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Thousands in London queue for iPad 2
Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt
March 26, 2011 11:10 AM
The last of five sections of the queue outside Apple's Regent Street store Friday. Video: onlygeek via YouTube
"I only need to say this one sentence to get across the magnitude of this launch," wrote Julian Alexander (AKA Tommo_UK) on Investor Village's AAPL Sanity board Friday evening:
"The lines were bigger than for ANY launch, I have ever seen, for anything, anywhere. Including for any iPhone launched to-date or last year's iPad.
"Simply awe inspiring," he continued. "There must have been several thousand people lining up outside the Regent Street and the Covent Garden stores by the time I checked at 6-7 pm, when the queues were at their peak. They are selling on eBay for up to double the retail price, right now.
"AAPL under $450? What a joke."
Below: The best video I've found of the five-sectioned queue outside Apple's (AAPL) Regent Street store. It took the videographer nearly four minutes to walk from one end of the line to the other.
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/26/thousands-in-london-queue-for-ipad-2/
Apple's Run Poised to Resume
Corporate earnings growth is the single most important long term economic indicator. The stock market moves on earnings, period. In the short run there can be numerous economic variables jockeying for position atop the economic totem pole, but over time the "flavor of the month" will melt away into obscurity if it doesn’t have a profound effect upon corporate earnings growth. Today’s market action is reaffirming this rule. Tech companies Micron (MU) and Red Hat (RHT) both beat expectations, which did a good job of reminding investors that tech should not be sold because of European, Libyan or Japanese turmoil.
What we’re about to witness could be the exact opposite of what we began on February 15th. Back then nobody could come up with any rationale for the market to drop after 61 straight days of a rally. But sure enough the market found plenty of reasons to drop. Now investors find themselves, only one month later, not being able to come up with any rationale for the market to rise. Don’t allow yourself to get sucked into the market’s technical games. The Dow hit a low of 11,548 on March 16th, the next day Apple (AAPL) hit its low of $326. And now six trading days later we are well on our way into recovery mode with the Dow at 12,160 and Apple at $344. The media is still pushing the same old stories about Libya, Europe and Japan. But those will fade away as this rally gains strength. We will once again realize that a tech revolution is happening before our very eyes and that earnings growth is exploding.
I know, I know, you want to tell me that high oil prices are going to derail the recovery. But I would tell you that high oil prices cannot be sustained unless there is real trouble in Saudi Arabia. Saudi citizens made it very clear with their "no show" on the proposed Day of Rage that they have no intention of bringing violence to their Holy Land. Back in 2007 the market did fine with $100/barrel oil. In 2011 the market will get tired of Libya irrelevancy and oil will calm down. Japan’s $300 billion reconstruction effort is the bigger story because it will directly impact corporate earnings as if it were QE3. The oil fear trade will only work when the market is technically overbought.
Do you remember the barrage of negative Apple stories that were being pushed by hedge funds last week? Apparently the barrage did its job and satisfied the hedge funds that the bottom was in. In the absence of such manipulation, today we are seeing a complete change in the sentiment:
Apple TV poised for huge growth
iPad 2 Queues Around the World
6 Things Analysts are Missing About Apple
Apple To Keep A 50% Growth Rate
Apple’s Cash is King in Tight Touch Panel Market
You have to go back more than five years to find a time when Apple stock didn’t rise dramatically between the March low and the April earnings report. Apple is on track to reclaim its prior high of $365 by mid April and depending on the earnings results, it could find its way to $400 in May. We are ready to conclude our economictiming.com buying program by making our final Apple purchase today. We haven't been this heavy in Apple since the August 2010 low. It's running time.
Disclosure: I am long AAPL.
Links here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/260075-apple-s-run-poised-to-resume
Moi aussi. I've got a 3GS so I'm due for an upgrade. Hope to see it this summer.
sinclap, no, you've only provided me a half reason -- which is why you continue to hold AAPL in spite of your dire posts to the effect that Apple is effectively doomed because of Android.
I still think that if I thought that way now would be a good time to exit AAPL and maximize profits before things get even worse.
The other half of the question -- which you haven't addressed and I'm pretty confident you never will -- is why you feel the need to constantly denigrate AAPL the stock and its products on various AAPL internet boards in the face of the fact that you claim to own the stock.
Of late this seems to take the form of you posting any press release that comes out of the Android camp. Why is that?
There's something going on here that just doesn't compute.
If you were an objective -- or even a casual AAPL observer -- wouldn't you occasionally post something now and then at least semi-favorable to AAPL (which you claim to be holding)?
But, no, it doesn't work that way, does it?
Instead, it's just endless Apple bashing, post after post, until you've become a perfect parody of yourself. No further need to bother reading one of your posts because essentially it's only going to be an Android press release anyway.
As for your claim to have been relaxing in Linden Hills over Spring Break, let's combine that with your other often repeated claim that when you go out in Mother Nature you leave your electronic toys at home.
Really?
Because somehow you managed to post here three times, 23 times on Raging Bull, and 12 times on Investor's Hub. And I didn't even go back a full week, either, because, frankly, I got bored with the exercise.
And obviously this doesn't count the number of times you would have posted the same disparaging remarks to certain other AAPL boards had you not already been long booted/banned from same.
So to conclude: Why do you feel the need to bash Apple at every opportunity, unless you're a self-certified troll?
Has Apple done nothing right?
If you truly believe that Android phones/tablets are the oncoming tech tsunami, then why hold on to doomed, worthless stock?
You're not making a very good argument for yourself, you know.
Deagol's AAPL estimates are out...
http://aaplmodel.blogspot.com/2011/03/fiscal-2q-2011-final-estimates.html
Tool or Toy? The iPad2
Does the iPad deserve a place in your kitbag? Inevitably, the answer depends on what sort of a photographer you are, and how you like to work. If you're travelling, and want to be able to perform quick and basic image adjustments for upload to a photo gallery or to email to a client, then you might find the iPad, and some of the thousands of applications available for it, to be an invaluable travelling companion.
But read the whole thing:
http://forums.dpreview.com/reviews/appleipad2/
sinclap, we're not playing at cryptography here.
Just tell us in your own simple words why you continue to hold AAPL but trash it (or promote Android et al) at every opportunity on every AAPL board you haven't already been booted from.
It's not rocket science, you know.
Just tell us why you simultaneously hold and trash any and everything AAPL.
As for Lou Dobbs, heard the name, but I've never watched him, so you'll have to tell me what I've missed. While you're at it, tell us what your weekend programming centers around.
As for my weekend, I was out of the city for most of Spring Break.
You?
Apparently not.
And how's that Hope & Change stuff working for you?
You're always holding out for something, aren't you?
sinclap, so why are you still holding your shares?
(Which gives you the benefit of believing that you actually still own shares, btw.)
