jdw

Kierkegaarden said:

...anyone who gives their opinion on a product based on the design, features, or price of a product before those details are even known is an absolute moron.

The internet has allowed morons to share their moronic thoughts with others.  The ones that listen turn into morons themselves.  This is the real pandemic — welcome to the internet:  home of the moron flu.

Japhey said:

<fist emoji>

Perhaps the greatest disappointment of all in online forums is the incessant name-calling and the emojis which follow in support of the name-calling.  Basically, the uncaring remarks above are labeling nearly everyone here a "moron" for having commented.  That is not constructive.  It amounts to little more than an emotionally charged distraction.  

It is a part of human nature to comment on pretty much everything. That is why this forum exists.

It is easier to name-call than to write intelligently. So many choose the easy path.  But the better approach is to present a reasoned commentary based on what we know now (which admittedly is limited) and based on what we speculate.  There is no harm in that.  Indeed, it provokes positive thought.

Why do I even care?  Because reading the comments under articles is often more pleasing than the articles themselves, at least until we get to the name-calling.

Ditto my earlier comment.  I now look forward to seeing WWDC.

First of all, people are only saying "$3,000" because it's easy to say, when in reality, the price, if indeed that high, would actually be $2,999.  The trickery of sales and marketing departments always wins.

Next, I don't wear an Apple Watch because I don't like gizmos on my wrist in general.  The band always pulls hairs and I dislike the feel of sweat under the device.  Many people aren't like me as, however, evidenced by the fact so many wear watches.  But wearing something on your FACE that's bigger and heavier than a pair of glasses is an altogether different matter.  Ignoring the price point entirely, how long could you have such a thing on your face, even if it is considered to be "the most comfortable" (and awesome looking thing) in the world?  Comfort matters, and the average consumer isn't an idiot when it comes to that. Practicality is yet another consideration.

I know that sounds a bit negative, but I don't want the device to fail.  I hope it can surmount the obstacles. I am an AAPL shareholder who really wants Apple and AAPL to succeed.  But the economic climate is bad right now, and we can see that in Mac sales.  Inflation has hit many people hard, and higher interest rates could trigger a recession. California state has the biggest economy in the USA, yet is plagued by homelessness, power outages, impossibly expensive rent, and a political power structure that has largely been in the death grip of one political party since the mid-1970's.  People think about these things before reaching for their wallet. (Well, unless the thing they want to buy is some sort of drug.)

If a large number of people don't have the disposable income required to buy something they technically don't need, a new device that suddenly appears in such a market will find it an uphill battle.  Sure, it is Apple we're talking about, and that brand opens wallets faster than most others.  But again, this is something you must wear in on your FACE!  Maybe in the long run the Apple headset can win people over, but that means pouring a heck of a lot of money into the thing over many years of time in hopes of keeping the dream alive.  Perhaps Apple will do that though because (a) they have the liquid assets to accomplish it, and (b) they have no other ground-breaking new concept product on their plate.  

Rather than simply continue the product status quo, Apple needs "something new" to wow people again.  The success of iPhone cannot last forever.  They're in some way betting their future on the headset. I hope it works out for them, and I hope I can find a PRACTICAL use for it in my life.  But I can tell you this, while I'm a huge Apple fan, I'm not a gamer.  And if the price point is $2,999, it would have to be insanely great to pry open my wallet.

Having lived in the USA (my birth country) for 23 years and in Japan for 29 years, I must say Japan's culture of paying people decently enough to eliminate tipping entirely is the right course.  More respect is given to customers, and all guesswork about how much to tip is eliminated.  

While it has been cultural in the USA to tip long before I was born, that doesn't make it good or right, especially so because it is EXPECTED even if service isn't great.  When you don't have tipping, nobody thinks about good or bad service so much, and the people who provided the said service still get paid.  If a restaurant or hotel offers terrible service, rather than withdraw a tip, people simply won't come back.  Simple!

Not having to pay tips would revolutionize the USA for the better.  Naturally, anyone in a service industry or the restaurant industry will passionately say otherwise, but such comes as no surprise.  People defend the status quo.  But that defense doesn't make it right.  Japan and many other countries prove you can exist happily without tipping, and it's less stressful on the person who needs to pay as well.  The two biggest reasons Japanese people get stressed when visiting the USA is (a) you have to be on your guard because it's less safe than Japan, and (2) you have to figure out the convoluted tipping culture!

