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AAPL - I believe Radio Shack will replace any iPhone screen for approx $80. Takes a couple of hours or so
AAPL - Apple Pay competitor CurrentC says customer email addresses were hacked.
TWTR - IBM,Twitter forge partnership on data analytics: DJ
This story is developing
TWTR - After Hours: 43.66 Down 4.90 (10.09%) 5:21PM EDT - Nasdaq Real Time Price
TWTR - Will be fine in the long run
“Twitter has been public for almost exactly a year…and in the three quarters that Twitter has reported as a public company they’ve really blown away the forecast to the upside.”
Wall Street will be looking for more detail on how Twitter is planning on improving user experience and ad platforms.
TWTR - After Hours : 44.19 Down 4.37 (9.00%) 4:38PM EDT - Nasdaq Real Time Price
AVOP - right here as we always are. :) Buying,adding and watching.
AVOP - Medical pot dilemma: Where to get the first seeds?
http://news.yahoo.com/medical-pot-dilemma-where-first-seeds-051810663.html
By CARLA K. JOHNSON of the AP
AAPL - GT Advance settles with Apple and will exit sapphire production.
AAPL - 103.79 is 52 week and all time high at 11:34am EST.
Nice Job Everybody!
AAPL - iPhone 6 Video
Great phone!
AAPL - How to Set Up Apple Pay
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/how-to-set-up-apple-pay-100528554194.html
by Alyssa Bereznak
AAPL - After Hours: 101.30 Up 1.54 (1.54%) 5:14PM EDT - Nasdaq Real Time Price
APPLE BEATS EXPECTATIONS ON STRONG IPHONE SALES
Here are the numbers:
Revenue: $42.12 billion, up 12% year-over-year, versus expectations of $39.85 billion.
EPS: $1.42, up 20% year-over-year, versus expectations of $1.31
iPhone units: 39.3 million, up 16%, versus expectations of 38 million.
iPhone ASP: $602.92. (Last quarter it was $561.06.)
iPad units: 12.3 million, down 13%, versus expectations of 13 million.
Mac units: 5.52 million, up 21%, versus expectations of 4.6 million.
iPod units: 2.64 million, down 24%, versus expectations of 2.08 million
Gross Margin: 38% versus expectations of 38%.
December quarter revenue: $63.5-$66.5 billion, which would be up 12% at the midpoint, versus expectations of $63.52 billion.
Cash: $155 billion
The story of this earnings report is that the iPhone is strong, and the Mac is better than ever.
AVOP - still buying and loading. Have not sold.
11:39am EST - BREAKING NEWS: OTC Markets says Firna has halted trading in OTC equity securities
Apple iPad mini improvements
Compare iPad models Here at Apple iPad compare Page apple.com/ipad/compare
Apple iPad Mini, iPad Air, iMac All Updated at Apple Event
Recap of everything that was announced by Jason O. Gilbert here:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/ipad-mini-ipad-air-imac-get-updated-at-apple-event-100173146269.html
AAPL - David Pogue's review
Ingenious: OS X Yosemite Makes the Mac an iPhone Accessory
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/one-things-for-sure-steve-jobs-isnt-running-100161392359.html
AAPL - No Problem. You are welcome
APPL - Here’s How Visa Plans to Keep Your Credit Cards Safe in Apple Pay
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/heres-how-visa-plans-to-keep-your-credit-cards-safe-in-99672113099.html
Apple Pay comes with the iOS 8.1 update, available Monday
Apple iPad Air 2. They made it 18 percent thinner than it's predecessor, and gave the cameras a big makeover: a new 8mp iSight camera that can shoot HD video, and a new front-facing camera that allows you to FaceTime in HD. It'll let you film slo-mo and time-lapse videos. It also carries a better graphics chip and WiFi technology.
It also now comes in gold
Tim Cook is showing the new iPad in the demo room today
Apple Pay will launch Monday for compatible devices - so far only iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and iPad Air 2, mini 3.