I mean, the gig's up and the game is over, right? Apple is doomed and even worse.
So why don't you take profit and be done with it?
Are you a masochist who just wants to watch your AAPL drop lower and lower?
For God's sakes, man, get out while the getting's good.
Don't be a fool!
Fool.
AnandTech benchmarks iPad 2. Spoiler: It’s a screamer
AnandTech tests the iPad 2 CPU (below) and GPU (above). You really couldn’t ask for a faster device as it crushes the iPad and XOOM in almost every test. A better test might be up against some netbooks.
Right again, sinclap, Motorola/Xoom is obviously calling all the shots. The iPad2 was just cobbled together at the last minute in a panic response.
Right?
Apple now taking Red Cross donations through iTunes for Japan relief fund
Mark Gurman
Apple has opened up a new portal in the iTunes Store to take donations for the Japan earthquake and tsunami relief fund. Users who wish to donate can donate in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, and $200 increments. 100% of the money donated through iTunes goes to Red Cross efforts in Japan.Click here to go the donate page.
Update: Apple has posted a message on Apple Japan. ”To those who have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami, we send sympathies from our heart. In this deep sadness, we are praying for the victims and their families.”
You cannot be serious.
Howzabout both?
Virgin’s Richard Branson lavishes praise on Steve Jobs, Apple and iPad
Christian Zibreg | Discussion (3) 0
March 11, 2011 at 7:30 am
[img]d2omthbq56rzfx.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Richard-Branson.jpg
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British media magnate and entrepreneur Richard Branson heaped praise on Steve Jobs and his consumer electronics powerhouse Apple, which he says is his favorite brand. Contemplating about a theoretical merger between Virgin and Apple, he said it would be a great fit. As if that weren’t crazy enough, in a stroke of inspiration the UK billionaire calls Apple a “brilliant global company” that he admires the most. We have a video clip to prove it all right after the break.
Here’s what the chief of the Virgin group with an estimated worth of nearly £3 billion (about 5.1 billion) said in an interview with T3 magazine:
I think Steve Jobs, I hope he gets through his current illness, would be the entrepreneur I most admire. He’s the greatest comeback artist as well, he’s been down and out and fought his way back, and created a brilliant global company. Everything he does is real class. If he wanted to rename his company Virgin Apple, we sure would be happy to merge! A great brand, a great company.
http://www.9to5mac.com/55521/virgins-richard-branson-lavishes-praise-on-steve-jobs-apple-and-ipad/
Take your pick: Seth Weintraub or Richard Branson.
iPad 2: Thin, Not Picture Perfect
March 9, 2011
by Walter S. Mossberg
Just as most of its competitors are rolling out their first multitouch tablets to compete with its game-changing iPad, Apple on Friday will start selling a second-generation model, the iPad 2.
The new iPad 2 is about a third thinner and over 10% lighter, yet speedier and more powerful than the original version, which sold a whopping 15 million units in its first nine months and, for many users, challenged their laptops as a digital tool. And it costs the same as the original.
I’ve been testing an iPad 2 for about a week and I like it a lot. While it’s evolutionary rather than revolutionary like the first model, the changes Apple has made are generally pleasing and positive, and the device worked very well for me.
Its improvements, including front and rear cameras, outweigh the few drawbacks and feature omissions I found. For most average, nontechie users, I would recommend it over the handful of tablet competitors I’ve tested so far, especially given that the entry price remains attractive.
The camera application on the iPad 2 demonstrated after an Apple event in San Francisco.
Dozens of tablet competitors are coming this year and I haven’t had a chance to test them. But the iPad 2, in my view, offers an excellent balance of size, functionality and price, and keeps Apple ahead in the tablet race, at least for now.
However, unless you are desperate for the cameras or feel you are laboring under the greater bulk of the original model, I don’t advise that iPad owners race to get the new version.
The first iPad, which can be upgraded to Apple’s latest iOS operating system, is selling for $399 while supplies last.
Airy, but Potent
Apple’s design wizards have made the new iPad feel much airier. Placed on a table between the original model and the new Motorola Xoom, it makes the others look bloated. Its top surface doesn’t even reach the side buttons on the original model. It has much more sharply tapered edges, and a new, optional, white color adds to the sense of lightness. While the 1.33-pound weight isn’t that much less than the original’s, I found the difference noticeable when carrying the device.
The iPad 2 is about a third thinner yet speedier and more powerful than the first.
Despite being slimmed down, the new iPad 2 still has the same vivid, large 9.7-inch screen, and claims the same lengthy 10-hour battery as the original. Like its current and planned competitors, it now sports a dual-core processor (a chip with two brains) and graphics that Apple says are up to nine times as fast.
But, despite gaining a faster processor, and the front and rear cameras, it still carries the same base price of $499, which competitors have so far found hard to match. Like the first model, it can range up to $829, depending on configuration.
Another crucial strength: The iPad 2 can run about 350,000 third-party apps, including 65,000 that have been optimized for the tablet’s large screen, rather than for the iPhone’s smaller display. Those numbers far exceed what is available for Google’s fast-growing Android platform—Apple’s main mobile competitor—that, according to Google, has 150,000 third-party apps, including fewer than 100 optimized so far for its brand-new tablet version.
I didn’t find the speed difference on iPad 2 to be dramatic, but it was noticeable. Apps launched and ran a bit quicker and the whole device felt very snappy.
It never crashed in my tests, unlike every Android tablet I’ve tested.
Like the original iPad, the new model can be purchased with just Wi-Fi connectivity or with added cellular-data connectivity, which doesn’t require a contract. But the iPad 2 offers a choice between AT&T and Verizon, for those who want cellular. My test unit used Verizon and got decent data speeds. Verizon’s fees start at $20 a month for 1 gigabyte of data. AT&T’s start at $15 a month for 250 megabytes of data.
The iPad 2's cameras offer decent quality video, good enough for making calls, but disappointing still photos.
Drawbacks
The iPad 2 does have some drawbacks. Its cameras take mediocre still photos and Apple won’t even reveal their megapixel ratings. The company says they were designed for video, not still photography. They did capture decent video in my tests, including high-definition video from the rear camera and video good enough from the front camera for satisfying video calling. But, for a company known for quality, which bundles a new still-photo app with the device, the cameras are disappointing.
Also, the battery life, while very good, isn’t as strong as I found it to be on the first iPad. In my tough battery test, where I played full-length movies until the battery died, with the screen brightness at about 75% and both Wi-Fi and cellular radios running, the iPad 2 just barely exceeded Apple’s claimed battery life, dying after 10 hours and nine minutes. That’s 2.5 hours better than the Xoom did on the same test, but more than an hour less than I got from the original iPad, which clocked in at 11 hours, 28 minutes.
