one in the articles actually said that they weren't working with Apple on this. Some of the rest was speculation from the article writers themselves, who know even less.
Bullcrap! Apple has never made their charitable giving a public boast. "Giving in secret" is the highest order of giving. Also by instituting corp matching donations, Apple is amplifying the effects of their employee's donations.
Can you please explain how a publicly traded company with mandatory SEC filings is able to "give in secret"???
There's nothing in either of those articles to support what you've said. As we all know, Apple is fanatic about secrecy, and as Cook said at All Things D, he was doubling down on secrecy. So asking a couple of "spokesperson's" about this who rarely know anything anyway, means nothing. What was interesting was the statements that said that something was being done.
No one in the articles actually said that they weren't working with Apple on this. Some of the rest was speculation from the article writers themselves, who know even less.
Ok whatever, we'll see who is right and who is wrong in a year or two.
Tim Cook highlighting $150 million in charitable contributions over several years does little to undo the public's perception of Apple as a scrooge in the charitable contributions category.
You do realize that many of the other companies that even get close to Apple's profits give several hundreds of millions ANNUALLY .....
Who cares.
It's not Tim Cook's -- or the Board's -- money to give away. I think it's fabulous that a CEO actually understands that.
If the price of a Mac is a "barrier to developing iPhone and iPad software"... then, the developer is in the wrong business. Hell, he needs to invest in some basic tools, even to work on his own bicycle.
Not all iOS developers work for large US based companies. There are several small developers in the US, and even in other countries (I am from India). Also, when you are buying just a few Apple products for personal use the prices aren't a big deal. But if you have to equip a whole team of developers with Macs and iPhones/iPads, it gets really expensive.
MacMini is an OK option, if you just want to build small apps. Or you dont want to use tools like the Profiler for eliminating memory leaks. If you need those, you need to get the 4GB $799 Mac mini - which costs almost $1000 in India.
Don't get me wrong. Apple is free to do whatever works for them. And if you see my post history, you will see that I am as much a fan of Apple as anyone out there. Unlike most people who are just Apple fans, I have a lot more at stake, owning a small iOS development business. While Apple makes announcements that they paid out $5B to developers, it is clear from my own experience that it is quite difficult for small developers to make much money out of the AppStore. And this has nothing to do with App quality. One of my apps qualifies as easily one of the best Stock Market apps in the App Store (currently targeting India, but eventually targeting US, Europe, Japan, etc).
The thing is, as more people start to love Apple, Apple has a nasty habit of hurting the people who love it the most and for the longest time! And believe me, there are quite a few people who feel that way about Apple. Just ask the Pro users who stayed with Apple thru the tough years, how they feel about Apple's consumer focus! Or ask the enterprise IT support person who has spent a lifetime recommending Apple product adoption in the enterprise, and Apple suddenly pulls the plug on the Xserve or stops updating the Mac Pro. Does Apple seriously expect enterprise customers to buy iMacs? Or Mac Minis?
My only point is, when Macs have become such a small portion of their revenues and profits, why not lower prices and go for market share. Why price products at such ridiculous premiums in markets like India and China? I can even understand India pricing - with customs duties, etc. But Chinese pricing? iPhone 4S costs Rs 44,500 for the basic model. Which is about $800, AFTER the recent fall in the Rupee. At launch, it was almost $900! And to make things worse, Apple's Worldwide Warranty is valid everywhere in the world except India! Is India not a part of the world? So if you buy an unlocked phone for $650 elsewhere, you can forget support in India!
I am actually delighted that someone like Tim Cook is at the helm of affairs. Being a logistics person, the best way for Tim to showcase his skills is in increasing volumes and lowering prices.
It's not Tim Cook's -- or the Board's -- money to give away. I think it's fabulous that a CEO actually understands that.
The debate over whether or not or a company should be an active and beneficial member of their community is a long one that I have no interest in touching.