Both the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 are available to preorder tomorrow, October 17th. They'll start shipping by the end of next week.
AAPL - Apple likely to unveil new iPads, Mac system, details on Apple Pay at Thursday event
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) -- Apple Inc. is expected to unveil new iPads at an event Thursday, as the company tries to drive excitement amid slowing demand for tablet computers. Apple may also announce a new Mac operating system and possibly new Mac computers. Watchers also await a possible launch date for Apple Pay, the company's new system for using iPhones to make credit and debit card payments at retail stores.
As usual, Apple isn't disclosing what it plans to reveal at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, this afternoon. Invites to its event carried the cryptic message, "It's been way too long."
___
NEW IPADS:
It's been a year since Apple came out with a lighter, thinner full-size model called the iPad Air. Apple is expected to refresh that with a faster processor and possibly a fingerprint ID sensor akin to what's found on recent iPhones. The sensor would let people use a fingerprint instead of a passcode to unlock the device and authorize Apple Pay purchases.
Apple also might offer an iPad with a gold-colored casing, another option already available on iPhones. An updated iPad Mini might be part of the new lineup.
Thursday's event comes as sales of Apple's iPads have dropped. Through the first half of this year, Apple had shipped 29.6 million iPads, a 13 percent drop from the same time last year. Apple plans to issue results for the latest quarter on Monday.
Apple has been facing competition from cheaper tablets running Google's Android operating system. Ahead of Apple's event, Google announced Wednesday that an 8.9-inch Nexus 9 tablet is coming next month at a starting price of $399, $100 less than the 9.7-inch iPad Air. It will run a new version of Android, dubbed Lollipop.
Besides competition, there's been an overall slowdown in tablet demand. This week, research firm Gartner projected worldwide shipments of 229 million tablets this year. Although that's up 11 percent compared with 2013, its far less than the 55 percent growth seen last year and the more than doubling in sales in 2012.
More than half of U.S. households own at least one tablet, and the rest include people who may not want one or can't afford it, Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa said. While wireless carriers often subsidize smartphones, customers typically pay full price for tablets — starting at $499 for the iPad Air.
She said people are more likely to view a smartphone as essential, while they may use a smartphone or a traditional computer for many of the functions that a tablet can perform. In addition, some tablet owners are now buying hybrid devices that combine a tablet with a lightweight, detachable keyboard. Many of those run on Microsoft's Windows system. Gartner counts those as personal computers, not tablets.
___
MAC UPDATES
Apple has said a new Mac operating system is coming this fall, so there's been speculation that the company will use Thursday's event to announce more specifics, including timing.
The Mac update will be called Yosemite and will include aesthetic changes as well as new functionality, such as the ability to make phone calls with an iPhone nearby and a one-stop search tool for both locally stored documents and online resources.
Apple has been releasing Mac updates more frequently, in part to time them with annual changes to the iOS system for iPhones and iPads. Many of the new Mac features will complement what's found in iOS 8, including the ability to start tasks such as email on one device and finish on another.
Starting last year, Apple has made its Mac updates available as a free download.
Apple may also use the event to announce new Mac computers. The company released new laptops last October, and there's speculation new iMac desktops are in store.
___
APPLE PAY
Apple has already announced its new payments system, Apple Pay, but the iPhone feature wasn't made available right away. Apple is due to release an iOS 8.1 update that should enable Apple Pay and the ability to send and receive iPhone texts from Macs.
With Apple Pay, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners will be able to make payments at brick-and-mortar stores by holding their phone near a card reader. The new iPhones have a wireless chip to transmit the information needed to complete the transaction. Owners of older models won't be able to use Apple Pay, even with the software update.
Apple already has announced some of the credit card issuers and retailers expected to enable Apple Pay. More details may come Thursday.
Consumers aren't likely to abandon plastic credit cards until a majority of retailers, especially smaller merchants, accept contactless payments such as Apple Pay. But Apple Pay may spur transactions over mobile Web browsers and apps this holiday season, since it lets consumers avoid typing in credit card information each time.