On the other hand, in mixed and non-constant use, with the screen set to turn off when idle for a few minutes, the iPad 2's battery life was impressive. It easily went 48 hours between charges, even while downloading hundreds of emails and dozens of apps, songs, and books. During this period, I played a few light games, viewed photos, briefly streamed some video clips, read newspaper and magazine articles, consumed several chapters of books, frequently checked Twitter and Facebook, surfed the Web, and made a few video calls.
The new Apple iPad 2 shown during its launch event in San Francisco.
Another drawback I encountered was that the new, more tapered design makes it harder to plug cables and accessories—including the charging cable—into the main port on the bottom of the device, because it is now angled.
Despite being slimmer and lighter, the iPad 2 still has roughly the same length and width as the original, so it can’t compete with the Amazon Kindle, or the smaller seven-inch tablets, if you’re trying to juggle it while standing in a crowded subway.
Finally, there are two big omissions, one old and one new. The old one is that, like Apple’s prior phones and tablets, the shiny new iPad 2 still won’t play Adobe’s Flash video in its built-in Web browser. This is a deliberate decision by Apple, and puts its devices at a disadvantage for some users when compared with Android tablets, which can play Flash, or say they will soon, albeit not always well.
The other omission has to do with cellular data. The iPad 2 can’t use, or be upgraded to use, the new, faster 4G cellular-data networks being rolled out.
Apple says this is because the chips needed to do this are too immature, draining battery life. But the Xoom promises to be upgradeable to 4G later this year, though I have no idea how that upgrade might affect its battery life or monthly fees.
Software
Hardware matters, but software matters more and has been a key strength for Apple products. The iPad 2 doesn’t come with software radically different from the original model. But the latest version of its operating system speeds up the Safari browser, expands the capabilities of its wireless AirPlay system for beaming media to a TV using the $99 Apple TV, and lets you stream music and video from iTunes on a computer in your home. This all worked as advertised.
Apple also has two new $5 content-creation apps for the iPad 2: tablet versions of its Macintosh programs—iMovie and GarageBand. I used iMovie on the iPad 2 to create my own edited video, with titles, soundtrack and special effects. All of the apps I tried that worked on the original iPad worked on the iPad 2, only faster in some cases.
Accessories
Apple has a new $39 adapter that connects an iPad 2 (or iPad or iPhone 4) to an HDTV and mirrors what is on the device screen on the TV screen. It worked fine for me.
The company also has a very cool-looking, very slim cover for the iPad 2 that costs $39 in plastic and $69 in leather, and comes in a variety of colors. It attaches magnetically and turns the screen off and on when you close or open the cover. It also folds into a stand for the iPad and has a lining to keep the glass clean. Unfortunately, I found the cover’s magnetic latch came open in my briefcase, turning the screen on and wasting the battery. Also, the light gray color I had picked up smudges.
The Bottom Line
As new contenders move into the field, Apple isn’t likely to keep its 90% share of the booming tablet market. But the iPad 2 moves the goal posts, by being slimmer and lighter, boosting speed and power, and holding its price advantages, available apps and battery life. As of now, I can comfortably recommend it as the best tablet for average consumers.
Appeal of iPad 2 Is a Matter of Emotions
By DAVID POGUE
Published: March 9, 2011
“An utter disappointment and abysmal failure” (Orange County Design Blog). “Consumers seem genuinely baffled by why they might need it” (Businessweek). “Nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks” (Bloomberg). “Insanely great it is not” (MarketWatch). “My god, am I underwhelmed” (Gizmodo).
Good heavens! What a critical drubbing! Whatever it is must be a real turkey. What could it be?
Only the fastest-selling gadget in the history of electronics: the Apple iPad.
All right, let’s not pile onto the tech critics. The thing is, they were right, at least from a rational standpoint. The iPad was superfluous. It filled no obvious need. If you already had a touch-screen phone and a laptop, why on earth would you need an iPad? It did seem like just a big iPod Touch.
But as it turns out, the iPad’s appeal is more emotional than rational. Once you get it in your hands, you get caught up in the fascination of manipulating on-screen objects by touching them. Apple sold 15 million iPads in nine months, created a mammoth new product category and started an industry of copycats. Apparently, it doesn’t pay to bet against Steve Jobs’s gut instinct.
On Friday the iPad 2 goes on sale, for the same price as the old one (from $500 for the Wi-Fi-only model with 16 gigabytes of storage, to $830 with 64 gigabytes and both Wi-Fi and cellular Internet connections). And if you thought there was an intellectual/emotional disconnect before, wait till you see this thing.
On paper, Apple didn’t do much. It just made the iPad one-third thinner, 15 percent lighter and twice as fast. There are no new features except two cameras and a gyroscope. I mean, yawn, right?
And then you start playing with it.
My friends, I’m telling you: just that much improvement in thinness, weight and speed transforms the experience. We’re not talking about a laptop or a TV, where you don’t notice its thickness while in use. This is a tablet. You are almost always holding it. Thin and light are unbelievably important for comfort and the overall delight. So are rounded edges, which the first iPad didn’t have.
The iPad 2 is now 0.34 inches thick. Next to it, the brand-new Motorola Xoom — the best Android competitor so far — looks obese. Yet somehow, the new iPad still gets 10 hours of battery life on a charge.
Some of the iPad’s new features play industry catch-up. A 5-megapixel camera on the back (no flash) can also record high-definition video. If you’ve never used a tablet as a camera, you’re in for a treat; the entire screen is your viewfinder. It’s like using an 8-by-10 enlargement to compose the scene.
There’s also a low-resolution front camera that’s useful for video calls, like clear, sharp Wi-Fi calls to iPhone 4, Touch, iPad 2 and Mac owners using Apple’s FaceTime software.
You can now connect the iPad to a hi-def TV, thanks to a single H.D.M.I. adapter ($40) that carries both audio and hi-def video. What you see on the TV mirrors whatever is on the iPad, which makes it a great setup for teaching, slide shows, presentations, YouTube and movies. It works automatically and effortlessly.
The more expensive iPad 2 models can also go online using eitherAT&T’s or Verizon’s cellular networks, but figuring out the right pricing plan requires a graduate degree in forensic accounting. With AT&T, for example, you can pay $15 a month for 250 megabytes of data, or $25 for two gigabytes. Verizon’s plans are 1 gigabyte for $20, 3 for $35, 5 for $50 or 10 for $80. O.K., but how are you supposed to know how many megabytes a bunch of Web pages and YouTube videos are going to consume?
On the bright side, both AT&T and Verizon let you sign up for cell service right from the iPad, only when you need it — no two-year contract. You can turn on service only when you’ll be traveling, for example.