My issue is with Tim Cook and others here PRETENDING that Apple is a charitable company when the reality is, they give peanuts compared to others. I'm glad to see that you agree with me that Apple is NOT a charitable company, but you should be bringing this to the attention of others making inaccurate statements, and not killing the messenger for highlighting this fact....
Not all iOS developers work for large US based companies. There are several small developers in the US, and even in other countries (I am from India). Also, when you are buying just a few Apple products for personal use the prices aren't a big deal. But if you have to equip a whole team of developers with Macs and iPhones/iPads, it gets really expensive.
MacMini is an OK option, if you just want to build small apps. Or you dont want to use tools like the Profiler for eliminating memory leaks. If you need those, you need to get the 4GB $799 Mac mini - which costs almost $1000 in India.
Don't get me wrong. Apple is free to do whatever works for them. And if you see my post history, you will see that I am as much a fan of Apple as anyone out there. Unlike most people who are just Apple fans, I have a lot more at stake, owning a small iOS development business. While Apple makes announcements that they paid out $5B to developers, it is clear from my own experience that it is quite difficult for small developers to make much money out of the AppStore. And this has nothing to do with App quality. One of my apps qualifies as easily one of the best Stock Market apps in the App Store (currently targeting India, but eventually targeting US, Europe, Japan, etc).
The thing is, as more people start to love Apple, Apple has a nasty habit of hurting the people who love it the most and for the longest time! And believe me, there are quite a few people who feel that way about Apple. Just ask the Pro users who stayed with Apple thru the tough years, how they feel about Apple's consumer focus! Or ask the enterprise IT support person who has spent a lifetime recommending Apple product adoption in the enterprise, and Apple suddenly pulls the plug on the Xserve or stops updating the Mac Pro. Does Apple seriously expect enterprise customers to buy iMacs? Or Mac Minis?
My only point is, when Macs have become such a small portion of their revenues and profits, why not lower prices and go for market share. Why price products at such ridiculous premiums in markets like India and China? I can even understand India pricing - with customs duties, etc. But Chinese pricing? iPhone 4S costs Rs 44,500 for the basic model. Which is about $800, AFTER the recent fall in the Rupee. At launch, it was almost $900! And to make things worse, Apple's Worldwide Warranty is valid everywhere in the world except India! Is India not a part of the world? So if you buy an unlocked phone for $650 elsewhere, you can forget support in India!
I am actually delighted that someone like Tim Cook is at the helm of affairs. Being a logistics person, the best way for Tim to showcase his skills is in increasing volumes and lowering prices.
Thank you for this perspective. If you are right, and there's no reason to think you are not, then Apple should maybe enlarge its concern for its users beyond hardware and software. They ought to be asking themselves about their 'business usability' in other words, and their attention ought to be as global as their sourcing and sales network. Hopefully someone is aware of this problem in Cupertino.
The 'proof' is everywhere. Articles galore. Even here on Appleinsider.
What rock you been hiding under?
Apple is one of the greediest companies ever. Deal with it.
Your cynicism regarding charity is positively disgusting.
Apple's phone business is currently the biggest single source of profits. In my opinion, the market has a huge growth potential as emerging markets shift to smartphones and Apple continues to market older models (which have a low marginal cost) to these new markets. Apple has solid products at various price points in the phone game. Not only are they well positioned to capture sales in new markets, even established markets are experiencing double-digit rates of conversion to smartphones, and in these markets, Apple can sell huge numbers of its latest and greatest iterations at early-adopter prices.
With tablets, things are much less clear. Apple currently dominates, and so, only a growth in the market itself could result in greatly increased sales for Apple. Will the tablet market grow as fast as smartphone market? Will margins remain attractive, like they have in the phone biz? Time will tell.
The PC market is not going to grow nearly as fast as the smartphone or the tablet markets. It is not a prime source of profits anymore. Apple can concentrate on niches within the overall market, but overall, there's less potential.
