aaarrrgggh

dorkus maximus said:

jakeb said:

He sold ALL of his stock aside from 1000 or so shares? Am I reading that right? 

Yes. I now own more AAPL than Eddy Cue. 

Yeah... me too.  I have to agree with Spam Sandwich -- time for Eddie to go.  Might be time for Jony and a few others too.

Doesn't mean I have any better ideas on design or running the company, but Apple needs a kick in the pants.  They likely should be raising the dividend substantially as well.

They are experiencing cyclical issues now... but they chose to make them worse.  The iPhone 7 doesn't work for me, as I fly a lot and switch between listening to my phone, iPad, and in-flight entertainment on my noise-cancelling headphones, and have no desire to carry either a dongle or extra set of headphones.  Been there, done that.  On the MBP, the extra $6-700 or so I would need to spend for additional power supplies, docks, and dongles (I work from three different locations regularly, as well as travel) makes it pretty easy to dismiss; I can live with the Air another year, maybe two.  (My 10-year old $300 netbook is now better suited for travel!)

As much as I am in the MacBookPro NotForMe camp, the iPhone 7 rationally chose to not go USB-C; it is a mass-market device and the infrastructure is not in place for it to be a seamless transition.  The impact of screwing up on the iPhone is huge.

It is also unreasonable to complain about the lack of a USB-A port built in-- much for the same reason: you need to send a clear message that C is coming and the market needs to get ready.  In a year or two, this might mean airports actually have USB-C ports for charging and you don't even need your power supply... I can dream.

The rational complaints I see are limited to two very specific items: the lack of an included C-to-A adapter, and the lack of an Apple-branded dock (ideally a few versions) that "just works."

Personally, for security reasons I don't like plugging everything into a USB-C port; it is a huge attach surface and no-named devices now live on it between my power supply, Ethernet, display... and maybe even keyboard.  That eliminates any hope for security or even a properly controlled environment.  I am shocked that Apple didn't do better here.  But, 99.9% of people are oblivious to this, so there is no market reason to improve...

While I generally buy MacBook Air's, I had gotten fed up with the need for two dongles and a power supply when I am off-site for work.  I hate having to choose between Ethernet or hdmi. So, I was going to get the pro this time.  Then Apple started the DongleDangle... so I will skip it.  Maybe my Air can survive another year...

Apple really screwed up by: not providing the iPhone 7 with a USB-C port over lightning; not creating an "exciting" dock brick to avoid dongle madness; not including one USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box; and, making the pro laptop decidedly consumer.  

I get their heir strategy and motivation.  In two years when their phones are all USB-C, and when someone (else) makes a slick dock... all the pieces will be there.  Not willing to waste money on the goofy transitional products this time around though.  If all else fails, my Air and iMac just become Remote Desktop thin clients... and I can live with that.

charles1 said:

sjsterling said:

All CEOs sell some shares when they receive a large new grant of shares. Its because they need cash to pay the taxes due on the new grant.

No, Apple pays taxes automatically whenever a RSU is vested. It's called a "sell to cover."

That is the same thing.  Apple is liquidating the shares, but only as mandatory withholding.

It really isn't that big of a deal though.  It is insane to have 100% of your net worth in your employer's stock, even/especially if you are the CEO.  It is more money than he will likely ever spend, so do something with it and create a legacy...

cwingrav said:

regurgitatedcoprolite said:

As much as I love to visit Apple (stores), I'd like to see them do something with the acoustics to minimize the noise level. ...

I think the higher ceilings might help? Sound absorbing foam can reduce noise but no way they're putting that on those pretty walls. Maybe they could incorporate something in that vast illuminated ceiling. Something going on there maybe? Someone that knows acoustics could give a better answer.

The acoustics are a function of the glass and hard floors.  Not sure if they are putting acoustic panels on the underside of the tables, but they need a lot more focus on acoustics and good HVAC.  A few stores I have been in seem to be pushing the edge in energy efficiency... and it isn't working.