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Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

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Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#341
post #30
post #21

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> Meaning that $74.6 billion[2] is enough to buy Apple 12 nuclear carriers You can't buy a single operational carrier for that price.

Of course you can't actually get an operational navy, you'll just have 12 empty carrier shaped hunks of steel. Hence why I noted that it's a silly comparison.

You went from a nuclear carrier to carrier shaped hulks of steel really fast.

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd rather have a ThinkPad, too, and I'm using one to write this. But I think you have to recognize that the PC market is massively fragmented and if you walk into a retail outlet you're going to see a lot of laptops, and none of them are going to be ThinkPads. Lenovo undermines their own products through the same fragmentation. If I just search on Google for "laptop" there are 8 top-ranked shopping items, one of whi…

Recent Thinkpads are a horror show. The t440p has a touchpad so atrocious it renders the trackpoint unusable (because the L/R buttons are part of the touchpad). Palm rejection is nonexistent. And yes, the screen is awful, with a tiny vertical viewing sweet spot.

The coming lineup has restored the trackpoint buttons. I have a t440s and the clickpad is horrible! I'm selling it as soon as the T450s is available.

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#343
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> expected a hit game on iOS would magically translate in to a hit game on Android and that's really not the case. Why not? Shouldn't a good game sell well on any platform? > The two stores are completely separate, your popularity on either will not help you on the latter unless you're bringing a big marketing budget with you or have something truly unique and viral. Perhaps it won't sell as well on Android in relati…

> that AR game that Google made You mean ingress? They ported that to iOS a couple months ago

Yes that's the one. I remember hearing it discussed when it first came out and then heard about it again this summer because of the port.

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#344
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question, what makes Apple laptops beat the rest of the industry? No docking station, can't change batteries, no touch screens, no spill resistant keyboards, no matte screen option,etc. You also need those dongles for ethernet and video and can't upgrade RAM or hard drives on the retina models. Sure, the OS (if you need/like OSX, there is little choice), and the trackpad (if you like that those) are good, the…

The vast majority of customers don't care about any of those. They're willing to pay a little more for something that is reliable, not too heavy, looks nice, well designed, and sturdy. These are things that bring people utility but won't show up on a specs sheet.

I understand your point, i really do. And I can understand why people would choose Macbooks, I understand the appeal, I just want to point out that they are not the only laptops in the market with those characteristics.

Maybe most consumers don't care about other features (minimalism can be good and a feature by itself) and a Mac is ideal for them, that is fine, I just disagree that only MBP have those qualities

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#345
post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are shareholders considered a cost? Apple does not have to pay out dividends.

And yet, it does. I wonder why? At the least, the shareholders hold the cash hostage. They are among the first to be paid out in event of a liquidation. Perhaps a better question is, how are shareholders not a cost?

Shareholders are the last to be paid in the event of a liquidation (equity is by definition assets minus liabilities) and dividends are not a cost (unlike interest payments).

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#346
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question, what makes Apple laptops beat the rest of the industry? No docking station, can't change batteries, no touch screens, no spill resistant keyboards, no matte screen option,etc. You also need those dongles for ethernet and video and can't upgrade RAM or hard drives on the retina models. Sure, the OS (if you need/like OSX, there is little choice), and the trackpad (if you like that those) are good, the…

If you've ever used one you'd immediately notice the build quality, responsiveness, usability and a zillion other factors which are hard to quantify. Comparing spec sheets doesn't do justice to the actual experience of using one. If you're serious, borrow one from a friend for a few days.

I have owned dozens of Macs (personal and work), from the clamshell iBook, TiBook, White iBooks, to the latest MacBooks and a few iMacs too. I'm very familiar with the platform ;-)

Most of the time they are above the average PC/Laptop, I do give you that, but recent models have reduced functionality (non replaceable batteries, memory, HDD, dongles for ethernet, etc) all in the name of Form over Function.

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#347
post #145
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question, what makes Apple laptops beat the rest of the industry? No docking station, can't change batteries, no touch screens, no spill resistant keyboards, no matte screen option,etc. You also need those dongles for ethernet and video and can't upgrade RAM or hard drives on the retina models. Sure, the OS (if you need/like OSX, there is little choice), and the trackpad (if you like that those) are good, the…

No docking station - Don't really need one. Thunderbolt can handle most everything, and then you just have power. In my experience most people I see use a laptop only use power and maybe a wireless mouse receiver and a monitor. I don't see many people plugging 12 things in. Batteries - Macs get phenomenal battery life, it's not an issue for most people. Much like iPhones there is an argument for swappable batteries b…

> Some Macs still have Ethernet, but WiFi is pretty ubiquitous.

WiFi is fine for when you are on the move, but for serious use, I wouldn't trade an ethernet connection.

I'm in a office right now with over 500 people, all with laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and the WiFi is pretty crappy. I wouldn't want to depend on WiFi as my main network connection in any kind of office environment.

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#348

I wonder how much profit they would have made if all of their offshore and manufacturing jobs were moved to the US.

I think that's impossible to answer, since the U.S. lacks the infrastructure, workers, regulations to make that possible today. Hopefully over time we can improve that situation. In other words, it's more complicated than a simple business choice.

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree because at some point in the supply chain you have to draw the line. What about the company that made the processors? What about the memory? what about the one that mined the materials?

How about picking a car company for example? Don't most car companies directly hire employees that assemble the final product (car)?

But, most parts that go into a car are manufactured by suppliers, not the car company. Also, many employees are not direct hires, but employed by an intermediary agency.

Long story short, while they do the final assembly more directly, 90% of the work is still done in China, figuratively speaking.

Re: Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

#350
post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue that Apple isn't extracting value from employees, but rather creating value using employees. It's not a zero-sum game. Apple creates value, it doesn't just move it from one place to another.

Apple employees create value. Apple itself hoards cash and leaks it out to shareholders.

Surely, the Apple employees use Apple's property when creating value. The employees -- presumably -- don't own the desk they sit at, the computer they use at work, the building in which they work. And they don't pay the bill from TSMC when wafers need to be produced -- Apple pays for all these things. It is able to do this, in part, because it has hoarded cash.

I'm sure you wouldn't claim that it's possible for the employees to create the value without the assets owned by Apple. Does the Apple employees have the savings to pay the $100M bill from TSMC, when a new generation of SOCs need to be produced? They would certainly all have to work from home, because they wouldn't have a building they could all sit in, without using the property of Apple.

Seems to me like Apple and its employees are in a symbiotic relationship, that benefits both parties.

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