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Apple reports Q2 results ($11.6 billion profit/$39.2 billion revenue)

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aznpxdd

Member
Yes, which is something PC makers tend to be oblivious to. Hardware design and build quality is a huge huge factor to the average consumer, not what the RAM is or the graphics card. I mean even the most sleek looking Windows based Ultrabook on the market (Asus Zenbook) has a awful trackpad and weak keyboard. The fact that not a single PC maker has come even close to the build quality of a MacBook trackpad shows just how little they get the importance of build quality for a computer.

Is Apple's trackpad just as awesome as it is on Windows? I've had my Zenbook for almost half a year now and I don't think I've used the trackpad much at all (always carry a travel mouse with me on business trips). I did consider MBA when I bought my laptop last Nov, but decided to go with Zenbook since it runs W7 natively and is 1600x900. And also because I think Zenbook is absolutely the best looking laptop available, its stunning in person.
 

Tobor

Member
Is Apple's trackpad just as awesome as it is on Windows? I've had my Zenbook for almost half a year now and I don't think I've used the trackpad much at all (always carry a travel mouse with me on business trips). I did consider MBA when I bought my laptop last Nov, but decided to go with Zenbook since it runs W7 natively and is 1600x900. And also because I think Zenbook is absolutely the best looking laptop available, its stunning in person.

Yes.

The Achilles' heel of so many ultrabooks — the Zenbook UX31 and Lenovo U300s especially — has been their trackpads. Many PC manufacturers have attempted to mimic Apple’s large touchpad and integrated mouse button, but none have been able to master it. And the result has been a host of usability issues: regular pointing and clicking suffers, touch responsiveness has been weak, palm rejection has been non-existent, and multitouch gestures, like two-finger scrolling, have been sluggish and choppy. The truth is that no Windows laptop manufacturer has come close to matching the fluidity of Apple’s trackpads.

What every other PC maker has failed at, Apple nails: the touchpad on the Air works better with Windows 7 than any other Windows laptop on the market. Everything works as it should with Windows; navigating with two fingers on the pad is smooth with no jumping cursors, two-finger scrolling is smoother than anything I’ve seen on any other Windows 7 laptop, and palm rejection is top notch.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/10/2...ndows-7-review-the-ultrabook-to-rule-them-all
 

Cheebo

Banned
Is Apple's trackpad just as awesome as it is on Windows? I've had my Zenbook for almost half a year now and I don't think I've used the trackpad much at all (always carry a travel mouse with me on business trips). I did consider MBA when I bought my laptop last Nov, but decided to go with Zenbook since it runs W7 natively and is 1600x900. And also because I think Zenbook is absolutely the best looking laptop available, its stunning in person.

The Zenbook looks nice but the parts they use are pretty cheap. Especially the trackpad and keyboard. It's rather insane since it costs just as much as a MBA.
 

aznpxdd

Member
The Zenbook looks nice but the parts they use are pretty cheap. Especially the trackpad and keyboard. It's rather insane since it costs just as much as a MBA.

The only complaints I have with it are the TN screen (god it has such terrible viewing angle), and the lack of backlit keyboard. I have no problem with the keyboard (still can type ~80 WPM on it, though its shit compare to my Das Keyboard at home :p) and I don't use the trackpad much at all. Also I think its a bit cheaper than the MBA, not counting student discount and all that.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Is Apple's trackpad just as awesome as it is on Windows? I've had my Zenbook for almost half a year now and I don't think I've used the trackpad much at all (always carry a travel mouse with me on business trips). I did consider MBA when I bought my laptop last Nov, but decided to go with Zenbook since it runs W7 natively and is 1600x900. And also because I think Zenbook is absolutely the best looking laptop available, its stunning in person.

more awesome. I'd almost buy a MBP/MBA just for the trackpad. Both the size and responsiveness is a level above most windows laptops (haven't used a zenbook)
 

LCfiner

Member
The iPod touch is dead - I'm calling it.

can't say I agree... that's their entry point for kids or for those who cant afford a pricey phone contract

iphone revenue may dwarf ipod revenue but the touch is still important to Apple as the lowest price point iOS device - a lot of those people will "upgrade" to an iphone or ipad.
 

