Tag Archives: Google Inc

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Will Apple's Latest Results Be Its Latest Letdown?

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By The Associated Press

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By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Apple’s (AAPL) latest quarterly results are likely to illustrate why investors are clamoring for the maker of the iPhone and the iPad to come out with another trend-setting device.

The report, due out after the stock market closes Tuesday, is expected to show that Apple Inc. is making less money as more customers buy its lower-priced iPhones and iPads instead of the top-of-the-line models. Other consumers increasingly are bypassing Apple products altogether as smartphones and tablet computers running Google’s Android software win more fans.

Those dynamics have changed the way that Wall Street – and even parts of Main Street – view Apple. Once regarded as an indomitable innovator, Apple now looks vulnerable and perhaps a step behind Google Inc. and the leading Android disciple, Samsung Electronics Co.

If analysts’ projections pan out, Apple’s earnings fell during the three months that ended in June, marking the second consecutive quarter of decline. The slump follows a decade-long streak of earnings growth that ended at the start of the year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet are expecting, on average, earnings of $7.34 per share, down from $9.32 per share a year ago.

Meanwhile, analysts are forecasting little or no revenue growth for the first time since the debut of the iPhone six years ago. Analysts are expecting $35 billion in revenue for the period, its fiscal third quarter. It was $35 billion at the same time last year.

Those would be impressive numbers for most companies, but the bar has been set high for Apple since the introduction of its iPhone triggered an upheaval that has changed the way people engage with technology. Smartphones and tablets are emerging as the preferred way to connect to the Internet and perform many other common computing tasks. In the process, those mobile devices are supplanting laptop and desktop computers.

Ignited by its early lead in smartphones and tablets, Apple’s financial performance launched into a scintillating trajectory that catapulted its stock into Wall Street’s stratosphere, too. The company’s shares rose nearly six-fold from the debut of the first iPhone in 2007 to the release of the latest model last September to establish Apple as the world’s most valuable company.

Since peaking 10 months ago at $705.07, Apple’s stock has plummeted by about 40 percent to about $425 to wipe out roughly $260 billion in shareholder wealth. It is now behind Exxon Mobil Corp. in market capitalization – at $400 billion, compared with $422 billion for the energy company. Not even a recent 15 percent increase in Apple’s quarterly dividend has done much for the stock.

Despite the downturn in the company’s fortunes, Apple’s products still have legions of admirers. Sales of iPhones for the just-ended quarter are expected to total about 26 million, around the same number as the same time last year. But a …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

Google's Excellent Plan To Bring Wireless Internet To Developing Countries

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By Tim Worstall, Contributor The WSJ is reporting that Google is working on various technologies to bring wireless internet access to a number of developing countries. This is an absolutely excellent plan and one that we should be applauding. But not necessarily for what it will do to Google itself: rather, for what it will do to those developing countries: Google Inc. is deep into a multipronged effort to build and help run wireless networks in emerging markets as part of a plan to connect a billion or more new people to the Internet. …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

Google fined by German data protection agency

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A German data protection agency fined Google Inc. 145,000 euros ($189,000) for illegally recording information from unsecured wireless networks — an amount it acknowledged is “totally inadequate” as a deterrent to the multinational giant.

Hamburg’s state data protection agency said Monday that Google admitted collecting data including emails, passwords, photos and chat protocols from 2008-2010 as it prepared to launch its Street View service. Google says it never intended to store personal data and the agency says it has been deleted.

Agency head Johannes Caspar says “company internal control mechanisms failed seriously” at Google but the maximum fine possible was 150,000 euros which was “unlikely…to have a deterring effect.” Google earned $3.3 billion in the first quarter.

Caspar urged dramatic increases to possible maximum fines under future European regulations.

From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/9u3hLWVKvT8/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Amazon Apps Expand to 200 Countries

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By 24/7 Wall St.