By Anick Jesdanun, AP Technology Writer
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ipads-mac-system-expected-apple-040352785.html
TWTR NEWS - Twitter sues US Gov seeking ability to release ful surveillance transparency report
AVOP - What we are waiting for
is the DTC Approval
From April 28th 2014 PR:
"Recently Marijuana Incubator Group updated OTC Markets in an effort to be compliant with the exchange and now turns to concentrate on filing the initial application for DTC approval. Furthermore, the Company is embarking on face-to-face negotiations with financial partners who are expected to be key contributors in Marijuana Incubator Group's advantageous business model. Moreover, after careful review the Marijuana Incubation Group management team has agreed to not reverse split the stock at any time in the near future, as the current capital structure is sufficient to accomplish the Company's goals."
Another important fact from above- No Reverse Split
DTCC Overview
DTCC, through its subsidiaries, provides clearing, settlement and information services for equities, corporate and municipal bonds, government and mortgage-backed securities, money market instruments and over-the-counter derivatives. In addition, DTCC is a leading processor of mutual funds and insurance transactions, linking funds and carriers with their distribution networks.
DTCC's depository provides custody and asset servicing for 3.6 million securities issues from the United States and 121 other countries and territories, valued at almost $34 trillion. In 2009, DTCC settled more than $1.48 quadrillion in securities transactions.
DTCC operates through 10 subsidiaries - each of which serves a specific segment and risk profile within the securities industry:
· National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC)
· The Depository Trust Company (DTC)
· Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC)
· DTCC Deriv/SERV LLC
o The Warehouse Trust Company LLC
o DTCC Derivatives Repository Ltd.
· DTCC Solutions LLC
o DTCC Loan/SERV LLC
· EuroCCP Ltd.
· Avox Ltd.
What is DTCC Eligibility Anyway?
Once a corporation has been vetted and approved for trading either by FINRA or by the SEC, the corporation must also submit an application to DTC for its initial eligibility to trade. If eligibility is granted, DTC will agree to hold an inventory of the corporation’s free-trading street name shares on deposit. These are the shares that will become the “float”, those shares that are free-trading AND held at DTC. There is currently no other depository that carries an inventory for clearing and settlement of publicly traded shares.
The market maker (the dealer at a brokerage firm who agrees to carry the first amount of shares in inventory on behalf of their firm) must make the initial submission for eligibility. The market maker must either be a participant of DTCC (assigned a DTC Participant Number) or use a clearing firm that is a full participant of DTC. The participant number allows the market maker/clearing firm to enter transactions for their firm into DTC’s software. For approval by DTCC, the company will have to sign the Operational Agreement with DTC. However, DTCC retains the right to deny a company the ability to use their depository without providing a reason for this denial or an appeal procedure to redress grievances or wrongs. The company can still present an appeal but the appeal will not follow a specific procedure or necessitate a response from DTCC. For this reason, before a company applies for initial eligibility, they must have a clean presentation that includes, not only the effective registration, but also can include full disclosure of the provenance of all shares that will be initially deposited as free-trading shares. Provenance means the history of the ownership of the shares presented –the age of the shares, who received them from whom, how much in money or services was exchanged for the shares, etc.
Companies that are listed on the NYSE, the AMEX (ARCA) or NASDAQ markets are already considered properly vetted by DTCC and the SEC’s willingness to make the registration effective is considered a satisfactory and clean presentation. However, those companies who trade on a non-listed market can be more problematic. (FYI, if a company is non-reporting they may not be granted initial DTC eligibility or DTC may pull already-granted eligibility at any time. These companies will rarely be allowed FAST eligibility.)
A clean presentation for a reporting OTCBB or PinkSheet company to become FAST for the first time can be very slow. Issues that will quicken the process are, a) not only being reporting but not missing or being late with any reports; b) having very few name changes or reverse splits in the last 5 years; c) having no people associated with the company that have ever been under investigation; d) having no record of being involved in a spam campaign, pump and dump scheme, or other fraudulent activities through the years that would raise AML / Anti Money Laundering or OFAC / Office of Foreign Assets Control issues; and, e) having no record of unregistered resales at brokerages - especially among the affiliates of the company.