Tobor

Member
can't say I agree... that's their entry point for kids or for those who cant afford a pricey phone contract

iphone revenue may dwarf ipod revenue but the touch is still important to Apple as the lowest price point iOS device - a lot of those people will "upgrade" to an iphone or ipad.

If they ever do a 7" iPad, that would be the lowest price iOS device, and they'll kill the iPod Touch. If not, then you're right.
 

LCfiner

Member
If they ever do a 7" iPad, that would be the lowest price iOS device, and they'll kill the iPod Touch. If not, then you're right.

hmm. maybe. I still think there's value in a pocket sized portable computer. not just small bag sized. I hope Apple feels the same way.

I wonder, should they ever release a 7" iOS device, if they'll stagger pricing of base models so it's 150-200 for the touch, then 300 for the 7" thing. then 400 for the low end ipad, and 500 for the current ipad.
 

Keylime

ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
What is it about Apple threads that make people go crazy? Anyway...damn 11 billion dollars profit...holy fuck.

Philosophically, Apple is a pretty polarizing company for tech savvy folks. I completely understand the "Apple is an evil corporation who treats their users as mindless zombies who can't be trusted with a toothpick".

I know I hated them actively...like going out of my way to criticize them angrily...for the longest time until I decided to give the products a try to get what all the fervor was about. Got a Macbook Pro and used it as my main system. Came with a free iPod Touch. Replaced the iPod Touch and my Windows Phone with an iPhone. Ended up getting a Mac Mini for an entertainment center PC. Got AirPort routers for my home networking. Replaced my wife's crappy laptop with a base model Macbook for easier home integration and troubleshooting. Wife upgraded to an iPhone when her contract on her Droid was up...

It's just a slow and steady conversion once you buy into the whole ecosystem. Apple products work with other Apple products incredibly well. Whether that's networking between devices, sharing content between devices, viewing content purchased through iTunes... when you convert to a full Apple experience, computing becomes much less about tweaking and troubleshooting and much more about doing.

Obviously there are benefits to not going this entire route (more personal control, broader selection of devices, cheaper...etc)...but there are benefits to doing it as well (natural product integration of services and content, easier maintainability...prettier...)

I get the angst and hate...I just wish it was presented more rationally. There's valid debate to be had about the subject, but it doesn't seem like rational debate is really ever had except in rare instances of certain threads. I doubt I'd have been very rational when debating the subject myself before actually giving everything a whirl first-hand myself....so again I get it. Doesn't make it any less frustrating.
 

coldfoot

Banned
Philosophically, Apple is a pretty polarizing company for tech savvy folks. I completely understand the "Apple is an evil corporation who treats their users as mindless zombies who can't be trusted with a toothpick".

I know I hated them actively...like going out of my way to criticize them angrily...for the longest time until I decided to give the products a try to get what all the fervor was about. Got a Macbook Pro and used it as my main system. Came with a free iPod Touch. Replaced the iPod Touch and my Windows Phone with an iPhone. Ended up getting a Mac Mini for an entertainment center PC. Got AirPort routers for my home networking. Replaced my wife's crappy laptop with a base model Macbook for easier home integration and troubleshooting. Wife upgraded to an iPhone when her contract on her Droid was up...

It's just a slow and steady conversion once you buy into the whole ecosystem. Apple products work with other Apple products incredibly well. Whether that's networking between devices, sharing content between devices, viewing content purchased through iTunes... when you convert to a full Apple experience, computing becomes much less about tweaking and troubleshooting and much more about doing.

Obviously there are benefits to not going this entire route (more personal control, broader selection of devices, cheaper...etc)...but there are benefits to doing it as well (natural product integration of services and content, easier maintainability...prettier...)

I get the angst and hate...I just wish it was presented more rationally. There's valid debate to be had about the subject, but it doesn't seem like rational debate is really ever had except in rare instances of certain threads. I doubt I'd have been very rational when debating the subject myself before actually giving everything a whirl first-hand myself....so again I get it. Doesn't make it any less frustrating.

