Gregg Thurman on Premarket: Apple was green, turned red - 'You didn’t see me buying it.'
on 'We rebuilt Siri from the ground up, literally, tore it to the ground' - 'Horace has referred to Apple’s approach to platform AI as an “Operating System for AI integration” and I think that’s a good way to think about it.'
on IDC: Apple's iPhone will defy gravity in 2026 - 'While I agree on the “Unit market share” I don’t think Apple ever looks at it from that perspective, that is, market share is not the object; revenue, sales, and planting user engagement seeds is. The SE, and now “e” models have been Apple’s efforts to find the midrange offering that resonates with that price tiers’ market users and buyers, offering enough features, performance, tech, and most importantly, value, to entice new, crossover and conquest sales, in regional and emerging markets which are more price sensitive than developed countries. The iPhone 16e and 17e face a lot more direct Android competition, and many Android fans can rightly point to the 17e being “tech sheet” inferior on battery size (many Chinese OEM’s are claiming 5500 to 7500 mah sized batteries) rapid, high wattage charging, OLED/AMOLED higher refresh rate displays, some having multiple cameras, and of course cheaper prices (which may not be true this year), among other things. It’s not always clear to me that these outsized claims are actually true but price differential and not paying “the Apple Tax” is a reality. Apple can show the e uses the latest high performance A19 processor, more base RAM, and MagSafe, but only one general purpose camera. Real Intangibles are Apple’s proven long term support (6-7 years), physical Apple Stores support, superior long term resale value, integrated ecosystem. If Apple can hold prices, the 17e remains a competitive entry level model, along with discounted, refurbished, and used previous flagship models from the iPhone 11 through 16. The allure of a recognizable iPhone model exists, but having the least expensive although Apple model isn’t a flex for some. However, the e does provide a comparison for considering a self upsell to the base 17 which has proven a very superior seller in its price tier of $750-$1000 in almost every regional market it is in. IMO, Apple is aiming for value oriented and first time sales, sales for children and teens, and safe conquest sales, all as entry into the Apple ecosystem. If sales are good to decent, it will be doing its job, and “market share” will come. IMO, it’s absolute number of sales and revenue that interests Apple, not so much share, because Apple has always been a minority share in most markets due to price. Margins are whatever Apple deems acceptable for that model. And we all know that Apple trying to compete or offer in the lower midrange / budget realms of <$400 actually brings rejection from Apple users due to perceived “cheap” specs, materials, and execution, plus being even more out-specced and out-featured, even though most of the Android competition in that price range uses 2-4 year old and much less capable chipsets, displays, cameras and older RAM to save costs. Since margins are non-existent then and especially now, it’s not a market for Apple to bother with.'
on Premarket: Apple was green, turned red - 'Off topic, but it’s absolutely insane that Space-X – a company with $19 billion in *revenue* – now has a market cap that is greater than Amazon ($717B 2025 revenue; $77.7B 2025 net income) or Microsoft ($282B 2025 revenue; $125B 2025 net income).'
on 'We rebuilt Siri from the ground up, literally, tore it to the ground' - 'Thanks David for citing an old but important source of wisdom. A big shout out for your point about culture. Apple does the right thing, not afraid to face the truth, however tough. I’m sure this permeates from top to bottom. We’re invested in Apple’s culture, one of the many intangibles that never show up in the balance sheet. Likewise, goodwill is not carried in the balance, nor ‘brand’.'
on Premarket: Apple was green, turned red - 'AAPL started the AM in negative territory, but that got pretty quickly headed in the opposite direction. The knee-jerk options negativity is quickly being dispelled as more reasoned information filters out.'
on 'We rebuilt Siri from the ground up, literally, tore it to the ground' - 'Maybe it’s Siri’s daughter, named after her mother. She’s takin’ over the business as her mom retires. She has a much more advanced degree than her mother ever had, and her mother knows she will go on to do great things.'
on 'We rebuilt Siri from the ground up, literally, tore it to the ground' - 'It’s almost a crime to call it, Siri. Siri is dead.'
on Premarket: Apple was green, turned red - 'Barrons article on Citi analyst trying to will Apple stock price back above $300. Apple News link: https://apple.news/Apo8gTDTmQgOYnt5LcufP5g'
on Nate B. Jones' on Apple's AI strategy (revisited with index) - 'Rodney, Maybe I was hearing things wrong but I thought Nate Jones was saying that Apple wants to be the interface that decides what gets done on device and what goes to the server farm. In Nate’s model, who the customer is doesn’t matter. Apple wants to be the interface that decides where the work gets done. Now that may not be efficient enough for some customers who who need to go directly to the server farm. But if Nate is right about this, then Apple can be the interface for everybody else, especially those who aren’t sure where they need to be in this new world.'
on Premarket: Apple is green - 'Wow. I’m just watching that SpaceX rocket take off! The shares finished the day at $192.50, up $31.55 or 19.60% from Friday’s closing price. Overnight the shares are currently trading up about $17.50 at $210 a share. That’s a long way from Friday’s initial IPO price of $135 per share! Apple closed up $5.29 per share at $296.42. The shares are currently up overnight $0.44 at $296.86.'
on Siri is dead. Long live Siri AI - 'I had to memorize that poem for a college English course. Thanks for the flashback.'