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Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), often seen as the most progressive tech company in America, will expand its Appstore so “that developers can now submit their apps for distribution in nearly 200 countries.” Amazon may not have a ready customer base in most of those countries, but the announcement makes its reach seem impressive, even if it is ineffective.

In Amazon’s race to dominate, or at least have a prime position, in the mobile app development business, it finds itself behind Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). Apple’s massive distribution channel through its iPad and iPhone products, and the many years it has had its own store, give it a built-in advantage. Google has leverage of its own because of the nearly universal adoption of it Android mobile operating system. Its large share of the mobile OS industry cannot be underestimated as an app distribution network, via Google’s own store. Developers with direct relationship with Google can create products for both Amazon’s Kindle and all other Android products

Amazon Appstore for Android was created to help Amazon steal some of Google’s native app developer network. Why developers would not favor Google’s own developer system and store is a mystery. That means most of Amazon’s success with app distribution will be based on its own Kindle Fire tablet, to a substantial extent:

Developers throughout the world are experiencing strong monetization and user engagement through Kindle Fire and the Amazon Appstore.

As far as anyone can tell, the Amazon Appstore is the e-commerce company’s attempt to help sales of its Kindle products, and nothing more. The risk in that is that the Kindle may be overwhelmed by all the other Android-based tablets that have flooded the market. But in the hope of bolstering its position, the company said:

Amazon.com, Inc. continued the global expansion of its Appstore today by announcing that developers can now submit their apps for distribution in nearly 200 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, South Africa, South Korea, and even Papua New Guinea and Vatican City.

Vatican City may not be a big enough market to help Amazon reach its Appstore goals.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Electronics, Software Tagged: AAPL, AMZN, featured, GOOG

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From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/18/amazon-apps-expand-to-200-countries/

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Microsoft Strikes Patent Deal with Apple iPhone Supplier

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By 24/7 Wall St.

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Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) continues to claim that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android uses some of its patents. The world’s largest software company has used this leverage to get companies that use Android to sign licenses with it to protect them from legal action.

Microsoft got a big win in this ongoing effort, cutting a deal with the owner of Foxconn, one of the primary manufacturers for several smartphone firms, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Microsoft said of the patent deal:

Microsoft Corp. and Hon Hai, the parent company of Foxconn, signed a worldwide patent licensing agreement that provides broad coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio for devices running the Android and Chrome OS, including smartphones, tablets and televisions. While the contents of the agreement are confidential, the parties indicate that Microsoft will receive royalties from Hon Hai under the agreement. Hon Hai joins a growing list of contract manufacturing and original design manufacturing companies with Android and Chrome patent licenses.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Software, Technology Companies Tagged: AAPL, GOOG, MSFT

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From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/17/microsoft-strikes-patent-deal-with-apple-iphone-supplier/

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What Is Important in the Financial World (4/17/2013)

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By 24/7 Wall St.

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Shrinking Green Energy Sector

The race to replace fossil fuels with “green” energy slowed last year. As the industry struggled, China took the lead among nations with green energy investments. It is not much of a prize, as the many countries have decided the environment is not as important as the economy. A study by Pew that covered the green energy sector in 2012 showed:

Although 2012 investment levels worldwide declined 11 percent, to $269 billion, the clean energy sector weathered the withdrawal of priority incentives and initiatives offered by governments in numerous key markets, demonstrating its resilience. Reliable clean energy investment data have been collected for nine years now. Looking at the data in three-year increments, average clean energy investment increased by at least $90 billion triennially — from an average of $64 billion in the 2004-06 period to an average of $156 billion in 2007-09 and $245 billion in 2010-12.

In other words, things got better in the industry, even though they got worse. Among the major categories of clean energy — wind, small hydro, biomas, solar, geothermal and marine — China‘s investment was well ahead of the next two nations — the United States and Germany. China‘s investment was $65.1 billion, the U.S.’s was $35.6 billion and Germany‘s $22.8 billion. With the rise of shale oil and gas, “green” may continue to shrink for years to come.

