The brilliance of Steve Jobs at Apple (AAPL) has been embodied in a carefully cultivated image for Apple products. Jobs created elegant products that appear to be meant for the elite but were sold to the masses. When the masses bought Apple products, they felt good because they were buying what the rich were
In response to my column yesterday,Consumer Reports Is No Fan Of iPhone 5, I received a large number of comments. Two contentions in these communications are worth addressing. A large number of readers contend that Consumer Reports is biased against Apple. Some also contend that Steve Jobs rubbed Consumer Reports the wrong way. I know nothing about
Over the last several months, I have been arguing the case that the long-term risks in Apple stock are rising. I have advanced two main arguments. First, competitors have caught up with Apple for all practical purposes. Second, Apple is failing to innovate at the rate it was innovating in the past.
The piece I recently wrote, Tizen Rising, Ready To Challenge Apple And Google In 2013, outlined the threat posed by a new giant ready to attack Apple’s and Google Android’s dominance of the smart phone market. Now the news is that Tizen is gaining steam faster than expected. According to CNET, Samsung has confirmed
Not too far into the future, it may become commonplace for people to run common functions in their homes using their smart phones. The functions may include lights, security systems, thermostats, appliances and entertainment devices. Would you want Apple, Microsoft, or Google to run your home? All three companies see this as a big
In 2013, a new giant may rise to challenge Apple‘s iOs and Google‘s Android. Tizen is the new giant. This company that you may have never heard of has a long history behind it. Samsung’s collaboration with the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL) for years was known as LiMo or Linux platform for
Apple bulls have been pinning their hopes on China, but Apple has been losing its ‘cool’ factor in China. Only time will tell if Apple mania in China will go the way of other fads. The Wall Street Journal reports that introduction of the iPhone 5 in Beijing was “arguably the least eventful launch of
Nokia exploited Apple‘s Achilles’ heel of subsidies to beat Apple inChina. China Mobile Limited (CHL) is the largest cellular provider in the world by number of subscribers. At the end of October it had 703 million subscribers including 79.3 million 3G users. China Mobile has been in desperate need for a flagship high
On Wednesday, Apple (AAPL) stock fell $37.05 or 6.43%. In after-hours the stock continued to fall and it was down as low as $518 this morning. Yesterday Apple suffered its largest one-day loss in four years. There are a variety of explanations for the tumble offered by talking heads, ranging from a
The conventional wisdom has been that Apple’s vaunted ecosystem will protect it against the competition. The conventional wisdom is a myth. The ecosystem that surrounds iPhones, iPads, and Macs consists of iTunes, high quality facilities for external developers, thousands of well-developed apps, Siri and iCloud. Once a user gets locked into