Apple Inc (AAPL)

[ljk]

Why do you use a Rio rather than the iPod at the gym? What do you see as the advantages? For my part, I love taking the iPod everywhere and it seems complicated to maintain two music players, especially given all the complexities of getting the purchased music onto other players.

As for Amazon, the quiz some of us received made it clear that a partnership is in the works. I guess these negotiations take time.

You seem a lot more anxious about your AAPL investment this time than in the past. Is something going on with you personally or is there some special concern about AAPL now that you did not have the other times? You seem a little, dare I say, "desperate" and honestly I don't see the justification. You already have a paper profit and could get out just fine as things stand today. With the quantity of shares you're holding, a partial point profit still adds up to some real money.

More importantly, why not have faith in Apple? Look at the nice things they've done lately and realize they're still working on new nice things. It's going to be okay, IMO, as long as the stock market doesn't crumble, because that could take down all boats.

And, just to conserve posts, I'll add this info into this one: I thought it was funny this morning, after the question of porn came up, to find that SOHU has a great sounding deal with Disney. There are still enormous, untapped, possibilities for SOHU, SINA and NTES, in my opinion and this deal is just one example, but I think it proves my point. To say the story is over, Cotton, is being short-sighted, because the story is still being written:

SOHU.com Brings Magic of Disney to Internet, Mobile Phones in
China
- Oct 30, 2003 12:03 AM (PR Newswire)
- http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=36300843


===========================================================================

BEIJING, China, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SOHU.com (Nasdaq: SOHU),
China's leading online media, communications, commerce and mobile value-added
services company, and the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) today announced an
agreement that will leverage SOHU.com's China market expertise and consumer
reach with WDIG's experience as a leading content provider across multiple
business lines to deliver innovative Disney online and wireless content and
services to China. Beginning today SOHU.com will provide design, production
and hosting services for Disney's Disney.com.cn web site. The company also
has licensed Disney Mobile Short Messaging Services (SMS) and Multimedia
Messaging Services (MMS) content for distribution via Disney.com.cn and the
SOHU.com portal.


The agreement follows a successful three-month trial cooperation in which
SOHU built the official Chinese website for Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo. The
companies plan to expand into additional online content areas in the future.


The Disney Mobile content distributed by SOHU.com is among the first
Disney-branded mobile content available in China. Color wallpapers, animated
cards, black and white logos and picture messages will feature Disney's
favorite classic characters, including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, as well
as characters from modern Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast and The
Lion King. Visitors to Disney Mobile on SOHU.com
(

http://disneymobile.sohu.com

) will be able to purchase the mobile content
online and have it delivered directly to their mobile phone.


WDIG entered the mobile content market in 1999 with some of the first
informational, text-based content services in the U.S. The following year,
WDIG partnered with NTT DoCoMo on iMode in Japan to introduce the widely
recognized Disney-i service including Disney branded graphics, ring tones,
games and utilities. Today, Disney Mobile is the number one premium mobile
content provider in Japan and is a leading global content provider, with
services available in 21 markets with 34 mobile carriers around the world.


Disney.com.cn, launched in August 2001, has been significantly re-designed
as part of this agreement and will be made available to the millions of
monthly visitors on the SOHU.com portal. As the official online presence for
the Walt Disney Company China, Disney.com.cn contains the latest information
and entertainment from Disney Mobile, Dragon Club TV, movies, home
entertainment, publishing, music, consumer products, Disney On Ice and theme
parks. The site also features online entertainment such as games and
activities based on Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, The Lion King and the
popular Princess collection. Apart from residing on Disney.com.cn, Disney
content and additional branded content owned by Disney including promotional
content from Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, Hollywood Pictures, ABC and ESPN
will also be integrated throughout the SOHU.com site.


"China presents a very strong market opportunity for WDIG. Chinese
consumers are very sophisticated in their adoption of technology and we're
pleased to localize our portfolio of products and services for the fast
growing Chinese Internet and wireless audience. It is great new entertainment
for Chinese users to discover," said Mark Handler, executive vice president
and managing director for WDIG's international operations. "We spent a
considerable amount of time analyzing the market and believe we have found a
great operational and creative fit with the outstanding team at SOHU."