Microsoft Strikes Patent Deal

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) continues to claim that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android uses some of its patents. The world’s largest software company has used this leverage to get companies that use Android to sign licenses with it to protect them from legal action. Microsoft got a big win in this ongoing effort, cutting a deal with the owner of Foxconn, one of the primary manufacturers for several smartphone firms, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Microsoft said of the patent deal:

Microsoft Corp. and Hon Hai, the parent company of Foxconn, signed a worldwide patent licensing agreement that provides broad coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio for devices running the Android and Chrome OS, including smartphones, tablets and televisions. While the contents of the agreement are confidential, the parties indicate that Microsoft will receive royalties from Hon Hai under the agreement. Hon Hai joins a growing list of contract manufacturing and original design manufacturing companies with Android and Chrome patent licenses.

Toyota Global Hybrid Sales

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) posted worldwide sales data for the period that ended on March 31, including sales of hybrids, which many analysts believe is the future of the industry. The Japanese car company said of its global hybrid sales:

[C]umulative global sales of its hybrid vehicles topped the 5 million unit mark as of March 31, 2013, reaching 5.125 million units.

Positioning response to environmental issues as a management priority and based on its belief that environment-friendly vehicles can only truly have a positive impact if they are used widely, TMC has endeavored to promote the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles.

Last year, hybrid vehicles accounted for 14

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/17/what-is-important-in-the-financial-world-4172013/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

LinkedIn to Buy E-Reader Company Pulse for $90M

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By The Associated Press

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Professional networking website LinkedIn is paying about $90 million to acquire Pulse, which makes an e-reader platform used on mobile devices.

More than 30 million people worldwide use Pulse’s e-reader applications on devices running both Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android-based operating systems. Pulse, based in San Francisco, was founded in 2010 by Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta while they were students at Stanford University.

The deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter, is a combination of 90 percent stock and 10 percent cash.

Following the close, Pulse employees will join LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD) at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

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From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/12/linkedin-buys-pulse/

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Google Targeted in European Antitrust Complaint Led by Microsoft

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By The Associated Press

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Philippe Wojazer/AP Google CEO Eric Schmidt, left, and French President Francois Hollande sign an agreement at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Feb. 1. On Tuesday, more than a dozen technology companies filed a complaint against Google, alleging unfair trade practices in Europe.

By JUERGEN BAETZ

BRUSSELS — Google is using unfair practices to cement its control over mobile Internet usage on smartphones, a group of companies led by Microsoft alleged in a European antitrust complaint Tuesday.

The “FairSearch” initiative of 17 companies — which includes Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Nokia Corp. (NOK) and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) — claims Google is acting unfairly by giving away its Android operating system to mobile device companies on the condition that the U.S. online giant’s own software applications like YouTube and Google Maps are installed and prominently displayed.

“Google is using its Android mobile operating system as a Trojan horse to deceive partners, monopolize the mobile marketplace, and control consumer data,” said Thomas Vinje, the group’s Brussels-based lawyer.

Android operating systems have the largest share of the smartphone market worldwide, followed by Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iOS platform with systems from Blackberry (BBRY), Microsoft and others far behind.

“Google’s predatory distribution of Android at below-cost makes it difficult for other providers of operating systems to recoup investments in competing with Google’s dominant mobile platform,” FairSearch said in a statement.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and antitrust authority, is not obliged to take any action other than reply to the group’s complaint.

Google Inc. (GOOG) didn’t address the complaint’s charges in detail. “We continue to work cooperatively with the European Commission,” said Google spokesman Al Verney.

The U.S. company is already under investigation by Brussels for practices related to its dominance of online search and advertising markets.

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That complaint, filed in 2010, alleges Google unfairly favors its own services in its Internet search results, which enjoy a near-monopoly in Europe. Google has proposed a list of remedies to address the Commission’s concerns to achieve a settlement. The Commission is currently examining the proposed changes.

In China, Google has already come under official scrutiny because of Android’s dominance of the mobile smartphone market there.