The key is that the tablet market is the new PC market. Steve saw this as far back as 2007 (see All Things D full interview, note contrast with Bill Gates who basically had no idea what he was doing [I admire his philanthropy though I continue to call for Bill to step away completely from Microsoft]).
Smartphones are important because it is the number one electronic device everyone in the world needs.
Tablets will be critical because the tablet is the new PC and PCs can only hold their own or simply start to gradually erode. Websites, alone, are so grossly bloated that native apps and web apps have become so enjoyable with regards to iOS tablets.
So the writing is on the wall for the PC market, smartphones have had a massive shakeup in just five years, and the next five years will see a big shakeup of the PC market. Anyone that needs a PC will be hard-pressed to look for something thin, light, or simply dirt, dirt cheap. Anyone that is reticent to get a complicated PC will simply get a tablet.
Apple is in an amazing position right now. Wall Street is trying to ride them but not many people realise Apple itself buys and sells a massive amount of securities. Apple's trading of their $100 billion of securities puts them in the top 20 financial traders in the world.
Look at the last few lines. In six months they spent almost $100 billion in securities. Now I'm not sure what the leverage was on that but I can bet it's pretty low.
Apple could walk into any bank (or country for that matter, not in Europe, I guess) and ask for a $1 Trillion loan... And they would get it.
You know the movie Contact with Jodie Foster? If we had alien plans to build a super space-time travelling device, Apple would be the prime company to build it. Of course, you would only be able to go to the planets Apple has pre-approved. LOL.
As usual, I can't seem to edit my post, I meant to say above, "anyone who wants a PC will be hard-pressed not to purchase a PC that is thin, light, or simply a dirt cheap piece of junk."
As usual, I can't seem to edit my post, I meant to say above, "anyone who wants a PC will be hard-pressed not to purchase a PC that is thin, light, or simply a dirt cheap piece of junk."
APPLE MAKE PRETTY PRODUCTS THAT'S WHAT FOOLS THE PEOPLE THE PC WILL NEVER GO A AWAY BECAUSE YOU NEED WINDOWS PROGRAMS TO DO EVERY THING IMACS , IPADS ARE FUN TOYS TO HAVE THATS IT
If I embed images after one or two images when I click the Edit button the WSIWYG editor is like just a big block of grey. In Safari, no less.
The Huddler forum software is not very good. I'm not convinced they had much experience operating forum software before they started to write their own.
I don't need Apple to be charitable to gain my respect but I do need them to address the work, pay, and living conditions they (*we* as both investors and consumers of Apple's products) exploit in China.
The tension between human rights violations and progress as defined solely by profit is grinding my moral fiber down. I don't know how much longer I can support Apple financially.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacBook Pro
The proof is everywhere. For example;
The $50 million Apple donated to help Stanford Medical Center build its new $2 billion hospital.
Apple's leading participation in Project RED, to which they have contributed $50 million to help women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/02/02/tim_cook_exposes_the_lie_that_steve_jobs_ignored_philanthropy_.html
Apple executives and officers donated more than $3 million worth of company shares to charitable causes during the holiday season of 2010.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/12/31/apple_execs_officers_donate_over_3_million_the_charity_for_the_holidays.html
Apple matches personal charitable contributions of employees up to $10,000 per year which could amount to several hundred million dollars annually.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/09/08/charitable_matching_of_up_to_10k_now_available_for_apple_employees.html
Tim Cook highlighting $150 million in charitable contributions over several years does little to undo the public's perception of Apple as a scrooge in the charitable contributions category.
You do realize that many of the other companies that even get close to Apple's profits give several hundreds of millions ANNUALLY to charity, ranging from 5-10% of their profit? Apple can't even claim getting anywhere close to 1% of their profit donated to charity.
Of course, and that's happening. I also know people who started out with Macs, such as my household.
Yes, and those are special commands on a button on the steering wheel, that won't have a place for anyone else, as it will work with Apple's devices.