AVOP - Market Analysis LLC, I have added your post to the iBox. A few days ago I made your other post a sticky. Good work my friend.
Also, the CEO, stated that there would NOT be a R/S in a PR earlier this year.
Still holding and adding.
Stay Strong.
PSWS
AVOP - You are Welcome. Stay strong we are almost there.
AVOP - iBox updated with recent news. I even included the Press Releases that iHub doesn't show. iHub doesn't post news that is posted using MarketWired news source. For legal reasons they have temporarily disabled the MarketWired news feeds. iHub's legal team is currently renegotiating the contract with MarketWired. They hope to restore this as soon as possible, but do not currently have an estimated resolution time. That being said, I have included the MarketWired Press Releases on the list.
btw, still holding. Waiting for DTC which I expect should be soon
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=104236916
PSWS
AVOP - still holding and will continue to add. Thanks!
AVOP - yes iBox updated with new website. If you don't see the update, clear your Cashe or hit refresh (on your browser).
Thanks!
AVOP - working on iBox
AVOP - just sent email to admins to update the news (i.e. Flaming News Paper)
AVOP - Next Gold Rush: Legal Marijuana Feeds Entrepreneurs’ Dreams
DENVER — Like the glint of gold or rumors of oil in ages past, the advent of legal, recreational marijuana is beginning to reshape economies in Colorado and Washington State.
Marijuana is beckoning thousands of entrepreneurs and workers, investors and hucksters from across the country, each looking to cash in on a rapidly changing industry that offers hefty portions of both promise and peril.
At convention centers and in hotel meeting rooms, start-up companies are floating sales pitches for marijuana delivery services or apps to name-tagged investors who sip red wine and munch on hempseed snacks. This year, hundreds of people seeking jobs lined up for blocks in downtown Denver, résumés in hand, for an industry-sponsored marijuana job fair. Some have traveled far, leaving security jobs in Ohio or software jobs in Indiana to move for marijuana, hoping the industry has room for them.
“It’s the wild, wild West,” said Tom Bollich, who moved from the world of mobile apps in Silicon Valley to become the chief executive of a company based in Boulder, Colo., that builds climate systems for marijuana growers.
With marijuana now legal for medical use in 23 states and Washington, D.C., and full legalization heading to the ballot in Alaska and Oregon, the size of the noncriminal marijuana industry is expected to grow to about $2.6 billion this year from about $1.5 billion last year, according to estimates by the ArcView Group, a marijuana research and investment firm in San Francisco.
Investors in marijuana say there have been as many as 80 marijuana-related companies trading publicly, though federal securities regulators have suspended trading in five of them over the last few months and have warned that some of these new firms might be fraudulent efforts to dupe investors hunting for the next big thing.
In Colorado’s first six months of retail sales, the number of people licensed to work with the plant has grown to 11,289 this month — slightly less than the number of auto mechanics in the state — from about 6,000. (The state points out that not all those people may be actively working in the marijuana industry.) Since the first dozen stores opened in January, Colorado has issued licenses for more than 200 recreational marijuana shops.
Continue reading the main story
Tourists have flocked to those stores, making up 44 percent of the customers at one Denver shop during a sample week this spring, according to the state’s first study of demand for marijuana. Tour companies and marijuana-friendly bed-and-breakfasts have sprung up to serve tourists, too.
In Washington State, where recreational sales kicked off last week, the retail industry is much smaller, with as few as eight stores open so far. But the ambitions are boundless, with more than 300 licenses under state review and an outdoor growing season — perfect for apples, wheat and grapes — that could make Washington a national powerhouse of production if legalization spreads.
Hundreds of other people have found work on the edges of the industry. They sell water systems, soil nutrients, lighting and accounting services, like the 19th-century merchants who profited by selling picks and shovels to gold miners. There are now dozens of marijuana-related mobile apps, marijuana-centric law firms and real estate agents, cannabis security experts (it is a risky, virtually all-cash trade) and marijuana-themed event promoters offering everything from luxury getaways to bus tours. Washington has a rule requiring bar-code tracking of every marijuana plant to ensure that only licensed, Washington-grown marijuana is sold in its stores. It has also created a niche for tech start-ups like Viridian Sciences, a software company aiming to help retailers prove the provenance of their product should a state inspector or customer ask.
But many have also discovered that selling marijuana, even without the specter of being arrested, carries high costs and no guarantee of success.
A heavily regulated recreational marijuana program in Washington drew more than 7,000 applications, but many of those would-be growers, processors and retailers have struggled from the start. They had to find financial capital that state inspectors would approve and lock in a legal business location. Then, they had to endure months of delays as overwhelmed state workers processed and analyzed an oversubscribed applicant list.
“I’m about fed up,” said Michael McDonald, a 57-year-old home-repair contractor, who has applied for two licenses to grow and process marijuana in Bellingham, in northwestern Washington.
Mr. McDonald said the deck was stacked in favor of richer corporate players. With banks still so leery of lending in the industry, he said, financing choices for smaller entrepreneurs like him are few.
“What’s happening is that the only people who are really going to get licenses are the ones who have somehow hidden their illegal money, or legitimized it, or it’s big business backing it, and that’s not how it was supposed to be,” Mr. McDonald said.
Aaron Varney, 38, who directs a nonprofit medical marijuana cooperative in Seattle, got a 24th-place slot in the state lottery for the 21 retail marijuana locations up for grabs in his city; three people ahead of him would have to wash out of the process for his number to come up. He wants the industry to succeed, he said, but cannot fully silence what he called the selfish voice inside that hopes to get in.
“Real close, but not quite there,” Mr. Varney said of his waiting game.
Despite marijuana’s outlaw reputation and legal status, the industry is growing largely because the Obama administration decided last year not to oppose votes in 2012 in Colorado and Washington that legalized marijuana for personal use and laid the groundwork for statewide sales. But regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission warned that the loosened laws created new horizons for fraud, as small companies with dubious assets and financial disclosures leapt into the over-the-counter trading market.
The agency’s actions this spring to suspend trading in marijuana-based companies from Colorado, California and Texas were still rippling through Weedstock, an investor conference at the Westin Denver Downtown Hotel. While some growers and sideline businesses are earning enough to even sponsor chamber-music galas, investors said that others were leaping into the market with little more than hype and shaky business plans.
“Ninety percent are either scams or aren’t going to make it,” said Alan Brochstein, a financial analyst who is carving out a niche in the cannabis market.
But many are ready to gamble on marijuana’s success. After a decade in the military and a career working in security, Sy Alli, 53, moved to Colorado to become the director of corporate security for Dixie Brands, a company that makes marijuana-infused drinks and snacks. Zach Marburger, 28, visited in January to ski and check out the early days of legal use of recreational marijuana, and decided to relocate to Denver to develop software to connect customers and retailers.
And a few months ago, a 22-year-old mobile app developer named Isaac Dietrich and a friend were smoking marijuana in a Norfolk, Va., apartment when they realized: There could be money in this. They moved to Colorado, where they are working on an app called MassRoots, which lets marijuana enthusiasts privately post photos on an online platform out of sight of their parents or co-workers. They want it to be the Instagram for marijuana users.
“We thought about relocating to Silicon Valley, but they haven’t backed a single marijuana company,” Mr. Dietrich said. “This is where everything’s happening. We didn’t want to be left out.”
Jack Healy reported from Denver, and Kirk Johnson from Seattle.
A version of this article appears in print on July 19, 2014, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Next Gold Rush: Legal Marijuana Feeds Entrepreneurs’ Dreams. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/us/new-gold-rush-legal-marijuana-feeds-entrepreneurs-dreams.html?_r=1