Several European data privacy regulators have also launched an investigation into Google’s practices, alleging the company is creating a data goldmine at the expense of unwitting users.

Last year, the company merged 60 separate privacy policies from around the world into one universal procedure. The European authorities complain that the new policy doesn’t allow users to figure out which information is kept, how it is combined by Google services or how long the company retains it.

The policy allows Google to combine data collected from one person as they use …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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With 'Home,' Facebook Barges in on Google's Turf

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By The Associated Press

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP HTC CEO Peter Chou, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega embrace as they show joint products at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Thursday.

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK — Facebook Home, the new application that takes over the front screen of a smartphone, is a bit of a corporate home invasion. Facebook is essentially moving into Google’s turf, taking advantage of software the search giant and competitor created.

Facebook Home will operate on phones running Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android software and present Facebook status updates, messages and other content on the home screen, rather than making the user fire up Facebook’s app. The software will be available for users to download on April 12 and will come preloaded on a new phone from HTC Corp., sold by AT&T Inc. in the U.S.

Google gives away Android, the most popular smartphone software in the world, in the hope that it will steer phone users toward Google services, such as Maps and Gmail, and the ads it sells. Compared to ads targeting PC surfers, mobile ads are a small market, but it’s growing quickly. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion.

With Home, Facebook is inserting itself between users and Google, diverting them to the social network’s own ads and services. It’s taking advantage of the fact that Google places few restrictions on how phone manufacturers and software developers modify Android. By contrast, Facebook Home would not work on the iPhone without approval from Apple Inc., and close collaboration with the company.

“Facebook Home can only reside on Android because only Google was daft enough to allow it,” said independent phone analyst Horace Dediu, via Twitter.

At the launch event Thursday, Facebook Inc. (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Google was aware of the project, but Facebook didn’t work them to create Home. Asked if he believed Google could change tactics and restrict apps like Home, he said it was theoretically possible, but highly unlikely for Google to do a “180-degree change” in its stance on Android’s openness.

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It’s not the first time a big Internet company has co-opted Android: Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) has gone much farther with its Kindle Fire tablets. They run a version of Android that strips out all Google services, replacing them with Amazon’s equivalents. Barnes & Noble Inc. does the same thing with its Nook tablets. These devices lie outside the Google system, whereas phones running Facebook Home still come with Google apps like Maps and the Play Store for music, movies and applications.

The Play Store has many examples of downloadable applications that modify the Android home screen — so-called “launchers.” Home, however, represents the first time a major …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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'Home' Makes Facebook Your Phone's Hub – and Puts Its Ads First

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By DailyFinance/Associated Press

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Thursday. Zuckerberg says the company isn’t building a phone or an operating system. Rather, Facebook is introducing a new experience for Android phones.

Facebook fans who were expecting the social network to unveil its own proprietary smartphone Thursday have a long wait ahead of them, seeing the as company isn’t building a phone or an operating system.

Rather, explained CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a press conference at the company’s headquarters, Facebook (FB) is introducing a mobile experience it’s calling “Home,” which makes the social network the hub of any smartphone that runs Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android operating system.

Zuckerberg said the goal is put “people before apps.” To achieve that, Home replaces users’ home screen on their phones and includes a suite of applications, or apps. As Engadget explains:

It’s not just a new user-interface for launching apps, however. It replaces the “lockscreen” with cover feed and prioritizes updates from people instead of apps. There is a standard paginated launcher that is always just a swipe away. But the focus is on the full-screen images that are your new welcome screen.

“What Facebook wants is to put itself at the front of the Android user experience for as many Facebook users as possible and make Facebook more elemental to their customers’ experience,” Forrester analyst Charles Golvin told The Associated Press.

As Fortune notes, Home is a way for Facebook to supplant Google by pushing the search-engine giant’s prized services, including search maps and Gmail, into the background on Android phones, pushing users to use Facebook’s offerings instead.

