Apple Inc.

[vesfreq]

Some small food for thought:

1. From a consumer standpoint, I was looking to replace my notebook with a cheap ultraportable. To my surprise, the macbook air 11" seems best price for money. (an entry acer ultraportable is $1700~.) Apple overpriced? It depends.

2. I hate the new iPhone commericals. They seem to sell functions, not experiences. I think Apple has become ordinary in this way. Under Steve Jobs, Apple translated how their products integrated in people's life. With Cook, it seems rather commoditized sales.

So from a brand/coolness argument, I think it depends how Apple positions itself moving forward.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk

A somewhat late reply. A surface pro 3 will also cost 1.7k with keyboard.

I still have to say that it depends on what the end consumer wants. It seems more like there are a sizable number going for the form rather than the function.

Previously I had a iphone 3s. Ever since I sold it and changed an android, I have never looked back. The iOS had too many restrictions, which I didn't like. Perhaps, one man's meat is another's poison. Nonetheless, they have a good product which always seem "ever popular".

[CityFarmer]

The killing part of the Apple Watch is from lower priced siblings, those priced below $500 (equivalence of 500 Swiss Franc).

Ice age is coming for Swiss watches: Swatch co-inventor

ZURICH — Apple may soon sell as many timepieces as all of Switzerland, threatening the country’s four-century-old industry, the co-inventor of the Swatch predicted.

The Apple Watch may reach sales of 20 million to 30 million units annually in the first few years, Mr Elmar Mock said by phone today (March 10). Switzerland exported 28.6 million watches in 2014.

“Apple will succeed quickly,” said the 61-year-old, who helped create the low-price Swatch in the 1980s. “It will put a lot of pressure on the traditional watch industry and jobs in Switzerland.”

Apple is set to challenge Switzerland’s US$38 billion watch industry after the Cupertino, California-based company shook up markets such as music by driving consumers from CDs to iTunes and eroded Nokia Oyj’s dominance by redefining the mobile phone. While some Swiss brands such as Tissot, TAG Heuer and Montblanc are dipping their toes in the smartwatch market, the industry as a whole has been underestimating the threat, Mock said.

“Anything in the price range of 500 francs to 1,000 francs is really in danger,” said Mr Mock, speaking by phone from Biel, Switzerland. “I do expect an Ice Age coming toward us.”
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...o-inventor

Swiss watches were once almost killed by Japanese watches, but somehow it manage to survive and bloom. So can Apple watch really kill Swiss watch?

Furthermore, Apple watch will not be able to survive the test of time. In 5yrs, very likely it will become obsolete (both hardware and software), and need to be replaced. Swiss watches, in the other hand, can.

The article refer to specific Swiss brand i.e. Swatch, rather than higher end ones. Apple watch is a real threat to Swatch.

[NTL]

The killing part of the Apple Watch is from lower priced siblings, those priced below $500 (equivalence of 500 Swiss Franc).

Ice age is coming for Swiss watches: Swatch co-inventor

ZURICH — Apple may soon sell as many timepieces as all of Switzerland, threatening the country’s four-century-old industry, the co-inventor of the Swatch predicted.

The Apple Watch may reach sales of 20 million to 30 million units annually in the first few years, Mr Elmar Mock said by phone today (March 10). Switzerland exported 28.6 million watches in 2014.

“Apple will succeed quickly,” said the 61-year-old, who helped create the low-price Swatch in the 1980s. “It will put a lot of pressure on the traditional watch industry and jobs in Switzerland.”

Apple is set to challenge Switzerland’s US$38 billion watch industry after the Cupertino, California-based company shook up markets such as music by driving consumers from CDs to iTunes and eroded Nokia Oyj’s dominance by redefining the mobile phone. While some Swiss brands such as Tissot, TAG Heuer and Montblanc are dipping their toes in the smartwatch market, the industry as a whole has been underestimating the threat, Mock said.

“Anything in the price range of 500 francs to 1,000 francs is really in danger,” said Mr Mock, speaking by phone from Biel, Switzerland. “I do expect an Ice Age coming toward us.”
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...o-inventor

Swiss watches were once almost killed by Japanese watches, but somehow it manage to survive and bloom. So can Apple watch really kill Swiss watch?

Furthermore, Apple watch will not be able to survive the test of time. In 5yrs, very likely it will become obsolete (both hardware and software), and need to be replaced. Swiss watches, in the other hand, can.

The article refer to specific Swiss brand i.e. Swatch, rather than higher end ones. Apple watch is a real threat to Swatch.

I read it differently, as the article wrote "challenge Switzerland's US$38B industry". Swatch is "just" happen to be the largest Swiss watch maker.

Anyway, Apple watch will be a threat to any watch maker, not just the Swiss.

[CityFarmer]

This is a global trend, and will reduce the ARPU of cable TV service provider globally...

Apple is out to blow up the cable TV model

NEW YORK — After years of complaining about having to pay for obscure TV channels they never watch, American consumers might finally be getting their way.

The industry buzzword is “skinny bundles”, or Web services from providers such as Dish Network and Apple that offer just a few popular channels at a lower price.

