mpantone

As of August 14, shares shorted as a percentage of float was still less than 0.9%.

AAPL is trading above the 50-day moving average and well above the 200-day moving average. Shorting Apple short term is not such a silly concept.

SpamSandwich said:

mpantone said:

rcomeau said:

hentaiboy said:

Warren Buffet buys, Tim sells. Interesting.

You can't buy groceries or pay rent with Apple shares. Once and a while, you need to liquify your assets to exchange for goods and/or services.

The more likely motivation for him selling his RSUs is portfolio diversification.

It's not like he was penniless before these transactions.

Cook has not exhibited any real interest in crass materialism like super-yachts or enormous mansions. He doesn't collect vintage cars nor attend glitzy galas. He shows very little interest in the arts, fashion, cuisine, etc. The Apple Board of Directors demands that he travel via private jet (on the company's dime), so it's not like he's going to buy a Learjet.

He doesn't buy professional sports teams like Steve Ballmer nor fund America's Cup yacht teams like Larry.

He's a bit of a health nut but how many t-shirts, shorts and pairs of socks does a guy need? He's into physical fitness but seems to have little interest in attending major events (sports, concerts, etc.) whether they be local (SF Bay Area) or abroad.

For a CEO of a Dow 30 company, Tim's expenses are comparatively paltry.

How do you know? Tim's private life outside of Apple is, of course, no one's business but it's also completely opaque as far as I know.

With social media, smartphones, mainstream media, etc. it's pretty obvious when someone is burning cash.

It's not like he lives in the middle of nowhere.

Even if he hid his big purchases behind a trust, he'd quickly be spotted disembarking off a super-yacht or driving some 1930s Bugatti.

Plus, that sort of materialism takes effort. Tim barely takes any vacation. He's always working. It's not like he's taking his 4-6 weeks of vacation off and partying with supermodels on such super-yacht at Cannes. He's not flying to the Netherlands to talk to some luxury shipbuilder.

He certainly cannot walk out of War Memorial Opera House, Oracle Arena or Levi's Stadium without someone recognizing who he is. He can't attend the Met Ball incognito. What does he do if he's attending Puccini's Tosca during intermission? Does he hide out in his box? Does he wear a wig and a fake beard?

What do you think would happen if he attended an Auburn football game? 

If he donates money to a political candidate, his contribution is publicly disclosed. At least for Santa Clara County I believe there's a website that lists the contribution amount, name and street address of the donor. From the street address, you can plug that into the County Assessor's office's website and find out how much the owner is paying in property taxes on the parcel. With Proposition 13, it is pretty easy to guess what the purchase price was.

If he tries to dine at a 3 Michelin star restaurant, someone's probably going to post a comment on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, whatever: "Tim Cook is dining at the next table."

Me? I'm a nobody. My private life is pretty darned private because NO ONE CARES WHO I AM. Yeah, if I ended up on a super-yacht in Cannes partying with supermodels, I wouldn't be recognized. If I eat at a 3 Michelin star restaurant, nobody will tweet that I'm sitting there.

Tim is a Dow 30 CEO. People watch him, people recognize him.

People of his stature don't have magic shields of invisibility, no matter how rich they are.

rcomeau said:

hentaiboy said:

Warren Buffet buys, Tim sells. Interesting.

You can't buy groceries or pay rent with Apple shares. Once and a while, you need to liquify your assets to exchange for goods and/or services.

The more likely motivation for him selling his RSUs is portfolio diversification.

It's not like he was penniless before these transactions.

Cook has not exhibited any real interest in crass materialism like super-yachts or enormous mansions. He doesn't collect vintage cars nor attend glitzy galas. He shows very little interest in the arts, fashion, cuisine, etc. The Apple Board of Directors demands that he travel via private jet (on the company's dime), so it's not like he's going to buy a Learjet.

He doesn't buy professional sports teams like Steve Ballmer nor fund America's Cup yacht syndicates like Larry Ellison.

He's a bit of a health nut but how many t-shirts, shorts and pairs of socks does a guy need? He's into physical fitness but seems to have little interest in attending major events (sports, concerts, etc.) whether they be local (SF Bay Area) or abroad.

For a CEO of a Dow 30 company, Tim's expenses are comparatively paltry.

He does seem to have some interest in philanthropy so perhaps he has some idea about how some of these funds might be used.

mavemufc said:

Questionable probably means false then.

Yes.

Most rumors on sites like AppleInsider, MacRumors, etc. end up being false anyhow, perhaps upwards of 97% of them are inaccurate.

The percentage of actual rumors that end up being true is very, Very, VERY small.

In fact, if you read an Apple related rumor online, the sanest course of action is to automatically discredit the rumor and treat it as false. The odds are more in your favor that way and that way you'll have fewer disappointments when Apple makes their announcement.

The glass panel is likely from Sedak/Seele, the German glass manufacturer who has provided glass panels for many Apple retail stores as well as the glass panels at Apple Park.

As mentioned by Sandor, all of these panels are custom made for Apple, they aren't standard windows that one buys at Home Depot or Lowe's.