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Home will be limited to phones running the Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean versions of Android — i.e., 4.0 and later. That covers phones made or updated during the past year or so.

Initially, the app will be limited to specific Android models — about a half-dozen of them, including Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note 2. It will also work on the upcoming Galaxy S IV. In addition, HTC‘s upcoming First phone will come with Home.

But the move could also help boost mobile advertising, a fast-growing field — thanks largely to Facebook and Twitter. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion, from $4.11 billion last year.

Showing more mobile ads to users poses challenges for Facebook, however, since the promotional ads may annoy or alienate Facebook users.

Check out Facebook’s Home:
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Apple Reportedly Set to Unveil Latest iPhone This Summer

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By The Associated Press

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John Moore/Getty Images The iPhone 5 on display at a T-Mobile press event on March 26. Apple is likely to launch its next iPhone this summer, a report says.

NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal says Apple is set for a possible summer launch of the next iPhone, rather than a fall launch like the last two models.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is also working on a cheaper iPhone model that could win it some market share in developing countries, the paper says. It cited unnamed people “familiar with the device’s production.”

The report is in line with the expectations of company watchers and Wall Street analysts. The iPhone 5 costs around $600, and while Apple maintains older iPhones in production, even those aren’t cheap enough to compete effectively against low-end smartphones running Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android software.

Apple doesn’t comment on future products before its launch events.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Google Targeted in Privacy Complaint by 6 European Nations

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By The Associated Press

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Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images

By LORI HINNANT

PARIS — Google’s new privacy policy is under attack from regulators in its largest European markets, who on Tuesday brought legal action to try and force the company to overhaul practices they say let it create a data goldmine at the expense of unwitting users.

Led by the French, organizations in Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Italy agreed Tuesday on the joint action, with the ultimate possibility of imposing fines or restrictions on operations across the entire 27-country European Union.

Last year Google Inc. (GOOG) merged 60 separate privacy policies from around the world into one universal procedure. The European organizations complain that the new policy doesn’t allow users to figure out which information is kept, how it is combined by Google services, or how long the company retains it.

The fines’ financial impact on Google would be limited — French privacy watchdog CNIL has the right to fine the company up to €300,000 ($385,000), approximately the amount it earns in three minutes, based on its projected revenue of $61 billion this year. Britain can fine up to 500,000 pounds, but rarely does.

But successful legal action would hurt Google’s image and could block its ability to collect such data until it addresses the regulators’ concerns.

Google dominates the European market for Internet searches. According to one survey, as much as 95 percent of searches in Europe are carried out through Google, compared with about 65 percent in the United States. European regulators have demanded specifics for anyone using Google on what’s being collected and a simpler presentation.

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Tensions between privacy and the swiftly evolving ability of companies to spin online usage data into vast profits are ramping up, especially in Europe where privacy laws tend to be strong and nearly every country has a regulatory body. But Internet users have consistently shown a willingness to give up privacy in exchange for convenience and new online services that Google and other tech companies offer.

Google says it merged its myriad privacy policies in March 2012 for the sake of simplicity, and that the changes comply with European laws.

“There is a wider debate going on about personal data and who owns and controls personal data,” said Colin Strong, a technology analyst with GfK. “The question is the extent to which consumers understand the value of their personal data and the extent that they are happy with the trade that they’re getting.”

Google hasn’t commented publicly on the process, beyond to say that it complies with European law.

“No one is against Google’s objective of simplicity. It’s legitimate. But it needs to be accompanied by transparence for consumers and the ability to say yes or no,” Isabelle Falque Pierrotin, head of French privacy regulator CNIL, said …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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UPS Agrees to Pay $40M to End Online Pharmacy Probe

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By The Associated Press

ups investigation drugs settlement online pharmacies

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SAN FRANCISCO — Shipping company UPS agreed Friday to pay $40 million to end a federal criminal probe connected to deliveries it made for illicit online pharmacies.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Atlanta-based company would also “take steps” to block illicit online drug dealers from using their delivery service.

