michael_c

wonkothesane said:

Nothing to see here. It has been made clear before that 

a) stock value is reflecting not so much company health but mainly growth potential. And currently, Apple makes most profit from selling iPhones which is reaching a steady state. On the past, adding regions and carriers has been a big growth driver. This is close to gone. again, nothing to worry from a company wealth perspective as it will have a steady rate of switchers and upgraders. 

b) some funds are into the short run, not the long haul. And Apple has a strong growth potential IMO in two areas: services and new hardware categories, both of which require some time to mature to a point where they can replace previous growth by iPhone hardware sales. 

The he only thing I found concerning recently is Tim Cook's somewhat inconsistent narrative in earning calls. Listen eg torte last episode of Gruber's The Talkshow for details. But again, not at all concerning company health or long term growth potential. 

People buy and sell for many different reasons, and I agree the stock action doesn't necessarily reflect company health.  
Whether iPhone sales have reached a "steady state" or not depends on how you look at the sales data.  iPhone sales growth looks poor if you use YOY comps, however if you step back and plot 2nd quarter sales iPhone sales growth is still in tact.

 I could agree with the "steady state" view you mentioned if' the quarter's sales numbers dropped below the trend line.  It may happen next quarter, but too early to say "steady state" has been reached.  None of this matters, though, as the market does what it does and the technicals are driving the price action. 

sirlance99 said:

sog35 said:

Apple needs to sign up Steph Curry. He already did an iPhone commercial.

In the next 5 years he will be the biggest sports star on the planet.

Why?

1. He will be the biggest star in USA and China sports (China loves basketball). That's where the money's at for Apple products.
2. His family values reflect Apple's 
3. Kids love him. Kids are trend setters. Kids love him because he relatable. He isn't a 6'9" 270lb giant like Lebron James or a Prima Donna like Ronaldo. He's a guy with slightly above average height and a normal frame.  But he worked hard as hell to be the best in the world.

I'd say pay him $5 million a year.

Nike probably wouldn't like that too much.

Apple and Nike have a strong partnership - don't see Curry's deal with Under Armor as a stopper. Tim Cook is on Nike's board of directors, so would most likely know if this would be an issue.

eightzero said:

The entire concept is flawed:

https://medium.com/internet-of-shit/the-internet-of-things-has-a-dirty-little-secret-28bce2d412b2#.g3xk1th1i

I have found one and exactly one use for these kinds of devices: the memo wall light switch for my porch light. It works like the switch it replaced - toggle on/off - and I set it up to come on as a timer. Done. Who wants a "lamp" that you have to find your phone to control? Or dick round finding the plug on the wall behind a table? 

I'm assuming you typed Wemo and autocorrect changed to memo.  There are definitely a lot of products forcing a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, but there are more useful functions offered than simply allowing someone to turn on a light via a phone.   It seems like this is a common progression with a lot of new ideas, but I think there are more useful applications than either the porch light example you mentioned or ones I can think of.   Some ideas will stick, but most will fall by the wayside.

Every automation device we've bought so far has provided multiple functionality, and have found adding a few lines of code has added some benefit we hadn't originally thought of.

By no means do I think we've thought of all of the useful things automation can do, but so far the things we've done has made life flow better.

Just a few things we've found useful:
We use automation to open our entrance gate when we get within range and close it when we drive in.  We get a text message if someone comes onto the property.  And, if it's dark outside, it will turn on driveway lights, path lights and turn them off when we're inside.  This also allows remote control, so when someone presses the call button at the gate, it connects to the cell phone and I can open the gate if it make sense.  So, it gives the impression we are home, yet can be half way around the world.  For a relatively small cost, I can have events automatically control my home and surroundings, with the added benefit of being to control the devices via the phone.  We have a light in a gazebo, where we can turn it on from the physical switch inside the gazebo, and leave it on until we get into the house, where using the phone to turn it off is handy.

We have a light that comes on in the living room at sunset, but also flashes whenever anyone drives up to the gate area regardless of the time of day.  Really useful when we are expecting a delivery.

Our porch light switch operates normally when you toggle it on, but if you toggle it on a second time within 3 seconds (arbitrarily what I chose), it will turn on 4 sets of outdoor lights which will light up the walkways and driveway.  And, even though I didn't add these devices so they could be controlled via the phone, there have been times when I found it very nice to turn on a light via the phone.  
 
Typically we have a few days of frost each year that can damage citrus and avocado trees, so turning on lights connected to an outdoor module via the phone while sitting in a warm house has been welcomed.

None of this is necessary to live life, but for a relatively small amount of $$ it makes life a little nicer and in some cases a bit safer.

sog35 said:
But like I said if you don't own one you won't understand. IMO its well worth the $250 I paid for it.

1. I never miss calls/text anymore. This is VERY important for my personal and business life. Before I would miss calls because I could not hear/feel my phone in my pocket or on my desk.

2. Quick reply's to text messages

3. Ability to leave phone your phone in another room and still receive calls.

4. Activity tracker

5. Mini music remote for AppleTV

6. Quick check on sports scores/weather without reaching for my phone

7. Setting up reminders during the day with Siri.  I use to set up reminders with my iPhone but many times I would miss the reminders for some reason. You won't miss it with a Watch.

8. Use it as a remote to take pictures with an iPhone

9. Use it as a remote when I take a shower to adjust volume/song

Is it worth it? For me it is. To me the Watch is like a mini personal assistant.

I agree - it's usefulness is hard to convey to someone who doesn't have the Apple watch, as it's the sum total of all the things it does.  It has been more than worth it for both my wife and myself.  
Some of the things the watch does for me are small things that make life flow a bit easier.  Other have given me the ability to do things I couldn't do prior to the watch.  

You covered most of the things I find useful.  One missing, is the turn by turn navigation feature - it has been very useful when traveling in other countries where pick pockets are prevalent.  Able to keep the phones tucked safely away, while getting the silent cues from the watch.  This gave an unexpected freedom which made us far more "available" to our environment and open to divert to interesting pathways we might never have noticed - our heads were up taking in the sights rather than checking a screen.

Another thing I find useful is how easy it is to call one of my "favorites" - Even when I want the privacy offered by the phone, I find it far easier to start the call with the watch, and once initiated, transfer to the phone.

I agree on the issue of missing phone calls.  There have been dozens of times where I would have otherwise missed a call were it not for the watch.  Not that I couldn't live without receiving the call, but "connecting" immediately with the caller has allowed solutions to happen without spilling over to the next day.

The Workout app, by itself,  has been worth the cost of the watch as it's allowed me to tune my workouts to match my goals while enjoying the workouts more - stopped doing activities I didn't enjoy once I found I got bigger gains doing things I actually enjoy.  Measure and Modify is the name of the game.

I wouldn't say I couldn't live without it, as there are very few things that fit in that category - glad I don't have to make the choice.

It's impact has been impressive
 

webweasel said:

Maybe Apple should headquarter themselves in Switzerland if the FBI are going to behave like this. How depressingly moronic.

We may know why they're building a "space ship".  Their HQ may be one of the largest mobile devices  .

The FBI's actions are a repeat of the McCarthyism era - coercion, intimidation and deceit.