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Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

money.cnn.com

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Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#261

Post by delecti »

yurymik wrote: post #197
wil421 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is people don't want to carry a bag of dongles with them everyday. Especially the Pro model consumers. It's fine for reduced ports on an Air or MacBook, you're going to make sacrifices for portability. For a flagship laptop consumers expect options.

Meh, I have exactly the same problem with Nexus 6p. I need one USB-C/USB-A cable for data transfer, another USB-C/USB-C for fast charging from the power brick that came with the phone, but back again to USB-C/USB-A to charge from the car. And don't get me started about the lack of good car charges that that support USB 3.1 PD. It seem some friction to be inevitable when new physical connector is introduced.

Most of those cables are "stationary" though (quotes because your car moves). And a stationary cable isn't that much hassle or friction.

I have a cable that never moves from my bedside, it plugs my Pixel C-to-C into the brick. I have C-to-A cables at my desk at work and at home, neither moves. Your car's C-to-A cable (presumably) doesn't leave your car.

The move to C on the host end is something that hasn't happened recently (not since A took off >10 years ago), but the move to C on the device-end is comparable to the move to the original 30-pin i-device cable, Mini/Micro-USB, or Lightning. It's obnoxious but inevitable.

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#262

Post by TetOn »

chc wrote: post #102
jonknee wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh how quickly the Steve Jobs era is forgotten. Remember the white iPhone 4 that was delayed almost a year after Steve announced it? Or when they changed from the 30 pin to Lightning? Or when they dumped the floppy and optical drive? Apple is focused on the iPhone because that's where almost all their profits come from. It's annoying for us long time Mac users, but even Steve was focused on iOS devices when he died.…

Lightning came out pretty long after Steve Jobs died. And I thought it was generally agreed — not right at the time, but not long afterward — that Apple made the right call getting rid of floppy drives on their Internet-focused consumer machines.

Nope. The reaction to floppy-less iMac was more or less a direct replay of the current headphone jack, escape key, and USB-C "outrage":

>Long-time users were outraged that they'd be forced to buy new peripherals and couldn't back up the 4 GB hard drive with a waist-high pile of diskettes. They also wondered about the wisdom of using USB ports, ports that weren't yet widely accepted by the industry.

http://www.applematters.com/article/may-6-1998-the-original-...

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#263

Post by ben1040 »

anoother wrote: post #105
jonknee wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh how quickly the Steve Jobs era is forgotten. Remember the white iPhone 4 that was delayed almost a year after Steve announced it? Or when they changed from the 30 pin to Lightning? Or when they dumped the floppy and optical drive? Apple is focused on the iPhone because that's where almost all their profits come from. It's annoying for us long time Mac users, but even Steve was focused on iOS devices when he died.…

What was wrong with the G4 cube? (speaking as someone who has always wanted to own one)

Among other things: underpowered for the price, touch sensitive power button was too easy to accidentally trip, ports were all on the bottom so you'd have to tip it over to get at the USB/Firewire.

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#264

Post by 1123581321 »

chalkandpaste wrote: post #243
mark_l_watson wrote: post #46

Apple's share price for the last year is up by about 10%, despite problems with disatisfation over MacBook Pro, no earphone jack, etc. Personally, the only thing I am really disappointed with is slow progress on web services. I was considering moving on from Apple myself, but decided that I like their hardware and my workflow is good on macOS and iOS (on a iPad Pro). I just bought a MacBook and when my Android phone…

Apple's stock price remains constant because they are artificially inflating their own stock through increased dividends (more than 10bn per year) and stock buyback (increased to 175bn for this next year). They do this so the major shareholders don't lose their value (or, I'm guess this is so). Apple is dropping faster than excrement in the bowl.

Apple's yield is a little over 2%. That's not a high dividend rate. While it's true that a lack of dividends in a mature company can cause some shareholder dissatisfaction, dividends tend to not pay for themselves in increased market capitalization.

There are companies that use large (10% or more) dividend yields to inflate their share price, which lets them dilute their stock at better valuations. Small shipping companies do this. It's a strategy that's long ceased to be possible by the time a company's valued at a billion USD, let alone over half a trillion.

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#265

Post by wavefunction »

imaginenore wrote: post #220
ryanSrich wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VR has a massive hurdle to get over. You can't expect people to drop $600 on a headset _and_ (at least) $1k on a machine that can run it. Costs will come down, but 2017 won't be the year. I expect VR to grow, but only in the gaming market.