The DOJ said the fine amount is the money UPS (UPS) collected from suspect online pharmacies. UPS won’t be charged with any crimes. Its biggest rival, FedEx Corp. (FDX), has also been a target of the federal investigation.

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The investigation of the two companies stems from a global campaign to shutter illicit online pharmacies launched in 2005. Since then, dozens of arrests have been made and thousands of websites closed worldwide as investigators continue to broaden the probe beyond the operators.

Earlier this week, Chris Napoli, the operator of Safescripts Online, was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to forfeit $24 million in revenue the illicit pharmacy took in between 2004 and 2006. Two other men were sentenced to prison along with Napoli.

Receipts from UPS and FedEx were used as evidence in the trio’s trial last year.

Seven others have been convicted of operating illegal pharmacies in San Francisco federal court last year.

In 2011, Google Inc. (GOOG) agreed to pay $500 million to settle allegations by the Justice Department that it profited from ads for illegal online pharmacies.

UPS and FedEx each disclosed they were the target of a federal investigation in regulatory filings last year. UPS signaled at the time it was working on a resolution with the DOJ. FedEx, on the other hand, asserted no wrongdoing and said it wouldn’t accept a plea bargain.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Corporate Cash Piles Up

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By 24/7 Wall St.

Money, US, $100 bills

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The debate over how America’s largest companies use cash will pick up again. Moody’s Investor Services released a study that forecasts how big the cash balances will be at some of these public corporations at the end of 2013.

The kind of activism Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has faced about distributing its cash to shareholders through a higher dividend or share buybacks almost certainly will spread to the other companies on the Moody’s list.

The Moody’s report put Apple’s year-end cash balance at $170 billion. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) are also on the Moody’s list. Perhaps the most critical difference between these companies and Apple is that they have shown a history of acquisitions. Apple has never used its money that way, at least on any large scale.

According to MarketWatch:

Overall, corporate-cash stockpiles at U.S. non-financial companies rated by Moody’s grew to $1.45 trillion in 2012, up 10% from 2011, according to the report.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Dividends & Buybacks Tagged: AAPL, CSCO, GOOG, MSFT, PFE

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What's Important in the Financial World (3/19/3013)

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By 24/7 Wall St.

Garden gnomes

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Corporate Cash Piles Up

The debate over how America’s largest companies use cash will pick up again. Moody’s Investor Services released a study that forecasts how big the cash balances will be at some of these public corporations at the end of 2013. The kind of activism Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has faced about distributing its cash to shareholders through a higher dividend or share buybacks almost certainly will spread to the other companies on the Moody’s list. The Moody’s report put Apple’s year-end cash balance at $170 billion. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) are also on the Moody’s list. Perhaps the most critical difference between these companies and Apple is that they have shown a history of acquisitions. Apple has never used its money that way, at least on any large scale. According to MarketWatch:

Overall, corporate-cash stockpiles at U.S. non-financial companies rated by Moody’s grew to $1.45 trillion in 2012, up 10% from 2011, according to the report.

Cypriot Parliament to Weigh In

The parliament in Cyprus may block the government‘s attempt to seize money from the savings accounts of its citizens as a way to raise money to get access to bailout funds. If so, the anxiety about the action, and its possible effects on the plans of other financially weak EU nations, should drop. Some analysts believe there could be a sort of contagion, if countries like Greece run out of options to close budget gaps. Cyprus does not have anywhere else to turn for the money, which is the primary reason it took such measures. According to Reuters:

Cyprus‘s parliament is unlikely to pass legislation taxing deposits which has prompted turmoil in its banking system, falling short on a condition for an international bailout, government spokesman Christos Stylianides said on Tuesday.

Apple and Its Shadow

Wherever Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) goes, Samsung is never far behind it. The South Korean company said it will build and market a smartwatch, just as Apple is rumored to be doing. Among a heightened competition, the launches are likely to cause another round of intellectual property and patent challenges in courts around the world. These kinds of fights already are well along as Samsung has challenged both the iPhone and the iPad. According to Bloomberg:

“We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long,” Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile business, said during an interview in Seoul. “We are working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.”