So Apple = Reapers?
I had some major problems with OSX when I experimented with it 3 years ago mainly stemming from a lack of software. But now that Win7 forces that libraries crap on me that I hate with a passion, I'm ready to go back, since I do most of my work in a VMWare XP box anyways.
 

noah111

Still Alive
Found this on Verge comment thread, crazy growth.

C03UB.png
This is fucking amazing. Has there ever been a product that has had this kind of growth with such a revision?

Anyway, what hit me is how low iPod's impact is now. That's crazy low and it never really hit me until now.. Oh and is there an iPad chart like that, showing the quarter-by-quater growth?
 

Keylime

ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
This better mean they're finally bringing the iPhone to t-mobile.

I don't know...considering Sprint had to commit to something like $15-20 billion dollars in iPhone purchases before Apple would let them carry it, I don't think T-Mobile would really have any kind of ability to make it worth it to Apple to support them.

Although Apple let's little Mom+Pop carriers have the iPhone these days...so who knows.

What's the benefit of T-Mobile, anyways? Do they just have crazy cheap plans or something?
 

numble

Member
I don't know...considering Sprint had to commit to something like $15-20 billion dollars in iPhone purchases before Apple would let them carry it, I don't think T-Mobile would really have any kind of ability to make it worth it to Apple to support them.

Although Apple let's little Mom+Pop carriers have the iPhone these days...so who knows.

What's the benefit of T-Mobile, anyways? Do they just have crazy cheap plans or something?
TMobile would easily raise the cash, they just got $3 billion for free from AT&T. The iPhone is on something like 6 or more regional US carriers now. They're already converting spectrum to be iPhone compatible and giving out microSIM cards for unlocked phones.

People stick to carriers because of grandfathered contracts, business plans, or what have you.
 

coldfoot

Banned
I don't know...considering Sprint had to commit to something like $15-20 billion dollars in iPhone purchases before Apple would let them carry it, I don't think T-Mobile would really have any kind of ability to make it worth it to Apple to support them.

Although Apple let's little Mom+Pop carriers have the iPhone these days...so who knows.

What's the benefit of T-Mobile, anyways? Do they just have crazy cheap plans or something?

They work better in certain areas of the country. Still, all they need to do is include support for T-mobile's weird 1700Mhz 3G band on the iPhone.

Getting an iPhone with a plan is stupid now since Apple sells the iPhone unlocked. $649 iphone + $45/month unlimited service from Straight talk for 2 years costs less than $199 iphone + $70/month limited service from AT&T.
 

Akira

Member
Anyway, what hit me is how low iPod's impact is now. That's crazy low and it never really hit me until now.. Oh and is there an iPad chart like that, showing the quarter-by-quater growth?

That is because there is an iPod in every iPhone now. :p
 

LCfiner

Member
They work better in certain areas of the country. Still, all they need to do is include support for T-mobile's weird 1700Mhz 3G band on the iPhone.

Getting an iPhone with a plan is stupid now since Apple sells the iPhone unlocked. $649 iphone + $45/month unlimited service from Straight talk for 2 years costs less than $199 iphone + $70/month limited service from AT&T.

Is the "straight talk" plan a t-mobile thing? wouldn't you be limited to EDGE speeds if you were on t-mobile with an iPhone because of their 3G frequency? that's gotta be a deal breaker for a lot of people who want to use the iphone more as a connected device and not just a phone
 
I don't know...considering Sprint had to commit to something like $15-20 billion dollars in iPhone purchases before Apple would let them carry it, I don't think T-Mobile would really have any kind of ability to make it worth it to Apple to support them.

Although Apple let's little Mom+Pop carriers have the iPhone these days...so who knows.

What's the benefit of T-Mobile, anyways? Do they just have crazy cheap plans or something?

The new plan that T-mobile has for prepaid is a lot cheaper. $30 for unlimited data (4G speeds for first 5 GBs), unlimited text, and 100 talk minutes.