"This agreement combines Disney's exciting products with SOHU.com's online
and wireless business lines and we are very pleased to work with Disney as
they expand their presence in the Chinese Internet market. By introducing
Disney's products to SOHU's users, we will enhance the entertainment value to
our consumers in what is potentially the largest consumer market of the 21st
century," said Charles Zhang, Chairman and CEO of SOHU.com.


Internet usage in China, where currently 68 million people are online, is
growing particularly fast in homes and in schools, according to the semi-
annual CNNIC surveys. As the Internet penetrates a younger audience in China,
the demand for trustworthy quality entertainment with educational value is
growing. Disney's online website produces on-line activities that are fun and
entertaining for kids while simultaneously promoting valuable information and
skills.


The mobile phone market in China reached 250 million subscribers at the
end of September 2003, with an estimated two-thirds using messaging service on
their handsets. The mobile phone market is expected to surpass 355 million
subscribers by the end of 2005 (source: BDA China, 2003). In 2002, value-added
service mobile messaging in China generated US$320 million in revenues, which
are expected to grow to US$3.3 billion in 2006 (source: China Online SMS
Research Report, iResearch, August 2003).


"Our cooperation with Disney will be an advantage in making SOHU a strong
innovator in the promising wireless value-added industry. Chinese fans of
Disney's animated characters overlap to a large extent with the young
demographics of SOHU's wireless users. As we move from the black-and-white SMS
age to the MMS color screen age, Disney's rich products help us differentiate
in a growing market as consumers demand more exciting, relevant and branded
content," said Victor Koo, Chief Operating Officer of SOHU.com.


About SOHU


SOHU.com (Nasdaq: SOHU) is one of China's most recognized and established
Internet brands and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese who
use the portal for e-mail, alumni club, short messaging services, news,
search, games, browsing and shopping. Apart from continuous product and
services development, SOHU.com also concentrates its efforts on making the
Internet ubiquitously available, whether in the office, at home or on the
road. SOHU.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China's Internet
pioneers, is in its seventh year of operation. More information is available
on

http://www.sohu.com/about/English/



About Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG)


Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) provides strategic leadership and
operational management for The Walt Disney Company's (NYSE:DIS) Internet
properties including category leaders Disney.com, ESPN.com and ABCNEWS.com. A
market leader in developing and distributing entertainment and informational
content to new platforms, WDIG is committed to creating and delivering
products for broadband distribution including: ABC News On Demand, a
subscription video news service that offers the Internet's first 24-hour, live
Internet-only news channel and top ABC News programs for on demand viewing;
Disney Connection; and WDIG Motion, a proprietary video technology for
broadband users. Through relationships with some of the world's largest
wireless carriers, WDIG distributes content and services to wireless users
under the Disney, ESPN and ABC brands. Additionally, WDIG has led the way in
developing interactive content for televised programming through its Enhanced
TV service. Steve Wadsworth is president of WDIG, which is headquartered in
North Hollywood and has operations in Seattle, New York, Orlando, Fla., Tokyo
and London.


Safe Harbor Statement


This announcement contains forward-looking statements. We may also make
written or oral forward-looking statements in our periodic reports to the
Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, etc., in our
annual report to shareholders, in our proxy statements, in press releases and
other written materials and in oral statements made by our officers, directors
or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts,
including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking
statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates and
projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them.


Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We
caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, SOHU's
historical and possible future losses, limited operating history, uncertain
regulatory landscape in the People's Republic of China, fluctuations in
quarterly operating results, and the company's reliance on online advertising
sales, e-subscriptions (most of which are collected from a few telecom
operators) and e-commerce for its revenues. Further information regarding
these and other risks is included in SOHU's Annual Report on Form 10K for the
year ended December 31, 2002, Quarterly Report on Form 10Q for the quarter
ended June 30, 2003 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.


SOURCE SOHU.com
-0- 10/30/2003
/CONTACT: Caroline Straathof, SOHU Investor Relations and Communications,
[phone],

[e-mail]

; Kim Kerscher of Walt Disney Internet Group,
[phone],

[e-mail]

/
/Web site:

http://disneymobile.sohu.com


http://www.sohu.com/about/English

/
(SOHU DIS)

CO: SOHU.com; Walt Disney Internet Group
ST: China
IN: CPR MLM ENT TLS CSE
SU: LIC



AL
-- HKTH001 --
0358 10/30/2003 00:03 EST

http://www.prnewswire.com