There's nothing in either of those articles to support what you've said. As we all know, Apple is fanatic about secrecy, and as Cook said at All Things D, he was doubling down on secrecy. So asking a couple of "spokesperson's" about this who rarely know anything anyway, means nothing. What was interesting was the statements that said that something was being done.
No one in the articles actually said that they weren't working with Apple on this. Some of the rest was speculation from the article writers themselves, who know even less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macky the Macky
Bullcrap! Apple has never made their charitable giving a public boast. "Giving in secret" is the highest order of giving. Also by instituting corp matching donations, Apple is amplifying the effects of their employee's donations.
Can you please explain how a publicly traded company with mandatory SEC filings is able to "give in secret"???
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross
There's nothing in either of those articles to support what you've said. As we all know, Apple is fanatic about secrecy, and as Cook said at All Things D, he was doubling down on secrecy. So asking a couple of "spokesperson's" about this who rarely know anything anyway, means nothing. What was interesting was the statements that said that something was being done.
No one in the articles actually said that they weren't working with Apple on this. Some of the rest was speculation from the article writers themselves, who know even less.
Ok whatever, we'll see who is right and who is wrong in a year or two.
Quote:
Originally Posted by e_veritas
Tim Cook highlighting $150 million in charitable contributions over several years does little to undo the public's perception of Apple as a scrooge in the charitable contributions category.
You do realize that many of the other companies that even get close to Apple's profits give several hundreds of millions ANNUALLY .....
Who cares.
It's not Tim Cook's -- or the Board's -- money to give away. I think it's fabulous that a CEO actually understands that.
Not all iOS developers work for large US based companies. There are several small developers in the US, and even in other countries (I am from India). Also, when you are buying just a few Apple products for personal use the prices aren't a big deal. But if you have to equip a whole team of developers with Macs and iPhones/iPads, it gets really expensive.
MacMini is an OK option, if you just want to build small apps. Or you dont want to use tools like the Profiler for eliminating memory leaks. If you need those, you need to get the 4GB $799 Mac mini - which costs almost $1000 in India.
Don't get me wrong. Apple is free to do whatever works for them. And if you see my post history, you will see that I am as much a fan of Apple as anyone out there. Unlike most people who are just Apple fans, I have a lot more at stake, owning a small iOS development business. While Apple makes announcements that they paid out $5B to developers, it is clear from my own experience that it is quite difficult for small developers to make much money out of the AppStore. And this has nothing to do with App quality. One of my apps qualifies as easily one of the best Stock Market apps in the App Store (currently targeting India, but eventually targeting US, Europe, Japan, etc).
The thing is, as more people start to love Apple, Apple has a nasty habit of hurting the people who love it the most and for the longest time! And believe me, there are quite a few people who feel that way about Apple. Just ask the Pro users who stayed with Apple thru the tough years, how they feel about Apple's consumer focus! Or ask the enterprise IT support person who has spent a lifetime recommending Apple product adoption in the enterprise, and Apple suddenly pulls the plug on the Xserve or stops updating the Mac Pro. Does Apple seriously expect enterprise customers to buy iMacs? Or Mac Minis?
My only point is, when Macs have become such a small portion of their revenues and profits, why not lower prices and go for market share. Why price products at such ridiculous premiums in markets like India and China? I can even understand India pricing - with customs duties, etc. But Chinese pricing? iPhone 4S costs Rs 44,500 for the basic model. Which is about $800, AFTER the recent fall in the Rupee. At launch, it was almost $900! And to make things worse, Apple's Worldwide Warranty is valid everywhere in the world except India! Is India not a part of the world? So if you buy an unlocked phone for $650 elsewhere, you can forget support in India!
I am actually delighted that someone like Tim Cook is at the helm of affairs. Being a logistics person, the best way for Tim to showcase his skills is in increasing volumes and lowering prices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram
Who cares.
It's not Tim Cook's -- or the Board's -- money to give away. I think it's fabulous that a CEO actually understands that.
The debate over whether or not or a company should be an active and beneficial member of their community is a long one that I have no interest in touching.