All they have to do now is support t-mobile's band. You can use one right now with no problems except MMS I think (that might even be fixed) if you buy one of the unlocked ones, you're just stuck with edge speeds though due to the lack of support for the t-mobile 3g band.


Is the "straight talk" plan a t-mobile thing? wouldn't you be limited to EDGE speeds if you were on t-mobile with an iPhone because of their 3G frequency? that's gotta be a deal breaker for a lot of people who want to use the iphone more as a connected device and not just a phone

Straight talk is a different company I believe, don't think it's anything with t-mobile. And ya, that's why he said they just need to support the band, you can use unlocked phones on t-mobile prepaid but if the phone doesn't support the band you get the slower speed. Any unlocked phone that supports the band works like any other phone you would buy from t-mobile.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
at some point, growth like that is unsustainable - right? No sign of it yet it seems but surely its inevitable. Does anyone see that in the next few years?
 

Keylime

ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
at some point, growth like that is unsustainable - right? No sign of it yet it seems but surely its inevitable. Does anyone see that in the next few years?

Apple is working on their global distribution hardcore, opening stores all over the place. They're only realistically hitting like 1/5 of the Chinese market right now or something if I'm remembering that stat correctly.

Don't think they're anywhere close to market saturation.

- Keep increasing global availability
- Keep releasing good products
- Keep banking insane stacks of cash
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
at some point, growth like that is unsustainable - right? No sign of it yet it seems but surely its inevitable. Does anyone see that in the next few years?

The bull case on Apple, without commenting on whether I agree or disagree with it, is:
a) China

b) Retail

c) While Apple enjoys strong marketshare in virtually every field it operates in, many of those fields have not yet expanded to the size they're likely to (IE Apple has a strong marketshare in smartphones, but so many dumbphones are still sold and those people will eventually transition to smartphones)

d) While Apple enjoys strong marketshare in many fields, often #1, they have not achieved a majority marketshare in phones or laptops/desktops. So there's "growth" not in Apple vs HP or Apple vs Toshiba, but in Apple versus ALL PC MANUFACTURERS.

e) Apple has thusfar been good at achieving greater than 1:1 substitution as new products transition in and old products transition out.
 

numble

Member
at some point, growth like that is unsustainable - right? No sign of it yet it seems but surely its inevitable. Does anyone see that in the next few years?
The profit margin per phone is probably more important for sustainability. The growth is something extra that shoots the stock price higher. They're still only 6% of the total market, the free iPhone 3GS is basically an AT&T exclusive and presumably a free iPhone 4 will have major availability at the end of this year, they're still not on the largest China carrier or TMobile, so there's lots of room for growth.

Whenever growth stops--it settles down to people upgrading their phones every 2 years--even if they're just upgrading the free model, there is similar profit margin. If growth has just stopped today and it settles at 30-35 million iPhones per quarter, that's still more profit than nearly every other company. Of course, Apple would need to worry about people switching, but the ecosystem is pretty good at locking people in.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Whenever growth stops--it settles down to people upgrading their phones every 2 years--even if they're just upgrading the free model, there is similar profit margin. If growth has just stopped today and it settles at 30-35 million iPhones per quarter, that's still more profit than nearly every other company. Of course, Apple would need to worry about people switching, but the ecosystem is pretty good at locking people in.

Well the idea is, as well, that if the iPhone "tops out", newer products will be in growth cycles, same way as the iPhone was in a growth cycle when the iPod "topped out". I can't speculate on what future products would be, clearly the Holy Grail Apple Television is something analysts have worked themselves into a frenzy about (I think in part due to the biography choosing to mention that particular project)
 

numble

Member
Well the idea is, as well, that if the iPhone "tops out", newer products will be in growth cycles, same way as the iPhone was in a growth cycle when the iPod "topped out". I can't speculate on what future products would be, clearly the Holy Grail Apple Television is something analysts have worked themselves into a frenzy about (I think in part due to the biography choosing to mention that particular project)
The iPod topped out because people transitioned to using their phones for music and there came a point when upgrades where marginal and incremental ala PCs and laptops. I think there's a difference with phones because the carriers basically bribe you to upgrade every 18 months to 3 years. And Apple has positioned to take advantage of this even in the "free phone with contract" space. Nobody is bribing you to upgrade your iPod (sometimes for free) every 2 years.

