Adam Foster on KeyBanc cheers Apple's monetization push - 'Who saw the Apple ad for Pluribus on a Samsung Refrigerator?'
on KeyBanc cheers Apple's monetization push - 'I’m totally fine with ads in my Apple News+. I just scroll past them. Big deal. I’d also be fine with ads in Apple Maps. (Sadly, we use Google Maps almost exclusively, though, for Car Play navigation — and even for Street View when scoping out locations at home…as Apple’s “Look Around” feature has big gaps in coverage.) Not sure exactly how ads in Apple TV will be implemented but that, too, will likely be something to which I would not object. The major upside, of course, will be the incremental increase in Services revenue, which may, over time, prove to be significant.'
on Wedbush's Street-high $350 Apple target is nearly $100 above the share price - 'Then a change of administration and an ill informed Trade & Tariff War with a poorly thought out assault on our biggest trading partner, decimating markets and bankrupting farmers, enhancing and growing competitors nations, and for what? Little to no change in trade deficits and tariffs, because US companies embrace cheapest sources of their products. And then there was the bungling of the pandemic, undermining of science, watching over a 1.2 million Americans die, 3.6M made ill, and still dealing with its aftermath. It took another administration 2+ years to deal with post pandemic upheaval and again, restabilization of the US and world economies, hand that off to the current administration who has grandiose plans to lower food prices, lower oil and gas prices, bring back manufacturing, and raise American prestige back from the 2016 administration’s debacles. Or at least piss off everyone equally and don’t care. Are we winning yet? No? Meat prices doubled, grocery prices STILL high, tariffs still a 10-20% unrepresented tax on consumers, gas prices and oil at 3 year highs, (was $3.72 avg. mid March, highest since Oct. 2023, now AAA reports $3.97, vs 1 yrs ago $3.15, a 26% jump) above the previous administrations, world oil, gas, helium supplies disrupted, another war a republican administration has started to deflect from domestic or political issues with no exit strategy or clear outcome in sight, plus billions in unfunded military expenditures adding to already rising national debt yet again, etc. etc. etc. All again to pummel markets, transfer wealth to rich players (follow the money and the grifting) while the average family sees their nest eggs shrink, their buying power cut, and personal freedoms curtailed if you’re not the right group. AAPL has suffered time and again under these situations, yes, some of it their own doing, but more externally than their business models and successes would imply or result, especially recently. Today, by dropping below $250, AAPL is now approaching -14% down from all time highs reached twice in the last 2 years despite being “late to AI or not spending enough” while now market seeing that maybe Apple’s strategy got it right. The Nasdaq has already entered into -11% Correction territory, as is the Dow too -10% exactly and S&P500 -9%. The only solace is that 2024 AAPL went from $223 to dropping to a $174 April low when Tariff War was restarted, so our 1 year YoY comparison will still look good, yay! /s We were told Repubs want less government in our lives yet it appears this admin wants government to run our lives, to intrude in and dictate our behaviors and actions, how we can vote, and to directly affect our and our investments’ financial well being as some form of blind loyalty, egotistical dictatorial control and patriotic strutting.'
on Apple quietly pulls plug on 'cheese grater' Mac Pro - 'I don’t believe I ever saw one of these in the wild… or even at an Apple Store. Had the original cheese grater as a file server running OSX Server 10.5. Brilliant setup that served us crash free for a decade. The MacPro was on borrowed time since the M1. Sales must have flatlined from the introduction of the Studio, with use cases requiring expansion slots becoming too niche.'
on Wedbush's Street-high $350 Apple target is nearly $100 above the share price - 'I think cats have a shared common sense of purpose. It’s just not one we agree with.'
on Wedbush's Street-high $350 Apple target is nearly $100 above the share price - '” No new populations to reach out to.”” I disagree – strongly. There is no competition in the Spatial market. Apple securing multiple high value sports broadcast rights are ideally suited for Spatial viewing, as are movies and live events such as concerts. Apple Intelligence, provided we get the SIRI we’ve all been waiting for, will position Apple as the gateway to AI, no matter the vendor. All of the above will increase subscription revenue The iPhone 17e and Mac Neo should do their job by expanding Apple’s presence in the low end of their respective markets. When Apple sells an Apple Vision Pro, an iPhone 17e or Mac Neo to a switcher, Apple is increasing Services revenue with products (AppleCard, Apple Pay, Apple Finance, 100% original, award winning, movies) the competition can’t compete against. These are all markets that Apple is under represented in, and they are huge.'
on KeyBanc cheers Apple's monetization push - 'Not I. Ads suck on anything I pay for. I’d rather maps become ad free as part of Apple One'
on Wedbush's Street-high $350 Apple target is nearly $100 above the share price - 'From a consumer point of view I could see some people postponing a new computer/device purchase in order to conserve cash for gasoline purchases but it is not clear that would be the first or most important way they would conserve funds. Eating out, going to the movies, travel seem much more likely places that would suffer with high energy prices first. So I think Apple’s prospects for sales revenue growth or shrinkage should not be as close a correlation to the price of oil, gas etc. as for some other companies as recent trading has exhibited. As for Wedbush’s price target and the gap between the current price being large that would normally be a buy not just an “outperform” “Maintains Outperform rating and $350 price target.” So I give kudos to “Ives” for sticking with the price target but question what would be a buy for an investment return in his view. Of course when he made the $350 call the stock price was probably higher than it is today. As many of the price targets were made pre Iran war. Most analysts didn’t include that in their calculations although recent price target changes might. These analysts get no respect. Many for good reasons.'
on Marques Brownlee: Apple's new laptops are putting Microsoft on notice - 'I didn’t find this video as devastating but it did point out the problems that Windows laptops, especially at the low end, now have to deal with. He seemed to be saying it can be done but since there are so many moving parts and pieces in putting a good cheap laptop together, that it can be a problem going forward. And MSFT may be at the forefront of the problem. But getting all the components to play nicely together may also be a problem, especially since no one controls the whole process.'
on Wedbush's Street-high $350 Apple target is nearly $100 above the share price - '“ Yes, it really is astounding. Who knew that when you blow up a gas plant, it takes more than a week or two to bring it back on-line??” Exactly. We are so used to ordering things on-line and having them show up in a day or two that it feels like we don’t have to wait for anything. Actually, as most on this forum are aware, it takes quite a while to rebuild major infrastructure. Even if the Iran war were magically stopped tomorrow it would take us years to recover the production of the various industrial inputs that are sourced from that region. Sulphuric acid is an important industrial chemical. Sulfur itself is virtually free as it is a byproduct of various processes, yet if the sulphuric acid plants near Iran are destroyed it will still take years to replace them. The Francis Scott Keyes bridge in Baltimore was destroyed in one day by a tragic accident in March 2024. It was supposed to have been replaced by 2028. That date is now 2030 and costs have more than doubled.'
on Wedbush's Street-high $350 Apple target is nearly $100 above the share price - 'Yes, it really is astounding. Who knew that when you blow up a gas plant, it takes more than a week or two to bring it back on-line?? Oh. Everyone, that’s who. Except, apparently all of the people ordering the blowing up and most of the people talking about where markets and stocks are going. More and more academic economists are predicting a recession in the USA that will officially begin this Fall (because of the definition of recession requiring two consecutive quarters economic retraction – meaning the pain and path have already started).'
on Mark Gurman: Apple granted iPhone designers anti-poaching stock options - 'These stock incentives are normal for the industry and the geography. For perspective, Refin says; “The median sale price of a home in Cupertino was $3.2M last month, up 33.4% since last year.”'