Now, about Apple’s new iPad screen cover. Ordinarily, devoting time to a technology review of a screen cover would indicate that the columnist was a few sandwiches shy of a picnic. But Apple’s new cover is a perfect symbol of its fondness for high-tech magic tricks.
You attach this single sheet by drawing it across the iPad’s face as though you’re making a bed. With a satisfying clicking sound, hidden magnets anchor the thing solidly to the iPad’s face.
“But Dad,” my 6-year-old son pointed out, “you’re supposed to keep magnets away from electronics!”
“I know,” I replied sagely. “But this is Apple.” And then I showed him how opening the cover turns the iPad on automatically, and closing it again puts the thing back to sleep.
This cover ($40 for polyurethane in five colors, or $70 for leather in five other colors) is not for protecting the screen, whose hardened glass doesn’t need much help. It’s for fashion, for cleaning (Apple says that the cover’s microfibers mop away dust) and for propping up the iPad. Clever hinges in the cover’s rigid panels prop up the iPad at two different angles, so you can watch movies or freely use the on-screen keyboard with both hands.
There’s a gyroscope in the iPad, too, just as in the iPhone 4. You notice it only when you play games that have been written to exploit it. For example, you can look behind you in the Nova 2 shoot-’em-up environment by moving the iPad around you, or “walk around” the tower of wood blocks in Jenga.
Now, the coming months will bring a blizzard of tablets that are meant to compete with the iPad. And they’ll offer some juicy features that the iPad still lacks. On an Android tablet, you can speak to enter text into any box that accepts typing. You also get an outstanding turn-by-turn navigation app — and GPS maps are a different experience on a 10-inch screen. It’s like being guided to your destination by an Imax movie.
Furthermore, new Android tablets will be able to play Flash videos and animations on the Web, something that both Apple and Adobe (maker of Flash) assure us will never come to the iPad (or iPhone). Flash on a tablet or phone can be balky and battery-hungry, but it’s often better than nothing. Thousands of news and entertainment Web sites still rely on Flash, and the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch simply can’t display them.
But you know what? The iPad will still dominate the market, because it dominates in all the most important criteria: thinness, weight, integration, beauty — and apps.
Oh, yes, the apps: there are 65,000 apps already available for the iPad (not including the 290,000 iPhone apps that run at lower resolution on the iPad’s screen). But Google’s programming kit for tablets just came out, so there are very few apps written for larger Android screens.
The kicker, though, may be the price. Apple is at the top of its game these days — and at the top of the industry. The rap, of course, is that you often pay extra for Apple elegance.
But the shocker here, though, is that the iPad 2 actually costs less than its comparably equipped Android rivals, like the Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. That twist must have something to do with Apple’s huge buying clout — when you order five million of some component at a time, you can usually persuade the vendor to cut you a deal.
But that surprising price detail may turn a lot of heads. It means that for the first time, your heart can succumb to the iPad mystique — without having to ignore the more practical input from your brain.
Apple TV Updated to 4.2 - 5.1 sound for Netflix
Apple has updated Apple TV to version 4.2 which, along with AirPlay support for third-party iOS 4.3 apps, also adds the following:
• MLB.TV: Access schedules, stats, scores, and standings. MLB.TV subscribers can watch live and on-demand Major League Baseball games.
• NBA: See scores and more, plus League Pass Broadband subscribers get live and archived games.
• AirPlay for apps: Use AirPlay to wirelessly stream video from apps and Safari on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
• Netflix Dolby Digital 5.1: Enjoy Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound when watching Netflix movies and TV shows.
• New slideshow themes: View photos with the new Scrapbook, Photo Mobile, and Holiday Mobile slideshow themes.
• Improved on-screen keyboard: Search and enter names and passwords more easily with the redesigned on-screen keyboard.
MLB.TV and NBA League Pass are available via Apple TV’s Internet menu. Schedules, scores, stats, standings are available to all Apple TV users. Live game streaming requires subscriptions to MLB.TV and NBA League Pass content.
Enjoy select Spring Training games and a full slate of regular season games on Apple TV.
MLB Regular Season features include:
• HD Quality (where available)
• LIVE and archived games
• Home and away broadcasts (Available to MLB.TV Premium subscribers only. Blackout and other restrictions apply and are subject to change. Visit MLB.TV for details.)
• Quick navigation to run scoring plays or a particular at bat
MLB.TV costs US$99.99 per year. MLB.TV Premium costs $119.99 per year. For the extra cost, MLB.TV Premium on Apple TV offers both Home and Away Broadcasts
So did you sell your AAPL and buy MSFT with it?
Thought not.
Engadget reviews MacBook Pro 2011 edition
by Michael Rose (RSS feed) on Mar 4th 2011 at 10:15PM
If you're hungering for more hands-on detail on Apple's newest laptops, head over to our sister site Engadget where Nilay Patel and Joanna Stern have put the 15" model through its paces in a full review. Not to keep you in suspense: "the new MacBook Pro is the fastest laptop we've ever tested, hands-down." Nice.
While the review gives high marks for performance, it does ding Apple for not revving up the connectivity specs of the laptop or the industrial design (an extra USB port would be nice, as would a standard offer of the higher-resolution display). That said, a machine that is twice as fast as the model it replaces while keeping to the same price points is definitely a good buy.
I had the opportunity to see an SSD-equipped version of the new 15" MBP in action this evening, and it booted to the login screen from a cold start in what seemed to be less than five seconds -- so fast I almost didn't see it happen. The proud owner of the new laptop fired up Xcode and went on to compile a 35MB commercial Mac application in about 67 seconds, when the previous MBP crunched through the same job in about four and a half minutes. Not too shabby.
Full review here:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/04/macbook-pro-review-early-2011/
Why nearly everybody will want an iPad 2
By David Morgenstern
Steve Jobs takes the stage in San Francisco and announces the second generation of iPad. But many analysts were ho-hum, saying that Apple’s incremental change isn’t compelling enough for anyone other than fanboys. Wrong. Nearly everybody will want one. Everybody.
Quoted by several sites was Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates. He said that “Apple didn’t really move the bar all that much.” Here he takes aim at the iPad 2 on Computerworld:
“I don’t see this as heads above the competition, especially the Xoom, right now. Apple fans who want the latest will buy this or upgrade, but I don’t see any overwhelmingly compelling capabilities that would make people sitting on the tablet fence go out and buy one.”
Over at eWEEK.com, analyst Ken Hyers at Technology Business Research, said that while iOS offers consistency, developers and customers will really want an open platform, not the Apple closed one.
“This comes at a cost as some customers and developers bristle at the amount of control that Apple wields. From a developer perspective, Android is open-source and it’s easier to develop apps for Android devices. For hardware developers, it’s straightforward to build whatever device they want using Android. Look at the Xoom,” Hyers said.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the assumptions in this “analysis:”
Not a compelling upgrade. For the same price schedule, Apple is offering customers a device that’s a third thinner, and twice as fast, while still keeping the same strong 10-hour battery lives. Oh, and then there are the cameras, and mirrored video out. But this and more isn’t compelling enough.
What is clear from the many tablets that were announced and then pulled off the market over the past year is that Apple started off at a very high level. They don’t have to reinvent the model. Instead, this solid incremental upgrade won’t likely stall enterprise deployments. It’s not such a difference that a company might wait to requalify the platform. Instead, they will proceed.
Here’s the real message: Apple is the company in the lead of the tablet market and everyone else is playing catchup. All Apple had to do on Wednesday was to put out a solid, refresh that will give confidence to the consumers and enterprise customers that are readying purchase and deployment, respectively. They did that.
Some say that the iPad 2 isn’t a “competition killer.” These analysts have it backwards — Apple isn’t the one that has to kill the wannabes. Rather, it’s up to the competition to come up with a truly compelling value, one that trumps the iPad.
Unfortunately for Apple’s tablet competitors, they started the race behind in all parts of the ecosystem: hardware, software, apps and accessories. Nobody has even caught up and not the Xoom.
Flash. Forget about it. And by the way, there’s no Flash Player on an Android tablet yet. Maybe next quarter. Or the next. Whatever.
Apple fanboys are the customer. If we’ve learned anything from the continuing sales of iPhone, iPod and iPad, everybody uses these products. It’s not the installed base of Mac users supporting iOS as it was in the first year of the original iPod’s release. It’s everybody now. Who isn’t a fan of some Apple product, other than the Gates household?
It seems to me that there’s an assumption underlying some of this criticism: All computing devices are alike. With this assumption, it doesn’t matter if you have a machine from one vendor or another, they are all alike. And for the past 25 year or so, in the DOS and then the Wintel markets, this has been mostly the case.
Only Apple was the exception. Its Macintosh hardware and software was different.
Now, there are significant differences between the value propositions for devices such as smart phones, handheld computing devices such as the iPod Touch, and tablets offered by different makers. The systems are different. The hardware platform too. The content proposition. The application marketplace. The support proposition. All different.
When there’s uncertainty in the marketplace, customers will seek consistency, just as Hyers said.
That is exactly what Apple delivered this week.
Lisa, don't spend all your money in one place!
Spread it around...
http://appshopper.com/ipad/
Best Buy rumored to give Apple's iPad to all its sales associates
By Josh Ong
Published: 08:50 PM EST
A new report claims that big-box electronics retailer Best Buy may be preparing to hand out iPads to each of the on-floor sales associates in its 1,100 US stores.
"A source with knowledge of corporate mobile device deployments" has told Forbes that one of the 10 largest retailers in the U.S. will soon distribute iPads to all its sales staff. The source noted that the retailer in question operates 1,100 U.S. stores, making Best Buy, which had 1093 U.S. stores as of September 2010, the most likely candidate.
The report also notes that Best Buy is a natural match because of its existing relationship with Apple. When the original iPad was released last year, Best Buy was one of Apple's few launch day retail partners. Best Buy has already begun advertising the recently announced iPad 2, which goes on sale on March 11.
Best Buy's rumored widespread rollout of the iPad to its employees could come as part of the company's Connected Store initiative. The retailer launched a pilot program in 27 stores last year that gave several mobile devices, such as iPads, iPod touches and Samsung Galaxy Tabs, to sales associates for the purpose of educating consumers and processing purchases. According to the report, Best Buy has acknowledged that the Connected Store pilot could be expanded in the future.
As of 2010, Best Buy had 180,000 employees, but it's not immediately clear what percentage of those serve as on-floor sales staff and would be eligible for an iPad.
One possible explanation for the rumor could be that Best Buy is preparing an iPad-based point-of-sale and inventory management system. Apple currently uses an iPod touch-based EasyPay checkout system in its retail stores. In December of last year,AppleInsider reported that other retailers have been looking into implementing POS systems on the iPad and iPod touch.
Future congrats, Lisa!
Let us know how it goes.
But don't make me and my first gen iPad too envious.
AAPL upgraded from neutral to outperform
March 4th, 2011 • by ABMN Staff
Separately, analysts at Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Apple, Inc from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note to investors on Tuesday, February 8th. They now have a $422.00 price target on the stock.Equities research analysts at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) raised their earnings per share estimates on shares of Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) in a research note to investors on Thursday. The analysts currently have a “buy” rating and a $450.00 price target on the stock.
Apple Inc. (Apple) designs, manufactures and markets a range of personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, and sells a range of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. It’s products and services include Macintosh (Mac) computers, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Xserve, a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications, the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems, third-party digital content and applications through the iTunes Store, and a range of accessory, service and support offerings. The Company sells its products globally through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force and third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. As of September 25, 2010, the Company had opened a total of 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally.
Apple, Inc last announced its quarterly results on Tuesday, January 18th. The company reported $6.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the previous quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $5.39 EPS by $1.04. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 70.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Apple, Inc will post $5.24 EPS next quarter.
Shares of Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) opened at 359.56 on Friday. Apple, Inc has a 52 week low of $199.25 and a 52 week high of $364.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $347.2 and its 200-day moving average is $310.. The company has a market cap of $331.3 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06.
Samsung exec: Our tablet is 'inadequate'
By Stan Schroeder, Mashable
March 4, 2011 5:09 p.m. EST | Filed under: Gaming & Gadgets
(Mashable) -- In a refreshingly honest statement, Samsung's mobile division VP Lee Don-Joo admitted that the iPad 2 made some parts of Samsung's 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab look "inadequate," and the iPad 2's pricing might force Samsung to lower the price of its tablet.
"Apple made it very thin (...) We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate," Lee Don-Joo told Yonhap News Agency.
We feel that a bit of information might have gotten lost in translation from Korean to English, as we definitely don't expect Samsung to pull the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab from the market and release a thinner version. It's more likely that Samsung simply sees the iPad 2's thinness as a big challenge for its future tablet models.
The other part of Lee Don-Joo's statement is clearer and far more telling. "The 10-inch (tablet) was to be priced higher than the 7-inch, but we will have to think that over," he said.
Samsung, unlike some of its competitors -- for example, the Motorola Xoom -- won't try to compete with the iPad at a higher price point just because some of the hardware of its tablet looks better on paper and that, in our opinion, is the right approach.
Apple has set the price for its tablet in the $499 -- $829 price range (with the cheapest 3G-sporting option being priced at $629), and any Android tablet will have a hard time competing with the iPad 2 at a price too near the upper end of that spectrum.
Not a bad day as they say. I still think it wants north of $360.
Goldman Sachs Raises Estiamtes on Apple (AAPL) Following iPad 2 Unveiling
March 3, 2011 7:40 AM EST
Goldman Sachs analysts reiterated a Conviction Buy List rating on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) with a 12-month price target of $450 after CEO Steve Jobsshowed off the company's second-generation tablet on Wednesday.
Goldman analysts said, "The new device offers significant upgrades from the prior version, which we believe should provide an early line of defense against the wave of tablet competitors arriving in the coming months.While these features were largely in line with expectations, the new iPads will ship earlier than the widely anticipated late-March/early-April time frame. We are maintaining our unit estimates due to our view that the iPad 2 will accelerate Apple's competitive momentum in tablets."
The firm also raised its estimates for the full year 2011-13, now seeing revenues this fiscal year of $100.4 billion and EPS of $23.29, up from $99.37 billion and $23.07.
For 2012, Goldman sees revenue of $122.68 billion and EPS of $28.61, up from a prior view of $119.79 billion and $27.98. In 2013, Goldman sees Apple with revenues of $134.85 billion and EPS of $31.32, up from $131.63 and $30.56.
Better link (now underway)
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/live-from-apples-ipad-2-event/
Live blogging of today's event
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/01/were-liveblogging-from-apples-ipad-2-event-tomorrow-be-ther/
The case for an Apple stock split redux
by David Winograd (RSS feed) on Feb 27th 2011 at 2:00PM
Just about a year ago I wrote a post explaining all the hoopla over an expected AAPL stock split which never happened. At that point AAPL shares were trading at $202.86 and many felt that it was just too expensive for most small investors to buy.
Last week, Apple closed at $348.14 after a few weeks of a roller coaster ride taking the stock down from a 52 week high of $364.90. No one really knows why the fairly quick drop happened. Rumors covered everything from the health of Steve Jobs and the question of a succession plan, to delays of the iPhone 5 and the iPad 2; but the fact of the matter is that an annual increase in price of around $145 ain't chopped liver.
The vast majority of AAPL stockholders are investment firms, with the little guy being mostly left out due to the high stock price. It's emotionally unsatisfying to buy a handful of shares, and with only five or six shares in your portfolio the profit potential is decreased. That's mostly emotions talking, but the market is strongly influenced by emotions like fear, excitement and greed. So what would happen if Apple decided to split its stock anywhere from two to one, up to a four to one split?
AAPL has split two for one three times, in 1987, 2000, and 2005 -- but it hasn't happened in the last six years. Philip Elmer-DeWitt writing for Fortune's Apple 2.0 posed an argument asking if the time is right. He made a reasoned case both for and against splitting.
Splitting the stock will allow the shareholder base to expand, with more smaller investors (less likely to short the stock or trade in options) and possibly more rational trading if the large institutions hold a smaller percentage of the stock. A split AAPL with a lower price might also make it easier to add Apple to the key Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index (DJIA). On the flip side, a larger number of shares outstanding may raise trading costs for the big AAPL holders, and maybe there's some psychological value to having a premium Berkshire Hathaway-esque price attached to Apple shares.
A major reason for other companies to deliver a stock split is that it provides the kind of publicity that just can't be bought. Apple, however, seems to have all the publicity it can handle these days. A more pertinent argument is that a study was undertaken of stocks that split anywhere from two for one, up to four for one during the years 1990-1997 using companies whose stock didn't split as a control group. The results showed that after one year, the split stocks increased over the control group by eight percent and over the following three years that number increased to twelve percent. That to me is pretty compelling -- but the counter to that argument is easy to spot, as Apple is managing better price growth organically just by creating must-have products and delivering pinpoint operational execution.
One year later, I've got the same message: I am calling for AAPL stock to split and split big. It will even out trading swings caused by the price manipulation of large investment firms, and with the shares at lower cost it will bring more people into the pool. The reasons against don't seem nearly as strong as the reasons for a split.
And once again, I don't think it will happen.
Note: The author is an AAPL shareholder.
Plenty of internal links in the original article:
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/02/27/the-case-for-an-apple-stock-split-redux/
THIS WEEK'S APPLE EVENT: What To Expect
Sam Biddle, Gizmodo | Feb. 27, 2011, 8:59 AM
We know it's happening. Apple's made it obvious that new iPads will materialize, in expectedly grand fashion, on March 2nd. So what do we know about the Second Coming—and what else might pop up at Apple's shindig.
There Will Be iPads
The iPad 2 is a sure thing—Apple's own invitation screams it. So what's going to be so 2 about it? Based on the ever-churning rumor mill, educated guessing, and common sense, we're expecting:
• Two cameras. One on the back for gigant-o photography, and one on the front for FaceTime. Obvious design moves, both, and maybe a chance to switch on a rumored PhotoBooth for iPad, (along with the obvious Camera and FaceTime apps).
• Apple's next-gen A5 (or whatever it'll be called) processor—most likely the multi-core ARM Cortex A9.
• The inclusion of a PowerVR SGX543 graphics chip, giving the iPad 2 a fourfold increase in visual performance.
• A hi-res retina display (or not). This one's tricky. Clues inside iBooks 1.1 and 1.2 revealed mysterious double-resolution (2048x1536) art—perhaps for a beefed up screen on the iPad 2. Conversely, the usually-correct John Gruber's given this rumor the thumbs-down.
Other bits in the rumor heap?
• The WSJ is claiming the iPad 2 will be both thinner and lighter, with 9to5Mac cosigning, publishing spy shots of a leaner display sporting a svelter bezel.
• A dedicated SD slot, which would make the iPad 2 a killer copilot for roving photographers.
• A dual GSM / CDMA chipset, allowing the iPad 2 to cruise both AT&T and Verizon's networks—which makes sense, now that Apple is all hand-holdy with the latter.
• A flatter back—fine with us, as long as it's easy on the hands.
• A bigger, better speaker. Please. The iPad Uno's is pretty dinky.
Moving on...
There's Something Going on With MobileMe
We're not exactly sure what—nobody is—but 9to5Mac claims the service is no longer for sale in retail form, perhaps clearing the way for an online-only rebirth as a cloud-based "locker" service. Which could be nice, and obviate the way for extra storage on Apple's handheld devices. Although the prospect of trying to access gigs of my photos via AT&T sounds a bit horrific.
Finally...
Something Is Brewing in England
All aboard the double decker bus to Speculationshire, because the BBC is throwing an event in London at the exact same date and time as the iPad 2 debut, hosted by fanboy actor Stephen Fry. Great opportunity to demo iPad FaceTime, innit?
We'll see! Regardless of how much of the above is pulled up out of the murky depths of speculation and into reality is unclear, but, either way, we're getting new iPads. And you'll read all about it right here.
MobileMe Going Free?