I think the iPad might have a higher risk of "topping out" than the iPhone. Nobody is bribing you to upgrade every 2 years. But it's growing faster than the iPhone was, so who knows.
 

coldfoot

Banned
Is the "straight talk" plan a t-mobile thing? wouldn't you be limited to EDGE speeds if you were on t-mobile with an iPhone because of their 3G frequency? that's gotta be a deal breaker for a lot of people who want to use the iphone more as a connected device and not just a phone

Straight talk is a MVNO with deals with all the big carriers. You get to choose which network you want. You can choose between AT&T and T-mobile. You get proper 3G/4G just like you would with AT&T if you choose AT&T.
 

LCfiner

Member
Straight talk is a MVNO with deals with all the big carriers. You get to choose which network you want. You can choose between AT&T and T-mobile. You get proper 3G/4G just like you would with AT&T if you choose AT&T.

hey, thanks for clearing that up. that definitely makes some sense for someone considering AT&T if they can handle that upfront phone cost. And especially if they can use the unlocked phone in other countries with travel.
 

FStop7

Banned
I kinda hope it was the "hippie friends" comment that did it. I'm sick and tired of all the ragging on users of the company's products. it's tiresome and it shits up threads.

You should have seen the cascade of meltdowns in the locked thread about iPad sales that appeared in the gaming side forum yesterday.
 

LCfiner

Member
You should have seen the cascade of meltdowns in the locked thread about iPad sales that appeared in the gaming side forum yesterday.

maybe I'm glad I missed it. I barely skim through gaming side these days.

I might search for it just for kicks now that it's locked, though :)
 

LCfiner

Member
Why not converge MAC and IOS?

because their UIs are made for entirely different input methods. because their memory management is designed for different limitations (No VM on iOS). because developer APIs and restrictions are different for each device (files can't be stored where a user wants them to on iOS). because converging them into one product would restrict the release schedule of one product based on the needs of another.

there's no good reason to merge them. I've never read one compelling reason why they should be one OS. it's always just an appeal to theoretical simplicity.


@Tobor. that vita call out in the thread was brutal. and very likely to be true, too. ouch.
 

Talon

Member
Why not converge MAC and IOS?
Tim Cook's response on the call:
Products are about tradeoffs. You begin to make tradeoffs to the point where what you have left at the end of the day doesn't please everyone. You can converge a toaster and refrigerator, but those things aren't going to be pleasing to the user.

The tablet market is huge; we said that day one. We were using them here [at Apple]. it occurred to us that there was so much you could do. The reasons to use those would be so broad. The iPad has taken off not only in consumer in a meaningful way, but education and enterprise. The applications are so easy to make meaningful for someone. There's such an abundance of those - as the ecosystem gets bigger and better - and we continue to double down on products. The limit is nowhere in sight.

Through the last 4 quarters [through launch], we've sold 67 million [iPads]. It took us 24 years to sell that many Macs and 5 years for that many iPods and 3 years for that many iPhones. I think iPad - it's a profound product. The breadth of it is incredible, and the appeal of it is universal. I could not happier with being in the market at the level of which we're innovating in the product and ecoystem here is incredible.

In terms of the market itself, IDC, Gartner, and Forrester have some numbers out there. 325 [million] by 2015, Foster is 375 [million] - they're in the mid 300s, which is about where the PC market is today. 2015 is only three years from now. Even the more formal predictors outside of us are beginning to see these lines crossed.

Having said that, I also believe there's a very good market for the MacBook Air. We continue to innovate in that product, but I do think it appeals to someone who has a little bit different requirements. You wouldn't want to put these two together because you end up compromising and don't end up pleasing the user. To make the compromise of convergence, we're not going to that party. Others might from a defensive point of view, particularly.