My issue is with Tim Cook and others here PRETENDING that Apple is a charitable company when the reality is, they give peanuts compared to others. I'm glad to see that you agree with me that Apple is NOT a charitable company, but you should be bringing this to the attention of others making inaccurate statements, and not killing the messenger for highlighting this fact....
Thank you for this perspective. If you are right, and there's no reason to think you are not, then Apple should maybe enlarge its concern for its users beyond hardware and software. They ought to be asking themselves about their 'business usability' in other words, and their attention ought to be as global as their sourcing and sales network. Hopefully someone is aware of this problem in Cupertino.
Thanks, cynicism is often confused with realism.
J.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26
Apple's phone business is currently the biggest single source of profits. In my opinion, the market has a huge growth potential as emerging markets shift to smartphones and Apple continues to market older models (which have a low marginal cost) to these new markets. Apple has solid products at various price points in the phone game. Not only are they well positioned to capture sales in new markets, even established markets are experiencing double-digit rates of conversion to smartphones, and in these markets, Apple can sell huge numbers of its latest and greatest iterations at early-adopter prices.
With tablets, things are much less clear. Apple currently dominates, and so, only a growth in the market itself could result in greatly increased sales for Apple. Will the tablet market grow as fast as smartphone market? Will margins remain attractive, like they have in the phone biz? Time will tell.
The PC market is not going to grow nearly as fast as the smartphone or the tablet markets. It is not a prime source of profits anymore. Apple can concentrate on niches within the overall market, but overall, there's less potential.
The key is that the tablet market is the new PC market. Steve saw this as far back as 2007 (see All Things D full interview, note contrast with Bill Gates who basically had no idea what he was doing [I admire his philanthropy though I continue to call for Bill to step away completely from Microsoft]).
Smartphones are important because it is the number one electronic device everyone in the world needs.
Tablets will be critical because the tablet is the new PC and PCs can only hold their own or simply start to gradually erode. Websites, alone, are so grossly bloated that native apps and web apps have become so enjoyable with regards to iOS tablets.
So the writing is on the wall for the PC market, smartphones have had a massive shakeup in just five years, and the next five years will see a big shakeup of the PC market. Anyone that needs a PC will be hard-pressed to look for something thin, light, or simply dirt, dirt cheap. Anyone that is reticent to get a complicated PC will simply get a tablet.
Apple is in an amazing position right now. Wall Street is trying to ride them but not many people realise Apple itself buys and sells a massive amount of securities. Apple's trading of their $100 billion of securities puts them in the top 20 financial traders in the world.
Look at the last few lines. In six months they spent almost $100 billion in securities. Now I'm not sure what the leverage was on that but I can bet it's pretty low.
Apple could walk into any bank (or country for that matter, not in Europe, I guess) and ask for a $1 Trillion loan... And they would get it.
You know the movie Contact with Jodie Foster? If we had alien plans to build a super space-time travelling device, Apple would be the prime company to build it. Of course, you would only be able to go to the planets Apple has pre-approved. LOL.
As usual, I can't seem to edit my post, I meant to say above, "anyone who wants a PC will be hard-pressed not to purchase a PC that is thin, light, or simply a dirt cheap piece of junk."
You don't have an edit button?
APPLE MAKE PRETTY PRODUCTS THAT'S WHAT FOOLS THE PEOPLE THE PC WILL NEVER GO A AWAY BECAUSE YOU NEED WINDOWS PROGRAMS TO DO EVERY THING IMACS , IPADS ARE FUN TOYS TO HAVE THATS IT
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
You don't have an edit button?
If I embed images after one or two images when I click the Edit button the WSIWYG editor is like just a big block of grey. In Safari, no less.
The Huddler forum software is not very good. I'm not convinced they had much experience operating forum software before they started to write their own.
The tension between human rights violations and progress as defined solely by profit is grinding my moral fiber down. I don't know how much longer I can support Apple financially.