Apple discontinues bundled and boxed sales of MobileMe
updated 11:55 am EST, Thu February 24, 2011Likely foreshadowing free overhaul
Apple is notifying resellers that it has stopped shipping boxed copies of MobileMe, reports say. While resellers can continue to sell remaining stock, once all boxes are gone, no more will be forthcoming. The boxed copies exist mostly for retail promotion, as they only contain an activation code.
Apple has moreover dropped MobileMe as an option when ordering Macs from its online store. The combination of the two changes may reinforce notions that MobileMe is on the verge of a major overhaul. The service is expected to become free, and become a "media locker," giving iOS users a way of accessing their music, photos and/or video without syncing it.
Some rumors have hinted at real-time social networking features, or even live video streaming. In any case Apple has confirmed that its new North Carolina data center is for iTunes and MobileMe, and should finally begin operations in the spring. More may be revealed at an Apple press event next week, although the presentation is expected to revolve around a second-generation iPad.
Read more: http://www.macnn.com/articles/11/02/24/likely.foreshadowing.free.overhaul/#ixzz1EtuKtuG8
Apple Releases Developer Preview of Mac OS X Lion
CUPERTINO, California—February 24, 2011—Apple® today released a developer preview of Mac OS® X Lion, which takes some of the best ideas from iPad™ and brings them back to the Mac® for the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Lion features Mission Control, an innovative new view of everything running on your Mac; Launchpad, a new home for all your Mac apps; full screen apps that use the entire Mac display; and new Multi-Touch™ gestures. Lion also includes the Mac App Store?, the best place to discover, install and automatically update Mac apps. The Lion preview is available to Mac Developer Program members through the Mac App Store today, and the final version of Lion will ship to customers this summer.
“The iPad has inspired a new generation of innovative features in Lion,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Developers are going to love Mission Control and Launchpad, and can now start adding great new Lion features like full screen, gestures, Versions and Auto Save to their own apps.”
Mission Control is a powerful, entirely new feature that unifies Exposé®, Dashboard, Spaces®, and full screen apps to give you a bird’s eye view of every app and window running on your Mac. With a simple swipe, your desktop zooms out to display your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full screen apps as well as your Dashboard, and allows you to instantly navigate anywhere with a click.
Launchpad makes it easier than ever to find and launch any app. With a single click, Launchpad displays all your Mac apps in a stunning full screen layout where you can launch, re-order or organize apps into folders. You can also arrange apps into multiple pages and swipe between them.
Lion brings the full screen experience that iPad users love to the Mac. With one click, your application window goes full screen, taking advantage of your Mac’s brilliant display. You can swipe from one full screen window to another and even back to your Desktop or Dashboard.
New Multi-Touch gestures and fluid animations give you a natural and intuitive way to interact with your Mac. New gestures include pinching your fingers to zoom in on a web page or image, swiping left or right to turn a page or switch between full screen apps and swiping up to enter Mission Control.
Lion also includes the Mac App Store, where you can find great new apps, buy them with your iTunes® account, and download and install them in just one step. Apps purchased from the Mac App Store are installed directly into Launchpad.
Additional features in Lion include:
a new version of Mail, with an elegant, widescreen layout inspired by the iPad; Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline; more powerful search; and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010;
AirDrop, a remarkably simple way to copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup;
Versions, which automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, edit and even revert to previous versions;
Resume, which conveniently brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app;
Auto Save, which automatically saves your documents as you work;
the all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously; and
Mac OS X Lion Server, which makes setting up a server easier than ever and adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone®, iPad and iPod touch® devices.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.
MacBook Pro updated: Faster CPUs, Radeon HD, Thunderbolt, and more
by Chris Rawson (RSS feed) on Feb 24th 2011 at 8:53AM
As expected, Apple has updated the MacBook Pro and given the lineup some significant upgrades. In brief, the lineup has seen significant processor updates, with Intel's new "Sandy Bridge" processors standard throughout the lineup, including 13.3 model. AMD's Radeon HD GPU has replaced the NVIDIA GeForce GT GPUs that powered the last-gen MacBook Pros; it will be interesting to see how this affects graphics performance once benchmarks come out.
The MacBook Pro does not have the rumored 16 GB SSD "boot drive" as a standard option. All models come with a traditional HDD in 320 or 500 GB size for the 13.3-inch model, 500 or 750 GB for the 15.4-inch and 750 GB for the 17-inch model. All HDDs are 5400 RPM drives. SSD drives are available as an option.
Thunderbolt, a new connection technology based on Intel's "Light Peak," has debuted in the MacBook Pro, the first notebook to feature this next-generation technology. Thunderbolt is a multi-purpose connector designed to produce transfer speeds well in excess of those offered by either FireWire or USB; Thunderbolt will transfer data at up to 10 Gbps, more than 12 times faster than FireWire 800.
In addition to these major updates, the MacBook Pro has seen some minor enhancements, too: the entire lineup has dropped in weight, and all models feature a slightly larger trackpad than before, and they include a 'FaceTime HD' camera versus the iSight of previous models. In all, the MacBook Pro's updates have turned it into even more of a powerhouse than it was before. If you've been waiting for an update before pulling the trigger on your credit card, wait no longer. Pricing and tech specs are in the second half of this post.
13" MacBook Pro:
CPU: 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with a 3 MB shared L3 cache or 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache
Display: 13.3-inch LED-Backlit with 1280x800 resolution; Glossy only
RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2x2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
HDD: 320 or 500 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB DDR3 SDRAM shared memory
Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDXC, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
Price: Starting at $1199
15" MacBook Pro:
CPU: 2.0 or 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 6 MB L3 Cache; optional 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
Display: 15.4-inch LED-Backlit with 1440 x 900 resolution; Glossy or Anti-Glare
RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2x2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
HDD: 500 or 750 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 750GB 5400-rpm hard drive, 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive, or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256 MB GDDR5 RAM or AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000
Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDXC, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
Price: Starting at $1,799
17" MacBook Pro:
CPU: 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 6 MB L3 Cache; optional 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
Display: 17-inch LED-Backlit with 1920 x 1200 resolution; Glossy or Anti-Glare
RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2x2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
HDD: 750 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000
Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, ExpressCard/34 slot, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
Price: Starting at $2,499
Apple iPad 2 Event Scheduled For March 2? See The Invitation
First Posted: 02/23/11 11:32 AM Updated: 02/23/11 04:44 PM
Well, it's official: Apple has just sent out invitations to a press event being held March 2 in San Francisco.
"Come see what 2011 will be the year of," Apple's invitation reads. A large "2" features prominently on an iCal-like design over what appears to be the edge of an iPad.
The next generation iPad is predicted to be the star attraction at the event. "Apple will hold its much-anticipated event on March 2, where the tech giant seems poised to unveil a new version of its hugely successful iPad, according to multiple sources," All Things Digital wrote.