Patrons are thankful, but they shouldn't be culturally shamed into paying even more for already pricey Apple gear.  If given a choice between a tipping Apple Store and a non-tipping one, I would of course go out of my way to visit the non-tipping store every time.  We should be able to express gratitude from the heart, not from the wallet.  

Apparently, the MS Surface Pro 9 5G is about the fastest Windows on ARM machine out there, but only you exclude Macs.  Now that Parallels 18 is out, you can run Windows 11 on ARM natively on an M1 or M2 Max, which I assume must blow away Microsoft's SQ3 processor, based on it not being as fast as the Intel chips it replaces, at least according to what I am reading here...

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/microsoft-surface-pro-9-sq3-arm

That article says the SQ3 is based on the  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3.

waveparticle said:

jdw said:

waveparticle said:

jdw said:

Whenever I read articles like this and then review the comments, I always wonder just how many of the commenters hold AAPL.  But it's not just about whether you hold AAPL in your portfolio, but about how long you have held it, and what type of investor (short term or long) you are.  When you take the long term, like I do (my first AAPL purchase was back in 1999), none of this short term news matters.  What matters is what big investors like Warren Buffet do, in combination with Apple company performance.  Warren has been increasing his holdings of AAPL, and for good reason.

I learned a long time ago that when you have a passion for a particular American company's products, that love is often shared by many others.  That brings meaningful value to the company you love.  And while my being an Apple products fan is partly what drive me to buy AAPL back in 1999, I will admit that the return of Steve Jobs and the positive impact it had on the stock at the time was also what drove me to buy AAPL for the first time.  Even so, prior to that I had other investments, so it wasn't like I had not invested anything at all prior to my AAPL purchase.  

Too often, most people just buy the products of a company rather than parts of the company itself.  That may give you short term happiness, but overall, it's technically a financial loss to you insofar as the item you purchase will depreciate over time.  Certainly, you may reap some benefits from that item, especially if you are a business earning a profit from it.  But if you also invest long term in the company who makes that product, you potentially find yourself in a position where you reap far greater gains than you would simply from buying a product that helps your bottom line.

Because if this, it never ceases to amaze me how many Apple fans really aren't that big of a fan at all when we reflect on how few of them own AAPL, either directly or indirectly through some kind of fund.  I guess this describes the average American in general, as only 58% own stock of some sort and the mean bank account balance for the average American is less than $50k.  While there are risks to investing, a lot of risk comes from people selling more often than they should.  People who ignore the advice of financial "experts" and who keep holding stocks that many suggest to sell, typically find themselves coming out ahead over the course of many years.

In total, don't get caught up in the details presented by analysts and the tech news.  Just buy some AAPL (and other stocks of value) and hold that investment for decades.  Don't succumb to the temptation to sell. You will ultimate be glad you made that choice.

LOL How many people will be able to live for decades after buying AAPL? 

Not sure what you are laughing about unless it is yourself.  You need to re-read your question in order to realize how ridiculous it is.  I just finished saying that I bought AAPL in 1999.  It's 2023 now.  The "s" at the end of the word "decades" indicates plural as defined by "two or more."  I am still alive more than 2 "decades" after buying AAPL, and I am still in my early 50's.  Even if I live only to be 72, that is still another TWO DECADES on top of the exist two. 

Am I alone?  Hardly.  

To suggest that "few people" in their 20's cannot or would not buy AAPL and then live for decades thereafter is insanity at its finest.

Allen was ranked as the 44th-wealthiest person in the world by Forbes in 2018, with an estimated net worth of $20.3 billion at the time of his death(65). He is not retired. 

What in THE world does Paul Allen of Microsoft have to do with the discussion?

Answer: nothing

The discussion between you and I in this thread is hardly different than the following...

Me: The sky is blue.
You: No, it's green.
Me: It absolutely is not green.
You: It's 6:00am, so there!

Huh?

Really, your replies to what I wrote really are THAT crazy.  I strongly suggest you take a break from this forum until you can come back with intelligible dialog.  Might also do you well to contemplate buying some AAPL too. :-)