You don't need a $1K machine for VR. Example: GTX 970 = $155: http://ebay.com/itm/371833128329 GTX 980 = $235: http://ebay.com/itm/291993305929 Gaming PC with GTX 970 = $540: http://ebay.com/itm/112250177638 Gaming PC with GTX 1070 = $690: http://ebay.com/itm/222369412011

I think ebay is the last place I'd buy pretty much anything. Especially when the price discrepancy between those listings and fully legit stores is so different. Just a personal observation.

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#266

Post by shuntress »

qyv wrote: post #221
ryanSrich wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VR has a massive hurdle to get over. You can't expect people to drop $600 on a headset _and_ (at least) $1k on a machine that can run it. Costs will come down, but 2017 won't be the year. I expect VR to grow, but only in the gaming market.

Not according to Microsoft, VR is going to be a big push for them this year. Granted a lot can go wrong, but they are addressing all the points you just listed: * Headset Pricing: Major OEMs will be releasing headsets starting at $300 [0] * Lowering system specs for VR [1] * Not just a gaming focus: Windows 10 creators update puts an emphasis on 3D and Mixed-Reality, including a 'holographic' interface [2] [0] http:/…

I have actually been able to play around with a Hololens (AR vs VR but close enough) and it is extremely cool.

It honestly feels like only minor improvements in size/speed/usability will make it massively useful in normal life very soon.

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#267

Post by slantyyz »

pyrophane wrote: post #35
rackforms wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's perception I'm talking about, the real damage being done by releasing this type of tone-deaf product at the same time good, hardworking and long-time users can no longer afford their products.

That book is really more about Jony Ive's legacy as a designer than anything else. It is mostly going to be appearing in libraries and the offices of other designers, not on people's coffee tables. I think the "perception" you are talking about is just from gossipy tech blogs and people on Internet forums who have made a hobby out of getting upset about things like this.

>> I think the "perception" you are talking about is just from gossipy tech blogs and people on Internet forums who have made a hobby out of getting upset about things like this.

Well a lot of these things have made the rounds on late night talk shows, which are watched by normal people (on TV and on viral YouTube clips).

Colbert made fun of the book [1]. Conan made fun of the airpods [2] and even has an Apple Spoofs playlist [3]. Kimmel made fun of Apple fans [4] a few months ago.

While Conan doesn't get big TV ratings, his Youtube videos do get a lot of views. I'm guessing the reason why Fallon doesn't do as many spoofs is because he is in some iPhone ads.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W63_N63Qy-w

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_wImaGRkNY

[3] https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVL8S3lUHf0RCRdtpshOa...

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfxmhZD-IZk

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#268

Post by jerf »

nashashmi wrote: post #236
dagw wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VR in 2017 will be 90+% about gaming, and Apple has never really cared about gaming. I doubt they'll start caring now all of a sudden.

VR is all about immersive experiences. Apple always cares about experiences. And my thoughts are that Apple cannot bring the same Stevie vision of simplicity and use to VR, which is why they will never care about it.

I'm not sure about that. It seems to me that VR is ripe for a high-end offering that is vertically integrated and quality assured. The VR landscape is already a bit fragmented and it probably won't get less so.

They'll have to stick better graphics cards in their computers, but that's doable.

Probably their biggest challenge would be coming up with a headset that is "Apple-y", given that the design issues involved in creating them right now still create something fundamentally klunky. (VR is starting to take off not because anyone's figured out how to make it not klunky, but because it transitioned from intolerably klunky to tolerably klunky. Along with the latency improvements.)

I'm not saying they're going to do it. But they could.

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#269

Post by crististm »

There is something that can be seen throughout history of mankind:

Some dude leads a country for many years in prosperity and abundance. Because he has results, his opposition is practically non-existent and he stays in the lead until he dies. Another king comes but he is practically unable to raise to the same level as his predecessor. His opposition is stronger (relative to him) and he ends up either overthrown or burning all the money or both...

This backlash effect is very clear after almost any powerful figure. Without peers of the same calibre, good results will soon be cancelled out as if non-existent.

Re: Apple cuts Tim Cook's pay 15% for missing sales goals

#270

Post by jamesfmilne »

sfilargi wrote: post #172
pducks32 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone I talk to in person loves their new MacBook Pro. They say it's their favorite MacBook ever.

How are they dealing with the absence of the 'Esc' key? Is it annoying to have the soft key or hardly noticeable?

I remapped my Caps Lock to Esc. My motor memory is adapting, and Caps Lock is actually closer.

I started as someone very sceptical about the touch bar. I don't like it yet, but I don't hate it now.

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