UPDATE: Apple COO Tim Cook said during an Apple shareholder meeting Wednesday that people should "look at the invitation" to Apple's March 2 event--"It might give you some clues," Cook explained.
See the invitation below, then tell us what you think Apple will be announcing:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/apple-ipad-2-event-_n_827097.html
CNBC's anti-Apple crusader
Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt
February 20, 2011 8:05 AM
Erin Burnett has hit on what she must think is a winning formula
Source: CNBC
I don't spend a lot of time watching CNBC, but I've seen enough of Erin Burnett's coverage of Apple (AAPL) to see the pattern.
Last fall, it was an interview with Tiger Management's Julian Robertson in which she tried -- and failed -- to get him to call Apple's rising stock price a "bubble." (See How not to interview a hedge fund legend.)
In January, three weeks before the stock hit $364.90, an all-time record intraday high, she landed on the New York Post's Page Six for this on-air remark: "It was the It Stock of '07, and it is apparently the s - - t stock of 2008." (See CNBC's hottie has a potty mouth.)
Then on Friday, as Apple's shares were performing more to her liking, down $7.74 (2.16%) for the day, she found someone who would do on air what Julian Robertson wouldn't: Agree with her characterization of Apple as "the short of the century."
Her guest on Friday's episode of Street Signs was Clem Chambers, the British novelist and former purveyor of massively multiplayer games (Dracula, Frankenstein and Jack The Ripper), whose thesis -- "One hiccup and the stock is back down to $200 a share" -- was skewered Sunday by Bullish Cross' Andy Zaky.
Zaky pointed out on Seeking Alpha what every serious investor knows: That compared with Intel (INTC), IBM (IBM), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Google (GOOG), Apple is still undervalued.
But Burnett has learned that taking pot shots at the world's most valuable technology company is a great way to draw attention to herself, and as long as that's working for her -- and her network -- she'll probably keep doing it.
Below: Friday's "Shorting Apple" segment. (Also available here.)
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/20/cnbcs-anti-apple-crusader/?source=yahoo_quote
Report: iAds surging against Android
by Mel Martin (RSS feed) on Feb 18th 2011 at 3:30PM
In a new study from Medialets, Apple has grabbed the lead in mobile ad share from Android. There have been concerns that the Apple iOS ad system was faltering, but it seems to be getting a strong footing, at least for now.
Most of the Apple gains are on the iPhone and the iPod touch, but the iPad share is starting to move as well. On the Android side, 35 percent of ad traffic comes from 3 phones, the Motorola Droid, the HTC Evo 4G and the Motorola Droid X.
The Medialets report speculates that big holiday sales of iOS devices pushed the Apple share to this higher mark. Apple iOS devices had been trailing Android mobile ad share from September through December. How is this data gathered? It comes from the premium apps that have integrated Medialets rich media ad platform for mobile into their iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Medialets, launched in 2008, enables advertising for premium apps including CNN, Fandango, The New York Times, Pandora and The Weather Channel.
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/02/18/report-iads-surging-against-android/
AAPL 12-Month Price Targets
On February 1st I posted a five-quarter review of Apple's price-earnings multiples with and without the company's burgeoning cash balances factored into the share price valuations. Over a one-year period ended on February 1st, Apple's share price rose 77% against a 75% rise in reported earnings per share.
Looking forward 12 months to February 1, 2012, I anticipate about a 70% rise in Apple's share price to $590. This is based on an expectation of a continuing rise in quarterly earnings per share at a pace close to the 75% realized in the December quarter for the balance of FY2011 with strong eps growth continuing through FY2012.
The dates chosen for the quarterly price targets represent the first trading day of the month following the release of Apple's quarterly earnings reports, providing time for the markets to adjust the company's valuation based on the the most recent quarterly numbers.
The graph below illustrates the growth in Apple's share price over the past four quarters and my quarterly target prices for the next 12 months. The table data provides a delineation of the share price changes over the past four quarters and the share price changes projected in my estimates.
[See original article for share price table]
http://www.postsateventide.com/2011/02/aapl-12-month-price-targets.html#more
Irrational Markets, Irrational Prices
Few hold illusions the equity markets rationally price a company's shares at a specified date in time or will rationally price shares at a particular future date in time. There's no practical way to forecast the impact of world events or other influences on share price valuations. The price targets are estimates developed through models that forecast where AAPL is expected to trade based on past performance and anticipated future quarterly results.
I do not expect AAPL to trade higher in a straight linear line. To accentuate this point I've added a linear line to the chart used above to demonstrate the share price performance over the past four quarters. For the purposes of developing a price target model, the projections are based on a uniform movement in the share price in response to anticipated earnings growth. AAPL's actual performance will most likely differ from the projections in terms of the share price valuation on any of the selected dates but over a one-year period the share price will essentially rise on a determined path in response to earnings growth.
Conclusion
Over the past four fiscal quarters AAPL has moved higher on average in direct response to the rise in earnings per share. Please see my recent blog post titled Apple's P/E Multiple With And Without Cash In The Valuation for more information. Based on anticipated earnings per share growth near the 75% rise realized in the December quarter, I expect AAPL to reach $590 per share on or before February 1, 2012, representing a roughly 71% increase in value in one year's time and in synch with the anticipated rise in earnings per share.
While the market may award a higher or lower valuation to the shares at different times over the next twelve months, I do not expect a material and sustained expansion in the current price-earnings multiple over the next year. I expect the shares to trade higher in response to growth in earnings per share.
Robert Paul Leitao
Frommer: Sorry, But HP's TouchPad Is No Threat To Apple's iPad
Dan Frommer, On Wednesday February 9, 2011, 3:05 pm
HP unveiled its iPad clone, the TouchPad today.
While the TouchPad is not a complete disaster -- it looks pretty nice, and seems to have good software -- it is NOT a significant threat to Apple's iPad.
We still expect Apple to dominate the tablet market for years to come.
Why isn't HP a threat?
It's not better than the iPad -- especially the improved iPad 2 that is already in production. The hardware and software need to be MUCH BETTER than the iPad to stand out -- a "leapfrog" product -- and they're not. Sure, there is nifty wireless "Touchstone" charging. But that's not a big deal.
No developer advantage. Sure, "Angry Birds" is coming to the TouchPad. And the Kindle app. But this is HP playing catch-up to Apple -- not leading. The TouchPad developer ecosystem is WAY behind iOS.
No distribution advantage. Apple has the Apple Store. Android has a massive partner network. HP doesn't have much.
No price advantage. At least nothing that HP wanted to announce today.
Sure, some people will buy the HP TouchPad, because some people buy everything. But we do NOT see a serious threat to the iPad here.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Sorry-But-HPs-TouchPad-Is-No-siliconalley-3529300584.html?x=0&.v=5