The whittled-down packages are putting pressure on programmers that have relied on the 500-channel pay-TV universe to carry their less-popular niche networks. Apple plans to debut an online service this year with about 25 channels, according to people familiar with the effort. Dish’s Sling TV, unveiled in February, offers about 20 channels for US$20 a month. Cable companies are pushing mini bundles with Web access, local channels and HBO for as low as US$40 a month the first year to keep customers from fleeing.

“Consumers want lower price points,” Mr Jason Hirschhorn, chief executive officer of media newsletter REDEF, said on Monday (March 16) on Bloomberg TV. “That means the packages are smaller and ultimately that puts pressure” on content producers such as Viacom and Discovery Communications. These companies “have bundles of channels, maybe a bunch of which you don’t watch,” he said.

For years, TV programmers have paired their weaker channels with stronger ones to promote new shows and boost revenue. The average US home receives 189 TV channels but only watches 17 of them, according to a report last year by Nielsen.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/apple-ou...e-tv-model

[CityFarmer]

Apple Watch is a real threat to even luxury Swiss watch brand...

TAG Heuer to present smartwatch with Intel, Google this year

BASEL — TAG Heuer said it will present a smartwatch with Google and Intel later this year, becoming the largest luxury Swiss watch brand to go on the offensive against Apple in making timepieces with new electronic functions.

The unveiling may take place between October and December, said Mr Jean-Claude Biver, who heads the watchmaking activities of TAG Heuer’s owner, French luxury-goods maker LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA.

“Silicon Valley meets Switzerland,” Mr Biver said at a press conference at Baselworld, the largest watch and jewellery trade fair.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...oogle-year

[CityFarmer]

Apple products are selling as fashion luxury accessories, rather than a flashy technical gadget... The customers will shift from mostly men, to women?

Apple banks on stars to sell Watch

CUPERTINO (CALIFORNIA) — Two weeks ago, musician Pharrell Williams posted an Instagram video of his Apple Watch. The clip has more than 119,000 likes.

A few days later, Katy Perry snapped an Instagram photo of her Apple Watch, which has garnered more than 640,000 likes.

And on Monday, Beyonce posted a photo of herself wearing a custom gold-on-gold version.

They are not the only ones who have managed to get their hands on the highly coveted Apple Watch, days, if not weeks, before it is available to the public today.

Singer Drake posted a picture of his gold Apple Watch from the Coachella music festival. Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour wore one at a Burberry runway show in Los Angeles last week. And fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld wore a one-of-a-kind Apple Watch made for him, according to an Instagram photo posted by his bodyguard.

This is a far cry from 2007, when Apple released the first iPhone. Back then, CEO Steve Jobs was fielding calls from all sorts of superstars such as Shaquille O’Neal who sought the new device. They were all met with a resounding “no”
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/apple-ba...sell-watch

[Behappyalways]

Apple's Biggest Breakthrough That Almost No One Knows About
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2...swift-code

[vesfreq]

Apple's Biggest Breakthrough That Almost No One Knows About
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2...swift-code

My bro happened to be an app programmer and developer.

He was saying that Unity is more popular these days for app programming and allows porting. When I asked him for his view on Objective C, he recommended me to use Unity instead which allows programming of apps that can later be ported for use on ios or android devices.

That means, Swift may not necessarily have a cutting edge over "substitutes". Unless Swift is a must use, in order to access certain proprietary system features. Would it be a chargeable item? That is, must pay license before can use? And, I also suspect Swift is meant for apple only and does nothing but apple app programming, correct me if i'm wrong.

Thus, if I'm a development house, i rather use Unity or some multi platform programming tool. Development times are potentially shorter and allows porting to different platforms. It is probably blasphemous for Swift to allow the same.

Just to share some thoughts. You got me thinking. Thanks!

PS: I think the other major "movers" for Apple is the wireless charging for its devices. That would be something major for the entire apple "ecosystem". Last I did some silly math, if apple could make 20 bucks per wireless charging device for each apple iphone 6, there are more than 200 million of iphone 6 sold till date (can't recall the source of this data, but a google search can confirm this). How I derive the 20 bucks is that if energiser wireless charging is selling like usd 89 (http://www.cnet.com/products/energizer-d...e-charger/) and assuming that Energiser makes a small profit of 20% and works out to be 17.8 (round up to $20). Iphone 6 is only but one of the many apple products in the ecosystem. If Apple were to offer this as an option say 80 USD, thats a lot of potential demand for wireless charging. This is a mighty catalyst. Swift is interesting, but I think the wireless charging will be earth shaking. Just my opinion. There is no certainty in this however. The only thing clear so far is that Apple was reported to have been applying for patents regarding wireless charging technology.

Not vested in Apple at the moment.

[CityFarmer]

Charging for wireless charging? Doesn't it just a indoor charging without cable, with a specific device plug into socket? Samsung S6 offering the same feature now. I didn't get Samsung S6, but an iPhone 6 recently.

(not vested)

[vesfreq]

Charging for wireless charging? Doesn't it just a indoor charging without cable, with a specific device plug into socket? Samsung S6 offering the same feature now. I didn't get Samsung S6, but an iPhone 6 recently.

(not vested)

You are right. Indoor charging without cable, with some specific device plug into a socket.

IP6 may see this feature soon, if apple is indeed working on this technology.