We're going to play in both.
 

border

Member
Getting an iPhone with a plan is stupid now since Apple sells the iPhone unlocked. $649 iphone + $45/month unlimited service from Straight talk for 2 years costs less than $199 iphone + $70/month limited service from AT&T.

$649 + ($45*24 months) = $1729
$200 + ($70*24 months) = $1880

The difference between contract and no-contract is actually pretty negligible unless you are able to get your phone for $300 or less. Paying Apple's full price on an unlocked phone more-or-less negates the price advantage of using a prepaid carrier.

Straight Talk's speeds are throttled by AT&T, so you get unlimited use but not at the speeds you want.

Once T-Mobile's 3G works with the iPhone, that will be the best deal in cellular for heavy data users.
 

Cygnus X-1

Member
They have so much money right now that the next incredible step they could undergo for the american manufacturing is to shift all the production to the USA. What an amazing thing would be for so many unemployed people.
 

Kosmo

Banned
They have so much money right now that the next incredible step they could undergo for the american manufacturing is to shift all the production to the USA. What an amazing thing would be for so many unemployed people.

Yes, and then not being able to sell iPads, which would probably double in price.
 

coldfoot

Banned
$649 + ($45*24 months) = $1729
$200 + ($70*24 months) = $1880

The difference between contract and no-contract is actually pretty negligible unless you are able to get your phone for $300 or less. Paying Apple's full price on an unlocked phone more-or-less negates the price advantage of using a prepaid carrier.

The $70 plan with AT&T does not include:

- taxes ($5-10 depending on where you live)
- $36 activation fee
- texting
- unlimited talk vs. pathetic 450 minutes with AT&T.

So not only you have to add at least $120 to AT&T cost, you need to add more if you need more minutes or texting.
Also, the data throttling only happens after the 2GB cap has been exceeded, which is the same cap as AT&T. I know from my friend who uses it daily on his iPhone.
Therefore your math is flawed, the AT&T route costs a good $300 more at least.

You can also sell your phone every year when the new iPhone comes out. This can be very profitable if you go abroad. AT&T won't unlock your iPhone unless your contract is up.
 

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
Tim Cook's response on the call:

In other words: lol Windows 8 you so dumb. And I can't say I disagree. It's a shame too because I like Windows 7, whereas I'm not sure I see the point in buying a new version whose focus was for tablets -- a category of products which doesn't cover all the same uses as a regular computer and uses a vastly different interface.
 

dLMN8R

Member
In other words: lol Windows 8 you so dumb. And I can't say I disagree. It's a shame too because I like Windows 7, whereas I'm not sure I see the point in buying a new version whose focus was for tablets -- a category of products which doesn't cover all the same uses as a regular computer and uses a vastly different interface.

Look, I love me some Apple products, but this is classic Apple PR spin.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/25/tech/mobile/apple-ceo-windows-8/index.html

"You can converge a toaster and refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user."

...

Microsoft didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. But on Twitter, lead Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw made his own playful, appliance-oriented swipe.

"Must be a typo. It's not a toaster/fridge. It's a toaster/oven," Shaw wrote Tuesday. "Those seem pretty popular. Just saying."
But some observers said Wednesday that Cook's reluctance to embrace a possible tablet-laptop convergence seems a bit ironic.
"That sounds familiar. Wasn't there some other device that critics said would fail because it combined too many things?" wrote Business Insider's Matt Rosoff. "Oh yeah. The iPhone. Which has sold 70 million units in the last six months."

He provided links to multiple articles, including his own, from 2007 that questioned whether a pricey phone that sends e-mail, surfs the Web, plays video games and lets you listen to iTunes would catch on. Or to put it differently, it was a product that combined a toaster, a refrigerator and a few other appliances to boot.

"The point is: sometimes convergence works," Rosoff wrote. "If you combine features that people want in a smart way, and sell it at the right price, it can work. Tim Cook of all people should know that."


With all the changes to OS X in Lion and Mountain Lion, convergence between iOS and OS X is inevitable. Maybe not in the same way as Windows 8, but probably close. This just seems like a classic "who reads anymore?" or "Who would ever want to watch video on their iPod?" type of misdirection.
 
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