Kirk DeBernardi on UK to Apple: Loosen your grip on friction-free payments - 'Let’s get this straight. Apple was the first to make payments drop-dead simple on their platform — and private (as private as they could ever be) with the Apple Watch taking the crown of doing such. It took all the others to wake up to this new way of preferred payment method which sits as standard today. I happened to be in the room at an Apple shareholders meeting (last before COVID shut that notion down) where Tim Cook declared — and I quote — “Apple wants to kill the wallet.” Like the EU wanting to muck with the App Store success matrix, I guess being the best for the consumer garners too much envy sometimes. Go figure.'
on If you only have time for one iPhone Duo review - 'That video was good but this review by HTX Studio is next level. Excellent analysis and lab testing. The hinge analysis is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1qc29t04GI'
on Reflections on covering Apple since 2003 - '@Greg I don’t see Musk as a serious threat. Sure, he might say something like this, but he has a rich history of announcing vaporware and then never following up on it. If he tried to do this from scratch it would take years of effort. Most likely he would buy some low end Android phone and rebrand it. He could cause some headaches though for sure.'
on Apple at 343.99: Another record close (barely) - 'Daniel: What I’m observing (and has been mentioned on a number of podcasts I listen to daily) is share prices are responding positively to earnings growth. However, multiples, in general, are compressing even as earnings push share prices higher. In other words, share prices are moving higher at a slower rate than earnings multiples and the compression of multiples is being masked by the pace of earnings growth. Looking out to 2027, I expect the pace of share price appreciation to moderate and for interest rates to not only raise the costs of capital, but to offer competition to equites through higher yields on bonds and other debt instruments. There’s now no shortage of demand for capital including to fund government debt at all levels and satisfy the high capital demands for the continuing AI buildout.'
on Apple at 343.99: Another record close (barely) - 'When I first saw today’s price action I thought of other times when Apple stock rose quickly within Two weeks of an earnings report while waiting to hear about a new hot products sales. Often the stock peaks for the short term about 5 days before the earnings report and then pulls back. If the news at the report is received well then that previous peak is often returned to quickly. And if the street is impressed after the earnings call the stock tends to perform well as optimism reigns. If the news is less well received like the guidance is not as strong as the street wants then the stock peak for a while is the number before the earnings release. Given the Duo release schedule and other new products I can see this next few weeks playing out like this in some fashion. The market hasn’t been rewarding good earnings beats as often as it has in the past. Could be the way news is more available than it used to be makes it tougher to surprise to the upside. We will see what happens this time.'
on If you only have time for one iPhone Duo review - 'John Gruber’s review is pretty thorough: https://daringfireball.net/2026/10/the_iphone_duo It’s less about the hardware, and more about how Gruber would use it.'
on If you only have time for one iPhone Duo review - '“…only Joanna Stern folded and unfolded it 32,000 times.” And, boy are her hands tired! 🙂'
on Apple at 343.99: Another record close (barely) - 'A record high during Apple’s blackout period. How often does that happen?'
on If you only have time for one iPhone Duo review - 'I watched @MKBHD’s review. He’s also good. He was + but not glowing. https://youtu.be/ESABTN4VtrA?si=jJRIHkXivx5_h8jP'
on If you only have time for one iPhone Duo review - 'Yes, that is how to do a review. Love Joanna Stern’s reviews, and sense of humor. And her sense of what’s important.'
on When did Androids become stickier than iPhones? - 'I would assume that as people get more and more engrained into one system, that their tendency to change go down. I believe what we will see will be those who are new to cell phones and are considering an android phone and can afford higher quality will ‘switch’ to Apple. Also switchers may be android owners (but Apple wannabe’s) whose financial situation improves.'
on UK to Apple: Loosen your grip on friction-free payments - 'Sorry, that should have read: Hey Bill, “I’ll bet the regulators would want to force Apple to…” Not directed at Bill but the EU and their misguided attempts at “regulation” when their companies can’t compete.'
on If you only have time for one iPhone Duo review - 'I have no desire to get a Duo, that said, this is the kind of review all influencers should be doing'
on When did Androids become stickier than iPhones? - 'Upvoted David and Dan, and add. The survey is US only. And it seems the survey does not include first time buyers. Apple grows its IB with first time US buyers (as indicated by preferences of US teens in other surveys) and growth in emerging markets.'
on Reflections on covering Apple since 2003 - 'This was their first joint appearance since Sept 12, 2025.'
on When did Androids become stickier than iPhones? - 'I know people who dislike the whole idea of Apple’s walled garden. For computers, they pick Linux. For phones, they mostly seem to pick Android. I’m always trying to get people to switch to Apple products, so I engage with these people to understand what they want, and if Apple can provide it. From what I can tell, there is plenty of support for Android that is not geared on price, and is primarily based on not wanting a “sticky” product.'