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Market Open Tagged: AAPL, CSCO, GOOG, MSFT, PFE

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BlackBerry CEO Derides Apple — Australian Financial Review

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By 24/7 Wall St.

BlackBerry Z10

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In an exclusive interview with The Australian Financial Review, BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) CEO Thorsten Heins took a swipe at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and the venerable iOS operating system. Heins predicted that BlackBerry’s new operating system, BlackBerry 10 (BB10), and the touchscreen Z10 smartphone would have 100,000 apps available by the time of the phone’s U.S. launch later this week.

Heins also had this to say about the iPhone:

The user interface on the iPhone, with all due respect for what this invention was all about is now five years old.

The inference we are supposed to draw is that newer is not only different, but better. That may well be true, but the usual corollary of that inference is that in order for something new to disrupt the existing marketplace it must be 10 times better and cost half as much. Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) tipped the cost scale to free with its Android operating system, and Android is now the global leader in software platforms for smartphones.

BlackBerry, and Heins, then cannot compete with Google on cost or with Apple or Google on apps, so what’s left? Heins points to BB10’s multitasking capability, something neither Apple nor Google yet supports.

But the paradigm Heins appears to be applying is that a smartphone operating system should be more like a laptop’s or a PC‘s. That is not where the industry is headed. The ubiquity of smartphones and tablets is changing the way users interact with devices, and the apps-driven interfaces already have begun to surface, as in Windows 8 from Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Google Chrome.

Heins had a lot more to say and you can read more about it here.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Electronics, PC Companies, Telecom & Wireless Tagged: AAPL, BBRY, GOOG, MSFT

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Facebook's Zuckerberg Tops Highest-Rated CEO List

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By 24/7 Wall St.

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Internet jobs site Glassdoor has released its list of the top 50 U.S. CEOs, based on employee feedback, for the past 12 months through February 27. The company asked the question, “Do you approve of the way your CEO is leading the company?” and received more than half a million responses.

The top-ranked chief executive officer this year is Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB). Others in the top five are SAP A.G. (NYSE: SAP) co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe, McKinsey & Co. CEO Dominic Barton, Ernst & Young’s Jim Turley and Northwestern Mutual’s John Schlifske. Turley is the only repeater in the top five.

Last year’s top-rated CEO, Tim Cook of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), fell to 18th this year, although the decrease in his score was relatively small, from 97 to 93. Larry Page, CEO at Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), fell from fifth place a year ago to 11th place, but improved his score from 94 to 95.

Glassdoor’s CEO noted:

The CEOs who are most successful in gaining employee approval are those who paint a clear vision of what the company is setting out to achieve and how it’s going to get there. To be recognized by your employees as a strong leader also comes as a result of having a solid company culture that helps employees foster the skills necessary to move business forward and meet the needs of customers.

Glassdoor’s top 50 list is available here.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Corporate Governance, Research Tagged: AAPL, FB, GOOG, SAP

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Apple on the Defensive About New Samsung "iPhone Killer"

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By 24/7 Wall St.

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Today is the day. Samsung will release its so-called iPhone killer, the Galaxy S IV. Many experts believe that the product’s new features will make it a challenge to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Some even believe it could outsell the iPhone this year.

Oddly, one of Apple’s top executives decided the day of the launch was a good time to deride Samsung. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal:

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller on Wednesday played down the expected competition from the device. He also discussed how he believes products that run Google Inc.’s Android software, such as Samsung’s phone, are inferior to Apple’s iPhone.

Mr. Schiller shared data on the iPhone’s popularity and said Apple’s own research shows that four times as many iPhone users switched from an Android phone than to an Android phone in the fourth quarter.

To show some guts, Schiller should have held his fire until the release of the next generation iPhone.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Electronics, Technology Companies, Wireless Tagged: AAPL

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance